In his Strictly Business column ('News as public good', #294) Ashutosh Tiwari labels news as a public good. But a 'pure' public good is a good that is non-excludable non-rival like fresh air. News cannot categorically be termed as a pure public good because even though its non-rival ie 'consumption' of news by someone, doesn't lead to depletion of news for others, its still can be excludable. Cable news and the Nepali Times with its hefty cover price are other examples. However, these are market-determined excludabilities. But, the present government is trying to interfere in the process by making certain news excludable from the public. The problem lies with this government intervention. Instead of trying to get around the problem of the 'tragedy of the commons' where few public goods are produced, the government is trying to monopolise the news, resulting in a deadweight loss to society.

Santosh Pokharel,
Maine, USA

I had a good laugh reading Kunda Dixit\'s Under My Hat \'Job Openings in Nepal\' (#294) I would like to add two more qualifications for Nepali prime minister: ability to lie always and drink excessively. Once we have democracy in place, through, we want prime ministers who are willing to work 24 hours a day to take the country forward. There are very few candidates to choose from so why not give us younger generation a chance too?

Amrita Khadka,
ASCOL