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Letters: 'You Didn't Build That' And Record Cabbage

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

It's time now for your letters. Yesterday, our co-host Audie Cornish interviewed Elizabeth Warren, who's running for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Warren, a Democrat, made headlines while campaigning last year by saying this to a crowd of supporters.

ELIZABETH WARREN: There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own - nobody. You built a factory out there, good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

President Obama was trying to make the same point this summer when he uttered his now famous line: You didn't build that. Republicans have been using the line to argue that Mr. Obama is anti-business. But the president and a number of nonpartisan fact-checkers say the phrase is being taken out of context.

BLOCK: That's why some of you objected to Audie raising the issue at all with Elizabeth Warren.

Gordon Kindleman(ph) of Chicago, writes: Audie Cornish said obviously there's something about this that's resonated with the business community that already is sour on the administration. He continues: I do not think thoughtful journalism should allow mere resonance to give weight and airtime to misstatements and falsehoods.

SIEGEL: And Cresha Warnok(ph) of Marion, Indiana, writes this: We are at a dangerous stage in American history where lies are not just being told by politicians, but the press is accepting them at face value.

BLOCK: Also yesterday, I talked to Scott Robb of Palmer, Alaska. He's the proud grower of the world's largest cabbage, all 138.25 pounds of it. The cabbage recently broke the old world record by 11 pounds. Robb says his monster cabbage will likely wind up as moose food at a wildlife refuge.

SIEGEL: Or Ed Lovell(ph) of Madison, Wisconsin, has another idea. He writes: Preparing mom's old world cabbage rolls while listening to record cabbage from Alaska, the obvious next step is record-sized cabbage rolls.

BLOCK: Please do keep your letters coming. You can write to us at NPR.org. Click on Contact Us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.