SCOTT SIMON, host:
Time now for your letters.
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SIMON: Last week I shared some thoughts on the controversy surrounding the proposed Islamic community center to be built near Ground Zero in New York City. I said that a center for Muslims would probably eventually just blend into New York's diverse streets.
John Pachuta(ph) of New York City writes: Anyone who walks through the streets and the neighborhoods surrounding the World Trade Center site will recognize that this area is not dead but alive; a bustling, vibrant community incorporating people of all races, religions and political beliefs. Those who continue to live and work here after 9/11 understand this. It's what makes our city and our country great.
And Connie Harris of Beaverton, Ohio writes: The mosque will blend into New York as many other interesting and educational, culturally diverse things have. Refusing to proceed as we always have with allowing people religious freedom is not only is wrong but will not bring back those who died, nor ease the suffering from 9/11.
Last week, NPR's Jeff Brady reported on a for-profit college facing a lawsuit from students who say the school committed fraud to get them to enroll. He talked to Chris Hoyer, a senior partner with the firm that filed the suit.
Mr. CHRIS HOYER (Attorney): The schools get their money as soon as they get you to sign; and then it really falls on the shoulder of these kids and the taxpayers.
Yuan Sun(ph) of Cupertino, California writes: We tell our kids that education is the only way to get ahead and then treat those kids as a profit center. We turn our schools into factories, concerned only about margin and not quality of output, and then hire from a global pool for the lowest price. We created workers loaded with debt yet lacking the skills to pay off that debt.
But Dan Nussbaum of Gilbert, Arizona writes: Whether you're buying a car, home, or college education, you need to first do your homework. If you're not good at doing homework, then you're probably not fit to be going to college in the first place. Just because you were sold a lemon of an education does not mean that you need to enter into another pithy class action litigation.
Is he misusing pithy?
Finally: correction. In my interview with Patricia Heaton last week, I introduced her as the actress who played the mother of twins on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and a mother of four in her new series, "The Middle." In fact, she portrays a mother of three in both shows. She is the mother of four in real life.
We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email. Just go to NPR.org and click on Contact Us. Or you can find us on Twitter. I'm @nprscottsimon, all one word. The rest of the weekend staff is @nprweekend.
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