Social Security and the American national debt

Re “The national debt still matters” (May 16):

Your editorial on problems caused by the national debt is excellent and will benefit from clarification in one area. The projected insolvency of Social Security is not caused by debt but by Republicans who since the 1990s have blocked ongoing payroll tax increases, which have kept the program solvent from its inception in 1935. There’s strong public support for SS across political, race and gender lines and there is consensus that it is one of the most successful and beneficial of all federal programs. It’s called the “third rail” in politics because politicians don’t want to touch it. If they try, 70 million SS beneficiaries and tens of millions of Baby Boomers and Millennials in the wings will rise up together to elect leaders who will protect it, if our democracy remains strong.

— Richie Locasso, Hemet

Johnson defends Trump

The letter in the Opinion section May 19 is very misleading because the statement about the reason for the trial in New York is totally incorrect. Trump is not being tried for “dalliances with a prostitute.” He is being tried for falsifying business records with the intent to defraud. The DA has not explained who Trump intended to defraud by falsifying business records. The long testimony by Stormy Daniels (most of which was not pertinent to the actual charges) was provided by the prosecution with the intent to make Trump appear guilty of an indiscretion with her. Her testimony had little to do with the actual charges of falsifying business records to defraud.

— Mary Cangelosi, Tustin

Teaching children to read

So, Mr. Jeb Bush (May 19), the “Nation’s Report Card” data are telling you/us that California’s and some Southern states’ reading scores are going down or up? The NAEP tests, however, are given, digitally only, in grades 4 and 8 in state and large districts and in grade 12 for national only; then to just a representative sample of students.

Reading accurate, detailed information about individual states, individual student and school scores, based upon curriculum standards fulfillment, will aid understandings of their children’s reading/curricular progress. Learning to read pre-K to grade 3 should definitely proceed, and enhance reading for learning in grades 4-12. The real question is: What reading methods and teacher training therein may be best?

— Bill Younglove, Lakewood