Inbox

To Own or Not to Own

In "The Case Against Homeownership," Barbara Kiviat presents her position with impressive analysis and statistics [Sept. 6]. But owning a home is not like owning a car or an LCD TV. It has a great deal of emotion around it. There is nothing like waking up and seeing your favorite cucumber in your garden or watching your children play in the backyard on a summer afternoon.

Prabir Biswas, EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J.

Kiviat fails to answer one single, terrifying question: If the majority of people don't own their dwellings, then who does? The only other possible owners are banks, the government or a handful of wealthy elites.

P. Jill Anderson, SUPERIOR, COLO.

Thank you for clarifying the roots of our obsession with homeownership. I always thought it was called the American Dream because Americans are more materialistic than others. My brother bought a house. He and his wife spend most of their time maintaining it. I am free to learn new stuff.

Vicky Brago-Mitchell, LOS ANGELES

I hate to see TIME recommend that we all resign ourselves to being a nation of transients without a home to call our own. That is not the America I grew up in and not one I want my children to live in.

Donald M. Seib, COCOA BEACH, FLA.

Stuck on the Stimulus

Thank you to TIME and Michael Grunwald for "How the Stimulus Is Changing America" [Sept. 6]. It was very in-depth and concise on exactly what is in this bill and how it will forever change the direction of the U.S. economy for the better.

Karen Bogosian, BOSTON

The attempted transformation of our economy by the spending of stimulus funds on green energy strikes a hollow chord for one profound reason: the bulk of Americans find it increasingly difficult to put food on the table and a roof over their heads, and seeking a change in how they live does not factor into their daily list of priorities.

John Gardiner, LAKEWOOD, COLO.

Not So Neutral

I take serious issue with Joel Stein's column against Net neutrality [Sept. 6]. What he fails to see is that not enforcing Net neutrality will only give corporations more power than they already have. That will allow ISPs to regulate what information their customers access, effectively giving them the power to censor the Internet.

Andrew J. Teall, HOLLAND, MICH.

Siding with Social Security

Mark Halperin accuses President Obama and the Democrats of using "scare tactics" regarding the Republican position on Social Security [Sept. 6]. Apparently, he thinks scare tactics are the sole property of the Republican Party and are not to be used by Democrats. Without my Social Security, the past 10 years would be wiped out, as would my retirement. It is time for Halperin to start talking facts, not passing political hyperbole as if it were fact.

Fred Mitchel, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.

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