Letters to the Editor - Feb. 8

February 07, 2011

Why is the U.S. afraid to confront China?

To the editor:

I find it interesting, but I am not surprised that President Obama and many American politicians are hellbent on chasing the president of Egypt out of office on the grounds that Egypt is not a democracy while at the same time we continue business as usual with China, a nation that is the most blatant and egregious abuser of human rights in the world.

China, a totalitarian, nondemocratic nation that keeps its Nobel Peace Prize winner in prison, is given a free pass while we get all up in arms about the internal affairs of Egypt? If there were ever a case for regime change, it is China. China is also the only nation that poses any realistic long-term threat to American security and freedom.

Why is it that all American politicians lack the courage to confront China when they have no problem mucking around in the affairs of many other nations such as Egypt? We are either consistently for freedom or we are not. We should not have selective vision and hearing where the problems of other nations are concerned.

Unless we are ready, willing and able to confront all nations that we perceive as nondemocratic and human rights abusers, we need to keep our collective mouths shut and let all of the independent and sovereign nations of the world deal with their own internal affairs as they see fit.

Rodney Pearson Sr.

Keedysville

Spending cuts to Social Security are unfair

To the editor:

I care about the future of Social Security not only for myself, but for my children, grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.

Right now, a new Congress is debating the future of this program. Right now, many of the new lawmakers who were elected will support proposals to cut Social Security benefits, raise the retirement age, reduce the COLA and even privatize the program.

There is a lot of misinformation about Social Security these days. Social Security is not going bankrupt. Some politicians and opponents of entitlement programs want us to believe it is.

Social Security takes in more money than it pays out in benefits. The total surplus is in the trillions of dollars. Social Security is able to pay benefits for almost another three decades.

Radical changes are not needed to save Social Security. Some in Washington continue to push harmful changes in the name of deficit reduction. The Bush administration's tax breaks for wealthy Americans were a major reason behind our historic national debt.

Spending cuts to Social Security are an unfair approach to deficit reduction. People don't get enough now to afford food, energy and health care costs. We have earned and are counting on Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Anna Lee Burker

Sharpsburg

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