Continuing Battle Over Social Security

Re “Bush Urges an End to Attacks on Plan,” March 23: I find it ironic that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is so concerned about the “obligation to future generations” to fix Social Security, when he and his party have recklessly exploded the deficit to pay for exorbitant tax cuts.

Social Security is a minor problem for future generations compared with the massive government debt that the Republicans are responsible for. As usual, President Bush is not being honest about his agenda, and this privatization scheme has nothing to do with “fixing” Social Security but is really the first step in getting rid of it.

Not only that, but that chart shown in the picture of your March 23 article misleads by showing Social Security in the red after about 2015. That ignores the existence of the Social Security trust fund, to which the government owes $1.6 trillion, and the reason why Social Security will be in the black until at least 2037. If Bush wants people to stop attacking his proposal, he should just drop it.

Alex Murray

Altadena

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The Viet Cong failed. They tried to break John McCain’s spirit. They tried to render him obedient, malleable, meek and subservient. He was too strong for them.

But John McCain’s own party has succeeded.

Matthew B. Tepper

Valley Village

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Hyping his Social Security privatization plan, President Bush stated, “It just makes sense for people to watch things grow.” True. These last four years, I have seen the dollar grow from 83 U.S. cents for one euro to $1.33 for that same euro. That’s an increase in value of more than 60% -- for the euro.

Peter J. Kraus

Santa Maria

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Why does The Times continue to write “news” articles about the rehearsed and staged “conversations” President Bush holds in trying to sell his plan to “reform” Social Security? What is the difference between this extended series of canned meetings and the propaganda pieces distributed by some executive departments in the guise of news?

This drumbeat of Bush’s in connection with Social Security is similar to the administration’s drumbeat about weapons of mass destruction prior to the war on Iraq.

With the cooperation of the media, the effectiveness of such propaganda is evident in the fact that a large proportion of the American public still believes Iraq had WMD and Saddam Hussein planned 9/11.

The L.A. Times is too important to its readers for it to become another propaganda vehicle for this administration.

John E. Hansan

McLean, Va.