Letter to the Editor: We should all care

To the Editor:

Hate is a pretty strong word. It’s been used a lot lately. Maybe we should tone it down a little. I would like to rebut a few items from Mr. Johnson’s letter.

A total of 30,573 false or misleading statements from President Trump during his four-year tenure. Mr. Johnson says, “Who cares?” Wow, we should all care. Truth is the foundation of democracy. We citizens should expect the truth from our country’s highest official. Much of what we are living with now, the fracturing of our society, the anger and mistrust, has been brought on by those lies, spoken or tweeted. Once stated, never corrected and, sadly, believed.

And they continue, the name calling and accusations. Biden is a liberal. Well, look it up. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary says, “one who is open minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional or established forms or ways, an advocate or adherent of liberalism especially in individual rights.”

If what Mr. Johnson says is true about socialism/communism, then, whew, I’m glad that’s not us. Democratic socialism is a different bird, based on the premise of the people having a say in government actions, within a capitalist frame work. The economy and society should meet the needs of the public, not just make profits for a few.

What we are headed for now is an oligarchy. There’s another word to look up, where a wealthy few (the top one percent) exercise control of our government for their own selfish and corrupt purposes.

One last item I would like to address. The 2021 COVID Relief Bill (American Rescue Plan) is not only a $1400 payment. Since I am trying to stay within the word limit imposed by the newspaper, I urge you to go read the bill at “www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text”. In the summary there are 22 bullet points listing the programs aimed at helping our country recover from this pandemic. If Mr. Johnson is opposed to the American Rescue Plan, he can mail his check back to the U.S. Treasury.

Oh, and the comment on “deprogrammed”? That’s Mr. Johnson’s term, not mine.

Sincerely,
Ann Klees
Waterville