The 9/11 attacks on our country were due, in part, to our open social system which allows each citizen the freedom to practice the religion of his or her choice, or no religion. Building a mosque and community center at the site of that attack shows that we won.

Joan Steinberg
Scarborough

 

Visit Harraseeket Lunch for awesome onion rings

 

N.L. English missed the boat on the Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster review by limiting her choices to only lobster and clams. Although she mentioned “uninspired” fries, she failed to mention the awesome onion rings. I thought she was almost there when describing the puffed-up, light and crunchy batter offered on clams, which is the same batter on the gigantic onion rings.

The fresh fish sandwich (I would guess close to a half pound of flaky, sweet tasting fried haddock on a lightly toasted bun with cheese and tarter sauce) and an order of those magnificent onions rings and who needs heaven!

And who orders a fruit cup at a lobster shack for a review?

Charlotte H. Bishop
Freeport

 

Social Security deserves protection

 

This month, Social Security celebrates its 75th birthday.

For the past 75 years, this program has been a lifeline for millions of Americans. Most think of retirement when they think of Social Security, but the truth is that disabled workers and their families, as well as the dependents of deceased workers, also benefit from this safety net.

In fact, 23,000 children in Maine rely on Social Security because one of their parents has died or become disabled. This safety net, however, is being threatened. The Federal Deficit Commission has agreed to discuss using Social Security to reduce the federal deficit. This is unacceptable for several reasons.

First, this program is incredibly important for seniors since its benefits are expected to replace 40 percent of a worker’s income once he or she retires. Nearly half of Maine’s seniors are kept out of poverty because of Social Security. With more than one out of four Mainers expected to be 65 or older by 2030, Social Security will become increasingly important.

Second, Social Security is not a welfare program; it is an entitlement program. Social Security is funded by contributions from hard-working Americans and it does not contribute to the national debt. I believe retirees should be able to rely on benefits they have earned over many years as workforce members.

AARP is urging our federal leaders to protect Social Security from being raided for the national debt, but we all need to do our part. Social Security is our money, and we need to protect it as if it were in our own bank accounts.

Social Security is not contributing to the deficit, so it should not be a consideration in fixing the deficit. I urge you to let our members of Congress know you want them to protect Social Security for current and future generations.

Nelson J. Megna
immediate past-president
AARP-Maine
Portland

 

So-called financial experts won’t suffer consequences

 

One would think that after being directly involved in steering the financial bus of the world off a cliff that Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin and Larry Summers would be out of sorts and reflecting upon the wreckage they created.

Nope. Larry is working for the president in Washington. Bob is going back into banking in New York and Alan is still pontificating (for a fee).

Apparently, the fact that all three of them have been wrong on just about everything having to do with money for the last 20 years doesn’t seem to make a difference to their new employers. To put this travesty of justice into sharper focus let’s look at a few details.

All three will collect lifetime pensions and other perks from the United States Treasury. This is not an unstable 401(k) that most Americans hold as their future nest egg. Larry, Bob and Alan get inflation-adjusted cash and being Cabinet or ex-Cabinet officials means they get lots of inflation-adjusted cash for as long as they live.

In other words, they don’t feel the effects of, or take any responsibility for the devastation they created.

Not only will Robert Rubin keep the $100,000 million he pocketed from Citibank before it vaporized, he will keep his lifetime cash pension and the taxpayer will give it to him every year for the rest of his life.

Ditto for Alan and Larry. None of their boneheaded policies or failures of accountability will come home to roost for them. They will both get their lifetime cash pensions. not the future remnants of the nebulous financial dark matter that now floats just below the surface of our economy.

Barney Hildreth
Cumberland

 

‘Honest abortion story’ was very one-sided

 

Your opinion piece about a show that is “telling (an) honest abortion story” doesn’t sound very honest to me (“‘Friday Night Lights’ shows its mettle by telling honest abortion story,” Insight, Aug. 8).

About half of Americans are pro life and the first reference in the article about them is how vicious they are. Sounds a little one-sided to me.

Speaking of “vicious,” how would you describe pulling apart an unborn baby?

Peter Sullivan
Bridgton

 

Republican for Mitchell spent like a Democrat

 

It was Scott Kauffman’s tenure as vice-chairman of the Maine Republican Party that nearly bankrupted the party.

So it is no wonder he is supporting Democrat Libby Mitchell, as it is under her tenure that Maine government has nearly bankrupted the state.

Christiana Poole
Newcastle