Bruce Springsteen occasionally writes a letter to the editor of his local paper, the Asbury Park Press. Yesterday (3/30/11) the Press published a letter from the musician congratulating the paper for some trenchant poverty coverage, that in his view was the exception. As FAIR’s work has shown, Springsteen is on to something. Here’s the full text of the letter:
Thank you for your March 27 front-page story by Michael Symons, “As Poverty Rises, Cuts Target Aid.” The article is one of the few that highlights the contradictions between a policy of large tax cuts, on the one hand, and cuts in services to those in the most dire conditions, on the other.
Also, you’ve shone some light on anti-poverty workers and analysts such as Adele LaTourette, Meara Nigro, Cecilia Zalkind and Raymond Castro, among others, all of whom have something important to add to the discussion: real information and actual facts about what is happening below the poverty line.
These are voices that in our current climate are having a hard time being heard, not just in New Jersey, but nationally. Finally, your article shows that the cuts are eating away at the lower edges of the middle class, not just those already classified as in poverty, and are likely to continue to get worse over the next few years. I’m always glad to see my hometown newspaper covering these issues.
Bruce Springsteen
Colts Neck
Cathy
This is whyI’ve always been a hugh fan of Bruce Springstein. Not just because of his great music, but because he is a true humanitarian!
empi
Amen to that my dear Mr. Springsteen. Bravo.
phillip deem
Thank you for saying what needs to be said. I like your music too.
genierae
Bravo Bruce!! You’re the best! I also read that Governor Christy is a very big fan of his, has gone to many of his concerts. I wonder what he thinks of Bruce’s letter?
joe donahue
”all and all can only fall with a crashing but meaningless blow
it doesnt matter inside the gates of eden”
Bob Dylan
sue
With much great music of the working man and woman, I applaud Springsteen for speaking out. Now where are the rest of our rock stars?
Will Ware
Bruce.
Run for the NJ Senate or House from Asbury Park. Get some legislative experience and then run for Governor or Senator. You would be great.
You probably don’t remember meeting me in Austin, Tx in 1973 before you were national news and I have been a fan of both your music and especially your politics ever since.
You have the soul of a leader and a leader of NJ out of the doldrums. Give it some thought. Anybody who knows him now please forward these sentiments.
Your devoted supporter,
Will Ware, Esq
P.S., I forgive you for stealing my girlfriend Karen D., but that forgiveness came immediately in any event
Martin
Okay, so when will Bruce Springsteen own up to his ego-inflated shilling to elect our Barack Obama
as the war criminal and corporate stooge in chief?
Springsteen’s mythos of being for the “common man” is as fraudulent as Bob Dylan’s, another Obama love connection. He dips his pen in Americana schlock, then goes on the American corporate Super Bowl to give the yuppies some “authentic ” cred.
To be responsible for “Dancing in the Dark” is to be lower than Anita Boone.
Now if you print a letter from Southside Johnny, then I’ll listen.
carolina599
Springsteen has been consistently delivering the same sane, musically superior, socially responsible messages from first record to last, over an incredible period of time, the quality of which is like no other musician or poet I can name…but damn his eyes, he should rot in hell for eternity for doing Froggey Went A Courtn’
Anne
@Martin, we were all fooled by Obama. Give Bruce a break on that one.
Bobotheclown
The commenter who suggested that Bruce run for office has a point. Stars like Clint Eastwood have shown that fame in other areas can easily be transformed into votes for local offices. In Bruce Sprinsteens case he is a superstar who has become the only living symbol of the State of New Jersey. He could certainly win an election for state Senator without even campaigning. Govenor would be much harder and he would have to descend into the hardball elements of politics, but if he expressed a desire to attempt such a campaign there is an existing state Democratic political structure that could come immediately to his aide. He might not win on the first attempt but certainly on the second. This would mean a break from concerts and recording, perhaps even calling an end to his musical career, but we all have stages that we go through in life. He has achieved everything there is to achieve in music. Bruce! How about going into politics? You already have my vote.
michael e
Bob how about Jon Bon jovi?He is a New Jersey boy.And unlike Bruce he has actually run businesses, and may have a better understanding of the bottom line.Not to knock him…Bruce seems a good guy.It is just so hard to think of these multi million $ folks as having any understanding of what we all go through.Lets face it,Bruce has not had to worry about paying a bill,any bill,for quite some time.IT is all lip service.Sorry.Still love his first album.
Martin
@Anne – Although I voted for some communist who had about as much chance as me as getting 10,000 votes, and so I can say I had immense distaste for Obama (I listened to a Goebbels-lie speech from Obama at AIPAC, and that clinched it well before the election), I’ll allow some folks a little leeway.
However, there is no excuse now – none whatsoever. Why has no mugged Obama-endorser renounced publicly his or her vote and time and good name attached to such colossal failure? Is there no sense of public responsibility among the public celebrities?
While he’s repenting, how about Bruce offering rebates to anyone who bought any CD after “The Wild the Innocent, and the Wall Street Shuffle”?
David
Mr. Springsteen is truly a caring person.
Would that more leaders had a similar bent.
The greedy powers in America have it so backwards lately:
Greed and cruelty melded together in a slimy stew of corruption.
michael e
David…what do you think Bruce is worth?How does he escape the moniker of greed,and greedy?So a businessman who owns a corp is automatically a greedy bastard but Bruce who could buy and sell them isnt?Sorry his lip service does not free him. Have we looked at the carbon imprint of his tours?Only through poverty and inaction,lack of success and “destituting” himself upon the alter of government can he be absolved of his wanton destruction upon a needy world.See how silly you all sound?