Focus on Social Security Is All About Politics

Regarding the Jan. 26 article, “Bush Shifts Focus to Race in Debate on Social Security,” how long will blacks allow President Bush to gain political traction on their backs? In 2003, he honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day by calling affirmative action fundamentally flawed. He uses some of the $50 million a year in faith-based community programs to entice traditionally Democratic black ministers into supporting the Republican Party. Now Bush is insulting blacks into supporting his new Social Security plan by pointing out that they don’t live long enough to get equal benefits.

Perhaps they would live longer if the government did more to ensure they had health insurance and better educational and employment opportunities. Martin Luther King’s dream was that justice, not insults, would flow down like a river.

Chris Chrisman

Los Angeles

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Re “Deficit-Minded Republicans Eyeing Entitlements,” Jan. 23: When Republicans try to cut Social Security benefits, what they are really trying to do is free up Social Security money paid in primarily by the middle and lower classes for a retirement safety net and use it to cover other government expenses and enable the extension of tax cuts primarily benefiting the Republican rich.

Charles Finch

Huntington Beach

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Once again we read (letters, Jan. 20) that eliminating the earnings cap would help solve the Social Security crisis that appears to be imminent. The suggestion is flawed. While eliminating the cap would indeed bring in more money in the short haul, there would be more liability incurred in the process, since future benefit payments would increase commensurately.

Daniel D. Berger

South Pasadena