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Letters from our listeners

Kai Ryssdal reviews some of the letters we've received about our coverage and commentaries on, among other things, the farm bill, Oregon voters, books on tape in Atlanta, and the Boston Red Sox.

TEXT OF LETTERS

KAI RYSSDAL: We know we’re hitting the right audience when a farmer writes in about our coverage of the farm bill. We covered the $300 billion package a couple of ways. Commentator Jonathan Chait said farmers don’t deserve special treatment for, among other things, working long hours outdoors. He said it’s true of lots of jobs — Like prostitution. Minnesotan Bruce Johnson was heading back to the field for another load of corn when he heard that. Johnson says, first off, farmers do deserve special treatment. Just look at the food on the table if you need reinforcing on that score. And on the other score, well . . .

BRUCE JOHNSON: As to the comparison of farmers with prostitutes, I only know prostitution from HBO, and am sure of many differences, most notably the uniform.

Although we’re on the same coast as Oregon, I clearly need to brush up on that state’s electoral process. We had a story last week about a ballot measure that would limit development and curb roadside advertising there. I was too smart by half as I introduced the piece when I said Oregonians would actually go to the polls to cast their ballots. Former Oregonian Jacob Herbold was one of many who wrote to point out my error.

JACOB HERBOLD: Since the late 1990’s, the state of Oregon has done all voting by mail. So, I don’t think Oregonians will be driving on the highway to vote; they will be sitting around the kitchen table and hopefully not seeing any billboards from there.

We had the Marketplace players on last week for a public service announcement about the evils of books on tape, and how a marketing push in Atlanta for this kind of in-car entertainment might draw public radio listeners away from the radio. It struck some as funny and others as not. Eric Johansen said our Georgia accent was less than peachy.

ERIC JOHANSEN: As a native Atlantan and very familiar with the traffic, I found your story/drama about books on CD very funny. However, my ears hurt me to hear the horrible attempt at a Georgian accent. We don’t speak like Scarlett and Rhett. That was Hollywood

We’re an equal opportunity offender here at Marketplace. While most Red Sox fans have been enjoying the team’s win in the World Series, a few of them were also writing in about a commentary we did on the branding of Red Sox nation. Brendan Hood’s a senior at the University of San Diego and as a former Bostonian — a Red Sox fan, too — he wrote to point out that while we said the 2004 Red Sox lived by their “Cowboy Up” mantra, actually, they called themselves the idiots that year.

BRENDAN HOOD: Cowboy Up was from the previous 2003. And as many Sox fans know, 2003 was the year many fans want to forget after their devastating loss to the Yankees.

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