Letter to the Editor: What have we become?

To the Editor:
I have been following very closely what is happening in the current campaign for the White House. I am appalled that our president and two of the candidates for the office from that same party have been calling for class warfare, class envy and for redistribution of wealth. And there appears to be a great deal of support for exactly that within a large sector of the Democrat Party.
I noticed that several days ago over 2,000 young people, assumed to be students at Luther College, attended a rally in Decorah for a candidate who wooed them with all sorts of promises of “freebies”. And they bought it, hook, line and sinker. It is disgusting to watch seemingly educated people salivate over the prospect of something for nothing. What has happened to our work ethic and desire to succeed on our own?
All of this makes me think that our education system is failing miserably since too many people do not understand that this country was made great by capitalism and a free market economy. Are any schools teaching Economics and 20th Century History? We must remain a Democratic Republic and not turn to socialism or go the way of the old Soviet Union.
These misguided people simply do not understand that you can spend other people’s money only so long before it runs out. They failed to learn that socialism does not work.
I know I am going to be accused of just being a grumpy old man. I am getting grumpier every day watching politicians destroy our country which I served proudly for over 50 years.
Lowell Engle
Harpers Ferry