Beyond Family

I agree with Bryce Covert [“A Simple Plan,” Dec. 17/24] that something must be done about poverty. However, her column leaves out a group of people who are also excluded from the plans by Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker: poor, childless adults.

I am 67, single, with no children. I have had nothing but low-paying jobs all my life, in spite of having a college degree and being an Army veteran. Therefore, I have lived my adult life at or near the federal poverty level. I live in Northern California and can’t afford my own place. Please do not forget those of us who are poor, childless, and alone.

Roberta Benjamin
santa rosa, calif.

Fox Lite

Re Nawal Arjini’s “Et Tu, Chuck?” [Dec. 17/24; print only]: I too have noticed that MSNBC has become something of an imitation of Fox News. Such neocon panelists as Bill Kristol, Alan Dershowitz, and Norman Podhoretz are now regulars on MSNBC. The women who lead the discussions do not show as much leg as they do on Fox, and they are all very smart, but one wonders if the primary job requirement is not to be “eye candy.”
Darcy Rowe
columbia, md.

One More Lesson

I have one gripe with D.D. Guttenplan’s otherwise fine “Nine Lessons From the 2018 Midterms” [Dec. 17/24], and it’s his reference to Mike Capuano as an “establishment Democrat.” Guttenplan didn’t actually name him, but he’s the guy that Ayanna Pressley beat in Somerville, Massachusetts, and parts of Boston.

I’ve seen Pressley’s victory over Capuano referred to in similar ways elsewhere, totally ignoring the fact that Capuano was and is a genuine progressive champion—one of the most gutsy and progressive members of Congress. It hurt to see him lose. I’m confident that Pressley will be another effective progressive player in American politics, and her victory was surely a win for women and people of color. But I worry that it was also a victory for ageism in a district with a huge proportion of young voters.

Capuano deserves some acknowledgment, not this kind of slap in the face. Guttenplan was not alone in administering it, but it really disturbs me to see it continue.

Rev. Dr. F. Jay Deacon
springfield, mass.

No Nukes Are Good Nukes

My deepest thanks to The Nation for publishing Beatrice Fihn’s desperately needed article, “Women Against the Bomb” [Dec. 3/10]. The dangers of nuclear weapons are so great—and increasing—that our survival as a species depends on all the support we can get from the publication of such stories. Please continue to publish articles that help alert people to the tremendous peril to our planet from these insane weapons of utter destructiveness.

Rama Kumar
fairfax, calif.

Laying Waste

Re Bill Hartung’s “The Cost of War” [Dec. 17/24]: We need to cut the Pentagon’s budget by at least half. None of the wars we are fighting have even the smallest concern with “national security.” They are sham wars, wasting the lives and loyalty of our troops, and even more so the lives and security of the people in the countries where we are engaged, who end up losing everything.
Muhammad Thompson