The following is a selection of recent letters sent to the World Socialist Web Site.
On “Socialist Equality Party holds founding Congress”
The news of the SEP’s Founding Congress, and the resolutions that the SEP passed at this Congress, show that the SEP is taking a “proactive” approach to the so-called meltdown of the world’s economies. The SEP has a working program in place to deal with the collapse of the world’s economies. This is in marked contrast to the panic and confusion that has left the world’s nations impotent and asleep at the switch.
The world must adopt the SEP’s stands, principles, proposals and resolutions if we are to have a recovery and reconstruction of the shattered economies of the world.
LL
19 September 2008
On “Why is American liberalism bankrupt? A history lesson for New York Times columnist Bob Herbert”
The tragic irony is that many well-intentioned people, fearing increasing reaction, war and the further erosion of living standards—in the person of John McCain—will vote for increasing reaction, war and the further erosion of living standards in the person of Barack Obama, due to their lack of understanding of the true history and nature of liberalism that this article exposes. That is just one of the reasons that it is essential to explode the myths and distortions that surround the other right-wing party, and to tirelessly advocate for the working class to break from it.
Herbert isn’t the first liberal to scratch his head and not have a clue, and he won’t be the last. Having rejected a class perspective, they’re caught flatfooted when they see Democrats support supposedly counterintuitive positions. All they can do is shrug their shoulders and proclaim, like Herbert, that they just don’t get it.
Thanks for explaining the seemingly inexplicable.
LM
19 September 2008
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The quality of the writing and research is always excellent on WSWS, but lately you have gone above and beyond. The articles lately have been outstanding in every sense. I find myself writing to applaud one article or another almost everyday, and I look forward to the SEP coming to Washington, D.C. Your article “Why Is American Liberalism Bankrupt?” really revealed a clear timeline of decline. How far the left has fallen! In the 30s, those who gave the masses reform instead of change used to usurp socialist language. Now, liberalism has been so beat up that workers have been trained by the media to abhor words like “liberal” and “leftist,” and “socialist” is used as an insult to anyone who even mentions the need for healthcare. We have a long way to go.
MC
Washington, D.C.
19 September 2008
On “Victims blamed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike”
This article is so accurate. We were without lights for over five days. Debris was everywhere. Food that I spent my hard-earned money on is gone. And to top it off, I am a contract employer. The company that I work hard for, because it is through my work that they get paid, does not want to pay us for Friday to Wednesday. We have to apply for unemployment, or FEMA for assistance. Not to mention the $800 and counting that I had to spend in order to survive for dry ice, food, candles, batteries, price-gouging gas, etc. They even were charging $2.75 for ice. And since my friends don’t have their lights on yet, and no money, they are at my house, because my lights just came back on Wednesday. So all the money I have spent to survive was supposed to go to my car note, my lights, my student loan, etc.
Do you think the billing companies are really concerned that we used our bill money to survive? No. The arrangements are not put off until next month; they are put off until next week, and guess what—we couldn’t go back to work until Wednesday because there were no lights. How am I going to stretch a two-and-a-half-day pay to pay these bills next week? I am not on welfare, food stamps or anything! I am a single parent with two children who just started college. So I am screwed, just as many of us temp employees are. Who is willing to help us!?
Thanks for listening. I just have to vent because it is frustrating, and I feel like a second-class citizen. I pay my taxes everyday; it would be nice if I got help in return—at least once.
MH
Houston, Texas, USA
19 September 2008
On “Panic sell-off on Wall Street”
The recent crisis of financial institutions and their rescue by the US Fed indicates capitalism in its real sense has failed! Who will pay back all the bailout funds and at what cost and time?! After all indicators, the financial institution did not heed to earlier warnings! Socialism in the United States seems to be working for the rich! Glad to receive your articles!
AA
London, UK
19 September 2008
On “Obama’s response to financial meltdown: Deception and subservience to Wall Street”
They don’t have socialized medicine but socialized oligarchy.
RF
Brisbane, Australia, USA
19 September 2008
On “Power-sharing deal signed in Zimbabwe”
More than 90 years ago, Leon Trotsky observed that in underdeveloped countries the capitalist class is incapable of carrying through the tasks of democracy, and will, against the struggle of the masses, ally itself with the forces of reaction. This principle has been thoroughly proved by the experience of ZANU-PF since 1980. The failure of the MDC to mobilise the Zimbabwean working class against the repressive nationalist state and the MDC’s reliance on imperialist powers further bear this out.
EG
19 September 2008