English

Letters from our readers

 

On "Obama's housing plan and the American ruling class"

Dear Mr. Eley,

This was an excellent analysis of the current situation. It hits the nail on the head. Bill Maher picked up on this in his show last night when he said that the country is broke and most of its people are broke. The only people in the United States who still have money are the rich, who became that way on the backs of the rest of the citizenry. Maher says the only way to get the country back on its feet is with money that has to be taken back from these parasites, and he's right. That is the solution but it will never happen, because, as you pointed out, the politicians do not work for the people out of money, out of a job and out of their foreclosed homes.

Jonathan F

Iowa, USA

21 February 2009

***

An outstanding analysis, one that should be on the minds of all people who are being scolded for trying to have a decent life and needing to borrow a few bucks to do it.

Mike T

Michigan, USA

22 February 2009

On "Obama expands US military intervention in Pakistan"

The article provides an excellent news analysis of the current state of affairs with regard to insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan and mounting military pressure of the US in the region. The article very rightly puts in perspective the long-time goals of the US to capture oil reserves of Central Asia. There is a need to further analyse the real motive of the US in the region—a cause that created an effect in the shape of Islamic extremism—two evils that reinforce each other. There is a need of a clear Marxist perspective which would explain the issue on a scientific basis. At present, there is visible anger against Taliban militants, at the same time there is growing dissatisfaction with US policies in the region. As a matter of fact, it's becoming difficult for current democratic dispensation in Pakistan to face the double edged sword of hegemonic US policies as well as Taliban militancy. The recent Swat area deal between Pakistani authorities and the Taliban is being seen with mixed feelings of skepticism and hope for peace. If peace is restored but is not complemented with drastic socio-economic reforms like education, poverty reduction, healthcare, employment, and industrialization, it has every potential to go to square one where violence would be the order of the day. One aspect of the problem is an elitist-led democracy. The Awami National Party (ANP) governing PakhtoonKhwa (NWFP province) is a party with secular, liberal and with bourgois nationalistic aspirations, and has little influence in the working classes. It would find it difficult to spell out a long course of democratic revolution. There is the same difficulty with the Pakistan Peoples Party governing at the federal level. The solution lies in the mobilization of broad layers of the working class, peasantry, students, intelligentsia and the masses based on a Marxist perspective.

Talib L

Pakistan

23 February 2009

 

On "One month of the Obama administration"

Patrick Martin gives a few of the more glaring incidents of Obama serving America's power elite, aka establishment, faithfully. Obama is no agent of change.  Obama dishes out the same old, same old, which has failed for years. These hoary 1/2 measures will deepen the current depression. They will not bring recovery. Welcome to the deepening depression, fellow socialists. Obama is continuing to make things worse for the USA and the world.  His so-called best efforts are a pathetic obscenity. Obama, an agent of change, not.

Larry L

23 February 2009

On "The 81st Annual Academy Awards: Lifeless for the most part"

There was another political issue brought up momentarily—when Bill Maher said, admittedly in his bullying style, how "our silly gods have cost the world too much."  Despite the shortcomings of Religulous, this is a legitimate point rarely made in public discourse, one met that night with total silence. The audience would rather skip over that and return to warm complacency.

Tom H

24 February 2009

On "Over ten thousand public school students homeless in Chicago"

I, too, wonder if the number of students homeless in Chicago is accurate, and that it is actually higher. A recent article in Minneapolis community education literature stated there are about 5,000 homeless students in Minneapolis every night.  There are about 3 million people in the Twin Cities area, and I don't believe the figure includes St. Paul or the suburbs, though I could be wrong. Thank you for writing about this most distressing issue.  It should be unacceptable and the first item on the agenda of  every city council in the country. Apparently, some children don't understand the word, "breakfast", having no experience of regular family meals. The transportation issue is tied to eating in some cases, too; for example, some children will not get a meal if they do not get back to a shelter by a certain time. I have also read elsewhere that the liaisons are supposed to try to keep students at the same school— they may not be at the same shelter every night.  I hate to imagine the school day ending and not knowing where I will be staying that night—in a church basement? A shelter?  Someone's house?  And, will I be back at the same school the next day?  How can kids ever make friends, go to another's house, or participate in any of the activities of childhood?  They are totally innocent, yet capitalism inflicts an especially cruel punishment on them, effectively treating them like trash. I struggle to find words for allowing children to grow up with no home, bed, or room. What does the future hold for them?  I am sadly not surprised by the suicide rates. I think that is easy to understand. Thank you, again for writing about this often overlooked population.

KM

25 February 2009

 

 

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