A reflection of our votes

We are seeing a flood of images of riots with both peaceful protesters and the destruction of property, and we see a flood of reactions from the left and the right excusing or condemning the destruction. Conservatives correctly state that the violence and destruction of property is a real problem. Liberals correctly state that Black lives do indeed matter.

None of this addresses the real issue: more than 40 million Americans earn less than $ 15 per hour, and we now have tens of millions in poverty who are either unemployed, underemployed with poverty wages, or are homeless.

Economically secure liberals and conservatives blame each other for our third- world economy, but both are equally to blame. Conservatives have made a religion out of an unregulated free market, personal freedom without responsibility, and greed. Liberals abandoned labor 40 years ago and voted with conservatives to deregulate the free market, ship jobs overseas, and welcome more than a hundred million immigrants for cheap corporate labor. Neither political party is presenting us with presidential or senatorial candidates in November who will change this trajectory.

Walt Kelly’s comic strip “Pogo” nailed it years ago: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Current and future violent protests are a reflection of our votes for conservative and liberal legislators who make too many of us live the horror of the Gotham City in the very prescient Hollywood movie Joker.

Michael McNeil, Mead