MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
Time now for your letters. Yesterday, I spoke with Sarah Bellhouse and a family physician who lives in Paintsville, Kentucky. And, to be more specific, she lives in an unusual dwelling.
SARAH BELLHOUSE: I was driving down the street and there was a for sale sign out in front of my post office, so I couldn't resist. I had to call the number and inquire.
ROBERT SIEGEL, Host:
Well, that interview inspired a message from one man with a connection to the old Paintsville Post Office. Philip Morfview(ph) of Indianapolis wrote this: In 1969, while taking a summer away from my studies at Indiana University, I traveled to Paintsville with my grandfather, Frank Montel, and uncle, Frank, Jr., where we tore out the old sidewalk in front of that very post office and built a new one. That sidewalk was built right and it should last for many decades, just like the building it fronts. And he concludes, we love Paintsville and we certainly love that beautiful little post office. I'm happy to hear how things turned out for that lovely building.
NORRIS: And many of you wrote in about another story on yesterday's program, a story about patents from our Planet Money team. Patents are supposed to spur innovation through the protection of original ideas and technology, but it's a different story when it comes to software where some companies acquire patents simply to threaten competitors with lawsuits.
SIEGEL: Well, Andrew Frasier of Los Alamos, New Mexico, says, your report on patents rang true to me. And he continues, over the decades that I've spent as a scientist, engineer and professor, I've come to believe that our patent system is more of a drag on the advance of technology than an aid. Thank you for getting it right.
NORRIS: And finally, a few comments on our item from music critic, David Was. Last Friday, he suggested the debt ceiling talks could be mellowed with a return to '50s style life with TV dinners and mood music.
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SIEGEL: Truly brilliant, writes Brian Bynes(ph) of Columbus, Ohio, and he concludes, mood music piped in through the hallowed halls of our nation's capitol - if music truly does sooth the savage breast, then this may be the perfect way to get the boys and girls to lose their attitudes and start talking again.
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NORRIS: And Catherine Stuart(ph) of Lafayette, California also appreciated the idea. She writes, Davis Was has an excellent plan to mellow out the discussion of the debt ceiling. In my mind, I can smell the dinner cooking now and I feel calmer already.
SIEGEL: Thanks for writing. Keep your comments coming. Send them our way at NPR.org, where you can click on Contact Us at the bottom of the page.
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