Not what words mean

What’s in a word? Danny Naegle wants to save our republic from what he calls socialism. In a republic, citizens vote for representatives responsible to them. The United States is both a republic and a democracy— not a direct democracy, but a representative democracy, similar to a republic.

We didn’t invent representative government. Ancient Rome was a republic before it became an empire. Earlier, ancient India had a republic, Licchavi. Today 90 countries are republics, some of which are also social democracies ( Scandinavian countries, Ireland, Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, etc.). Naegle would call them socialist.

But social welfare is not the same as socialism— which means the state owns the means of production. Social democracies with representative governments and mixed economies are not Cuba or Venezuela.

Then there is political correctness, which Bradley Gitz likes to bash. Conservatives championed this term, a phantom enemy. PC actually describes the kind of civility necessary in civil society. If it offends a group to be called midgets, I will call them by their preferred name, little people. That’s how my folks taught me. But people like Gitz— including European neo- fascist demagogues— like to pretend that somebody in power is forcing us to be polite to each other, imposing PC from the top down. They aren’t.

If you live 10 miles from your nearest neighbor, you may not have to get along with him, but most of us live close to other people. What’s the point of insulting and downgrading your neighbors? CORALIE KOONCE

Fayetteville