Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor Torture and Shame I want to comment on the last part of Nat Hentoff's piece ("His Worldwide Legacy," January issue). I came to the United States eight years ago from...
...If we took the tax all the way to the last dollar, there would be plenty available...
...in its relations with other countries...
...The question we liberals should be asking ourselves is, "Where's the tuna...
...With every book I read, with every news article that catches my eye, and with the coverage I get from The Progressive, I become more and more ashamed of the United States...
...Regardless of what one thinks of Libertarians' stands on other issues, they showed courage in this case, in contrast to many liberal Democrats who were tongue-tied...
...Letters may be e-mailed to: editorial@progressive.org...
...I would have expected better from The Progressive...
...My big peeve about the Social Security system is the cap on income eligible for payroll taxation...
...Phillip Colligan Buffalo, New York How to Herd Cats Molly Ivins in her article in the February issue ("Get off Your Duff") says that organizing liberals is like trying to herd cats...
...In light of the oversupply of unemployed young adults in much of the world, such a policy could also work to the advantage of the U.S...
...Currently, Social Security's benefits continue for as long as a retiree lives (and throughout the lifetime of a surviving spouse, as well...
...Alex Milmeyster Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gambling on the Future America made a commitment to its citizens: If you work your whole adult life, you will receive Social Security benefits (Comment, "Save Social Security," January issue...
...The problem here is not in the program, but in the demographics...
...I suspect that their ancient and his contemporary politics would resonate soundly and strongly...
...Adrianne Costello New York, New York Correction: We left out two words from Eduardo Galeano's column in the February issue ("Soccer Therapy...
...The editors welcome correspondence from readers on all topics, but prefer to publish letters that comment directly on material previously published in The Progressive...
...We must protect our nation's future and stop the fleecing of the taxpayers by the Bush Administration...
...Unfortunately, I was especially disappointed to note that you did not extend the same courtesy to the traditional tune and text undergirding his most famous song, "The Bell...
...It is about inciting our insecurity, rather than inspiring our creative spirit...
...If you look at the website, headlines like "Bush State of the Union to Identify New 'Axis of Evil': SpongeBob, Buster, and Winnie the Pooh" make clear its nature...
...While it's not hard to believe that this country is that far gone, the SAT is thankfully not yet catering to fundamentalist Christian ignorance...
...But income from stock investments would not be guaranteed to last that long...
...Anyone who knows anything about successfully herding cats knows about tuna fish...
...We cannot know how the original authors would feel about Smith's reinvention of their song...
...The Bush doctrine on Social Security is not at all about serving such laudable social goals...
...Just wait a while, and you can report this story legitimately...
...As many people are more able to work for longer years, the rationale for raising the retirement age would be to keep more people in the workforce...
...Of much more concern should be the lack of a labor force in comparison to retirees, leaving too few people to take up the work that will need to be done and lowering the tax base...
...It represents a promise that has been made to the working class of America, something that should not be cut from the federal budget...
...If Bush has his way, Social Security would no longer be a social insurance program providing a guarantee of lifelong retirement income...
...Laurie Corzett via e-mail Smith's Song Reworks Ballad Your February article on the music of Stephan Smith ("Slash and Burn," by Natasha Saulnier) was a welcome introduction to the emergent vitality of a new generation of protest music...
...It is a reworking of the traditional ballad "The Fause Knight upon the Road," first recorded in William Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Ancient and Modern in 1827 and later included in 1882 in the first volume of Francis James Child's monumental collection, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads...
...I came to the United States eight years ago from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan...
...It is about pitting the haves against the already burdened...
...Michael J. Bell River Forest, Illinois Don't Overlook Libertarians I was dismayed by the failure of your February Editor's Note ("A Historic Day") to give credit to the Libertarian Party for its principled challenge to the Ohio election...
...All letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness, and may appear either in the magazine or on its web page...
...Essentially, a system of personal stock accounts would provide lower benefits at a higher cost to workers...
...I find it so ironic that the country I ran to from that dictatorship is the same country that is now encouraging dictator Islam Karimov to torture people...
...I was especially pleased to note your and his willingness to acknowledge that a portion of his work involved rewriting and reworking of traditional songs such as "Shenandoah" and "Omie Wise...
...The complete sentence at the end of the first section on page 12 should have read: "In the Olympics, the soccer team of Iraq-convulsed in war-won game after game and made it to the semifinals, in a series of surprises, against every prediction and all evidence, and was the crowd favorite...
...I suspect further, however, that both would wish a share of credit that such a poignant song, and such powerful new protest, deserves...
...Credit should be given when due...
...Please include your city and state...
...I am sure that there are other positive changes that could be made to improve the system and better serve the social function of taking care of our old and infirm in a manner that honors their social contributions and affords them respect...
...Social Security is a trust fund that workers invest in from the time they start working until retirement...
...However, this could also be accomplished by immigration policy to bring in additional young workers...
...Blake Trimbell Monona, Wisconsin I have been troubled by the whole "saving" Social Security mantra of the Bush Administration...
...And there is no need to "fix" Social Security in order to continue the level of payouts that recipients have come to expect...
...Instead, workers' core retirement income would be put at risk in an investment program where benefits are determined by the luck and wisdom of their investment choices and the ups and downs of financial markets...
...Jerome Popp via e-mail "No Comment" Item Satirical The "No Comment" item entitled "The Evolution of Testing" (February issue) is based on a satirical article in The Swift Report...
Vol. 69 • March 2005 • No. 3
