Inbox

Profiles in Foreclosure
"House of Cards" paints a sad picture of two people who allegedly followed all the rules yet are still in jeopardy of losing their homes, but I'm short on sympathy [March 9]. My grandfather had a rule, and it was to never spend capital gains on disposables. In other words, don't cash out of real estate to buy junk you don't need. Paula Stevens refinanced three times so she could spend freely on "clothes and gear for her girls"? Are you kidding me? Sorry, but while there certainly are legitimate cases of distressed homeowners, many refinance-based dollars got spent on things people really didn't need and couldn't afford. There may not be a law against that, but they still broke the rules.
Will Pattison,
Dallas

TIME's article on foreclosure was heartbreaking. How is it that some people pay more to pamper their dogs than other people pay for their mortgage? Also, how does one pay $800 a month for health insurance yet still owe $15,000 in medical bills? I think this story uncovers another part of the financial industry that has contributed to the economic meltdown. Thank God we finally have a President who gets it.
Bonnie Huggins,
Centennial, Colo., U.S.

Welcome to the SEC Circus
I was incensed after reading your article on the lack of accountability and oversight at the Securities and Exchange Commission [March 9]. Thousands of hardworking people lost their jobs and homes as a result of the incredible nonfeasance, misfeasance and probably malfeasance of Christopher Cox and friends. Those responsible, from government to local banks and mortgage brokers, need to pay for this bailout. If we don't get legal justice, we need to take it to the streets. I did not serve 20 years in the military for this.
James C. Byrk,
Plattsmouth, Neb., U.S.

I Wouldn't Moondance with Him
Re 10 questions with Van Morrison [March 9]: It's disenchanting to have spent a chunk of your life admiring and being moved by someone's creative work and then discover that the person who created the work isn't nearly so likable. Asked "Are there any musicians or groups today that excite you?" Morrison responds, "No. Absolutely not. It's all been done, you know?" In that and other responses to TIME's questions, Morrison comes off like a bitter old man — not the soulful troubadour I imagined him to be.
Holley Aufdemorte,
Murrells Inlet, S.C., U.S.

Tired of Slumming It
I am disappointed by the dismissal that many magazines, including TIME, have meted out to Indians offended by Slumdog Millionaire [March 9]. What the authors acclaiming the movie and dismissing the critics do not understand is that the movie does not demystify poverty, but rather misrepresents it. Poverty is indeed not ennobling, but it is also not the only context in which human misery, violence and degradation occurs. There are many other ways of dealing with poverty — many movies have done so with a more complex look; perhaps this one was successful because it was all Hollywood style.
Maria Jose Hernandez,
Eastwood, Australia

I still fail to see how India comes out a notch higher in the global imagination after the triumph of this film, which dwells crudely on the country's poverty. The outside world's supposed interest in seeing "the ugliness behind [India's] glittering façade" is akin to the sadistic and hypocritical concern of the game-show host for Jamal, our slum-residing protagonist, while rudely referring to him as a call-center chai wallah; the objective is to humiliate. Reality exists at many levels. Just look at your skin under a microscope if you want to see filth and ugliness.
Neelam Sridhar,
Secunderabad, India

U2? Me Too!
I have been a fan of U2 since the start [March 9]. I'm from Ireland, am the same age as Bono, have every one of their recordings on vinyl and CD, and have seen the band live, in Dublin and elsewhere, many times. I wanted to thank Josh Tyrangiel for his incisive, honest and, above all, brave review of their new album, No Line on the Horizon. I've listened to an advance copy about 30 times, and it's a poor, disjointed, unmusical record with a few listenable songs. The only good ones sound like Brian Eno tunes with guest appearances by U2. The other publications to which I subscribe have written reviews that left me wondering if the critics were listening to a different record. (To Rolling Stone, the album is a "5-star masterpiece"; to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, an "A – "; and to the New York Times, "head-spinning.") Thank you, TIME, for your objectivity.
Joe Martyn,
Boston