Social Security and Medicare

I take exception to your editorial June 29 regarding Social Security and Medicare. You write “Americans on the left and right believe that they can and should have big government welfarism.” This is the bull manure the right has been shoveling since FDR. If you (editorial board) have been paying into Social Security and Medicare your entire working life, how can you call this welfare? Or even an entitlement as the right loves to bleat. Both are paid into throughout a worker’s working years so you are being completely disingenuous to call these programs big government welfare.

— Mike Aguilar, Costa Mesa

2010 Citizens United, Supreme Court ruling

In his cogent op-ed June 29, John Hart delineates the myriad of uber-excessive salaries paid to our safety employees that are bankrupting our local governments. It’s not until late in his article that he gets to what the problem is, “Cozy public union relationships,” but doesn’t mention the crux of those relationships, which is the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling and Congress’s reluctance to legislate a solution to override that ruling. I’ve written this letter dozens of times in different formats, but no one is listening to me. Could it be because that ruling allows not only labor unions to, in essence, bribe legislators, but also corporations, rendering legislators from both parties unable to bite the hands that feed them.

— Ron Garber, Duarte

Immigrant abuse

Re “Unfettered ICE and border patrol abuses must stop” (June 29):

What must stop is statements as if they were fact of abuse to illegals. Frankly, I’m tired of spending money for people getting paid to write drivel. The issue was settled in the last election. You lost. We’re trying to rid us of 12 to 25 million illegals who entered our sovereign nation just so Dems can buy their votes in coming elections as we taxpayers lose hundreds of billions of dollars on illegals’ medical, housing, food and much more as you complain they are being mistreated trying to keep from legally being deported. Crime will drop, wages will go back to normal, medical costs will drop, housing and food can once again be given to veterans and other citizens who deserve our support. This is what you are against while illegals get stuff and/or are legally taken back to their country of origin?

— Vance Frederick, Long Beach