While reading Froma Harrop’s column “The American Dram Can Be Rented†(June 13), I had the lyrics to the song “Slip Slidin ‘Away†by Simon and Garfunkel running through my head. His attempt to justify rental rather than private property reeked of Marxist obscurity. Damn, a tenant can live freely, have no responsibility for care and there are whole new subdivisions waiting for them!
The removal of the right to private property was number one on Marx’s list of revolutionary changes necessary for the formation of a communist state. It is evident that Harrop has no knowledge of the capitalist system, the amount of personal wealth associated with homeownership, and the value of home equity for retirees and seniors in America. This is the only way for many Americans to save for their retirement years. It also overlooks the current problem of tenants losing their “home” because the owner wants to sell at the top of the market. By the way, a “super†capitalist or real estate investment group owns these gated communities with the HGTV perks they tout. His conclusion that “we are in a different kind of America” ​​made me feel compelled to respond, “not so fast, comrade!” There are still millions of Americans who are not going to let our freedoms and rights “slip away,” you can bet hard on that truth. Americans will always want the place they call home to be theirs, the leaky faucets and everything.
– Karen Wass, Bakersfield
