As a not-quite-recovered semiprofessional nitpicker, I feel compelled to point out that a 3,000-pound automobile at $15 per pound totals $45,000, and even $5 per pound totals $15,000. Out of the goodness of my heart in these tough economic times, I have a 4,000-pound 67 Ford Bronco that I’d be willing to sell to Nicole Kooistra or her cousin for a mere $4 per pound.
—Martin G. Husovich
White Haven, PA
Miss Kooistra Replies:
Mr. Husovich has caught me in an embarrassing mistake, which I’m sure will prove fodder for much office and family teasing for years to come. I wrote (Cultural Revolutions, January) that, thanks to Cash for Clunkers, scrap metal that used to sell for $15 per pound was going for $5. What my cousin told me in conversation—and what I completely misremembered and, worse yet, failed to catch—is that the going rate had changed from $15 to $5 per 100 pounds of metal.
Given these emended figures, I’m afraid that I will have to decline Mr. Husovich’s generous offer, although I much appreciate his pointing out my mistake.