This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Syndicated columnist Paul Krugman was misinterpreted by Beverly Terry in her letter "Clunky Krugman" (Forum, July 22) regarding Krugman's column about Independence Day ("E pluribus unum," Opinion, July 5). And apparently the Tribune never understood Krugman's intent, either.
Simply put, Krugman was saying that in this day and age, our country does attempt to disenfranchise voters, misrepresent companies as people, practice racism and economic bias. However, we still recognize the Constitution as the directive under which we live.
With the Constitution, we always have a blueprint by which to conduct our affairs, regardless of whether we manipulate it to our own advantage. Its existence and directives are what give many of us hope that eventually we will adhere to the original intent of the Founding Fathers.
Krugman is not schizophrenic in his observation, but we as a country appear to be, given the current effort by Congress and state legislatures to preserve their own special interests.
Joan Provost
Salt Lake City