Letter to the Editor: Most important election in a lifetime
A pair of recent letters to the editor disparage political “liberals” for hating donald trump without really knowing why, and for being willing to propel future generations of Americans down the path of socialism, which “always leads to death.” He also claims that the electoral college is “brilliant,” protecting the voting rights of rural folks like us.
I respectfully disagree with the author. I have been politically involved and active voter for fifty years, starting as a teenager supporting Barry Goldwater and evolving to my present position, which may be considered liberal by some. I belong to no political party.
I have been paying close attention the last four years and I do not hate Mr. trump. Hate is a self-consuming emotion which benefits no one. It is also not appropriate to “hate” someone who is as sick and pathetic as trump. True, he is a raging narcissist, racist, misogynist, and ignoramus who has no business in any public office: he is to be pitied, but not indulged. Unfortunately, he is easily manipulated and is supported by legions of cultists for whom he can do no wrong. This has led to the reversal of decades of efforts to make progress in civil rights, environmental sustainability, all-gender equality, and economic viability for all, and at a time when the continued health of our society and of the Earth as a place where humans can flourish demands immediate mitigation. Never has there been a resident of the White House who was so totally indifferent to the health, stability, and happiness of the American people, or who was so totally absorbed in self-promotion at the expense of the citizenry, the Constitution, and Earth, itself.
As for socialism, most modern governments rely on a blend of socialism and capitalism to meet the economic needs of their citizens. trump clearly prefers unfettered capitalism, consolidating wealth and power in a tiny group of elites. He has little concern for democratic process and exhibits almost no human compassion or empathy. But our daily existence and wellbeing relies heavily on government regulated and/or subsidized components: roads, schools, hospitals, fire departments, agencies to regulate safety in food, drugs, and environmental quality, Medicare, Social Security, and so on. I wonder if the author has ever benefited from any of these socialist policies, and which ones, specifically, are pushing us inexorably toward death to the masses.
Finally, the Electoral College does not protect rural voters: it disenfranchises minority party voters on a state by state basis. Hence, rural Republicans in California are voiceless when all of California’s electoral votes go to a Democrat, and the opposite is true in other states where Democrats are consistently outnumbered. The precious democratic concept of one person, one vote is not realized through the Electoral College. Similarly, the Senate has evolved as an incredibly undemocratic institution. Since all states have two senators, Wyoming, with about 500,000 people, has the same amount of say as California, with almost 40,000,000 people. A Wyoming senator has 80 times the power as a California senator.
This election is the most important in my lifetime. The damage wrought in the last four years may be irreversible after four more years of the same non-leadership. We must act decisively, now, to preserve a world worth living in for our descendants.
Piers Strailey
Quincy
