A reader sends an email to Steve Horwitz and me in response to our article commenting on Jane Smiley and gives us permission to post:

Hello Gentlemen, I read your article. I found it very interesting and informative. I wanted to comment on one particular part of the article, but by applying it to another subject. A subject we are all watching and in front of our faces at this time. The following copy and paste below from your article, which is a quote from Murray Rothbard as described in your piece, will be the subject of my email to you. "Murray Rothbard once said that "it is no crime to be ignorant of economics," but that it is "totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance."" I can't say that I haven't said something similar to this quite a few times the past few months on our current Healthcare Debate. I live in Texas, a well known and documented Conservative Red State. To make matters worse, I live in the Dallas area, where G Bush now resides, and I am in a profession loaded with the opposition Party. I'm a Texas Democrat. I am in the minority in this state, even though I believe the numbers to be shifting just a little bit. BUT, this is Texas, and I digress. The reason for me wasting your time is this: Applying, or interchanging, "Healthcare" for "Economics", in this quote seems to describe, in my opinion, exactly what is going in Town Hall meetings across out nation regarding the Healthcare debate. I have personally witnessed a Town Hall meeting here in Texas, and watch, or listen to, the news, a large part of the day everyday, so I've seen a ton of signs with very derogatory remarks and criticisms. To back up a bit, I am in no way stating that Americans shouldn't protest, or show up in large numbers to question a Government practice. To make this short, we all know that is Our American Right. However, most of the people at these events seem to be the older generation, on Medicare, and protesting an ideal that they are already using themselves. There are so many holes in the argument against the naysayers in the Healthcare debate in my opinion, but the most evident in my mind is the fact that the biggest bulk of the audience appears to be using government funded, government subsidized, Healthcare already. How can one scream and yell "Socialism" and "Government Takeover of Healthcare" when they themselves are on a very similar or same program? I'm not an economist, or involved in politics as a career or for gain, but I do consider myself a very intellectual person, and my view on this doesn't take much intelligence to recognize the hypocrisy spilling out of these Town Hall Meetings. So to my point: in changing the words to "it is no crime to be ignorant of Healthcare Reform," but that it is "totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on Healthcare Reform subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance", pretty much sums up the Healthcare Reform debate, as it relates to these Town Hall Meetings, in my opinion. Not only has the debate gone hypocritical, but most of the questions, fears, concerns, and shouting, has been about false statements, false propaganda, and without common sense, fed to them by media sources or by the opposition Party. But it goes without saying, they are loud, they are vociferous, they are uneducated on the issues, thus ignorant on the subject. Notwithstanding your own political views, or even engaging in an exchange of opinions, I really wanted to comment on that quote you used with this little bit of spin, since I believe it to be the perfect way to describe this debate. Again, sorry to take up your time, I'm just pretty warn out with the extremism and attention this debate has gotten in all it's hypocrisy.........Thanks for listening and for a very informative article. Have a great day!!!