I noticed a sign at the recent tea party which read: "capitalism works, socialism fails." It occurred to me that the sign maker (assuming he attended public school as a child) would not have been able to write, nor most of us, this piece of pseudo-wisdom were it not for "socialized" education. Of course the words on the sign were not true because it was the failure of capitalism that necessitated socialism. As far as capitalism "works," it does so for only a few at the expense of the majority. Let's not lose sight of the fact that slavery is a capitalist institution, for example.

If by "socialism" we mean the government takes over an enterprise, then we have to concede that the military, our great pride and joy (?), is a socialist institution. And where would we drive our Cadillacs if it weren't for a socialized road system? The truth is that capitalism can only work in concert with socialism and visa versa. The task for us, if we want a healthy society, is to determine the optimal blend of these two. To the sign maker, I would just like to ask: Wasn't it "capitalism gone wild" that produced our present recession?

Phil Cohea

214 Broadway