To the Editor: Gambling is a highly regressive tax that hurts mostly poorer people, just like lotteries (" America's Sports Betting Boom Is About to Backfire," Cover Story, May 23). Why did the states get sucked in by a few hundred million dollars in tax revenue to wreak grievous harm on their most vulnerable citizens? It can't end soon enough.

Corinne Steensma On Barrons.com

Ailing Health

To the Editor: Ben Levisohn makes a compelling case for the problems with healthcare stocks (" Healthcare Stocks Are So Bad, They're Good. What to Buy Now," Up & Down Wall Street, May 23). Two additional points: In many cases, the pricing of pharma stocks is tied to the potential of the profits, distribution, and usage of the new drugs in the companies' pipelines. Market analysts, now using artificial intelligence, have found these projections to be vastly overstated. Also, the matter of funding these costs through Medicare/Medicaid is an even greater issue and a main contributor to a portion of our deficit.

Jim Dunn Edwards, Colo.

Tornado Alley

To the Editor: Juanjo Gasull's illustration of the glass piggy bank with a violent tornado swirling within is epic (" How to Protect Your Retirement Savings," May 25). Elizabeth O'Brien's message: Have a solid understanding of financial markets, truly know your risk tolerance, diversify, and prepare accordingly. The goal: "peace" with your investment decisions.

Tom Verdi Providence, R.I.

Dividend Chemistry

To the Editor: Al Root points out how a too-high dividend can indicate that a dividend cut is coming, but there are exceptions (" How Income Investors Can Use Options for Fun and Profit," Income Investing, May 22). He mentions LyondellBasell Industries and Dow. But these two chemical companies are vastly different. While Dow's dividend has been flat for six years, LyondellBasell has raised its payout every year for 15 years, and just raised its dividend again. Common sense tells me that a company that raises its dividend isn't likely to cut it in the foreseeable future. LyondellBasell now yields 9.76%.

Robert T. Mann Alexandria, Va.

Google It

To the Editor: Alphabet's Google is maybe the most innovative company in the U.S. (" Google Struck Gold With Search. Now It's Time to Move On," Tech Trader, May 23). Its Gemini AI is better than Perplexity. Waymo leads by a long way in autonomous cars, and YouTube is competitive with Netflix. Google is in an enviable position.

Robert Napoli On Barrons.com

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May 30, 2025 19:46 ET (23:46 GMT)

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