Samuel Farber’s piece, “In Defense of Progress,” resonated deeply with me. The reminder that the early victories of working-class movements were built on tangible improvements in living standards — paved roads, public education, and universal health care — cuts through the often paralyzing nostalgia that pervades certain corners of the Left today.

As Farber suggests, it is this faith in human potential, coupled with the democratic control of the economy, that offers the only real escape from the neoliberal dead end.

 — Rachel Mader, Detroit, MI