Officials’ Ideology

David Boaz says that both liberals and conservatives “believe in government magic” (“Left and Right in the Same Sorry Rut,” Commentary, Aug. 3). That is not wholly true; of course we realize that sometimes policies “fail, or backfire, or have unintended consequences or disappear into bureaucratic sinkholes.” But does that mean those policies aren’t important?

The ideological and political leanings of those we elect to represent us influence policy development concerning all aspects of public and private life. We have only to look at the policies of the current administration to verify that.

Barbara Schwartz

Lakewood