Letter Of The Day

Roses twice over to Richard Doak for his June 6 and June 13 columns. Both columns should be required reading for Congress and the executive branch.

The June 6 column on Social Security makes a convincing argument that those who cry the sky is falling have their attention focused on the wrong issue. Doak offers three areas where they should focus: federal deficits, education and improving the infrastructure.

The Bush administration and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley are key to getting the national attention on these issues and bringing forth financially sound, fair and meaningful solutions in these areas. As Doak states, take care of the economy and you automatically take care of Social Security. The silence in response to Doak's column by those who cry the sky is falling is deafening. Could it be that they know he is correct, and their agenda is something other than saving Social Security?

The June 13 column was a timely presentation of how we have arrived at socialism for CEOs and capitalism for workers. The Bush administration offers us a tax structure that pushes us farther down this road, a hands-off approach to any regulation of businesses and total silence on the true crisis with Medicare/Medicaid that is breathing down our necks, which for many of the poor and very poor of our country are essential.

For the rich, what happens with Medicare and Medicaid is of little or no concern. President Bush has spent an inordinate amount of time (and self-proclaimed political capital) on the wrong issue.
-Wayne Woodworth,
West Des Moines.

--attribution