One Family’s Fall Down the Economic Ladder

Re “How Just a Handful of Setbacks Sent the Ryans Tumbling Out of Prosperity” (Dec. 30): “I’m kind of embarrassed we didn’t take better care of the money,” said Kim Ryan. You should be!

“Nowhere is there a hint of unbridled spending,” writes The Times. Really? A Saab and a Volvo, a six-bedroom Victorian, a vacation in the Bahamas, a fancy social life, three children and private school tuitions and a second mortgage to pay off still more debts. How did this high-earning, college-educated couple of blue-collar parents somehow never absorb the concepts “save for a rainy day,” “don’t borrow, pay as you go,” or even “an IRA might be a good idea”?

I feel sorry that Kim Ryan got cancer. That’s a tough break. It would be more instructive, for all of us struggling to remain in the middle class, if The Times chose to feature the strategies of some of the hard-working families and individuals out there who approach life as ants rather than grasshoppers.

Laurie Galvan

Long Beach

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After reading the story about the Ryans, I realized that the growth of two-income households over the last 30 years has been a factor in the erosion of the family.

I can’t help but think that although the Republicans claim to be “pro-family,” they support policies that contribute to its economic breakdown, such as cutting overtime benefits, not increasing the minimum wage and giving tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of funding programs that help working families become self-reliant.

Though some might say they are hypocrites, I disagree. Simply put, it’s a difference of opinion on the meaning of “pro-family.”

To the Republicans, “pro-family” means discriminating against homosexuals, forcing their religion on everyone else and eliminating a woman’s right to choose.

Randy Steinberg

Los Angeles

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Thanks to the Ryans for sharing their story. In Silicon Valley today, one could find 100,000 Ryans, although fortunately not as many with severe medical problems. Income declines of 75% to 80% are the norm, not the exception. Friends of mine who are among the most brilliant, inventive, entrepreneurial people on the planet are entering their third year of unemployment or severe underemployment. Several have had medical problems that eventually drove them into bankruptcy.

When I read the comments like those of Assistant Treasury Secretary Wayne A. Abernathy [that Chapter 7 bankruptcy filers are predatory borrowers], I become apoplectic. Yes, there are some bad apples out there, but for every person I know who fits that description, I know a dozen others who previously worked with me, for me or supplied my company.

Kirk Knight

Alameda, Calif.