Shame on Democrats for not backing Ben Jealous

After reading the article, “Some Dems tepid on Jealous” (Sept. 24), I felt compelled to do something I have never done — write a letter to The Baltimore Sun. The Democratic leaders should be ashamed that they are not fully behind the forward-thinking Democratic candidate running for governor. Ben Jealous is advocating for our future and yes, that means taking some risks and offering some sacrifices to achieve the goals for the long game.

We Democrats just sit on our hands and don’t take the risks that will ensure the health, welfare and education of our children. That is what we need to be focused on — our children and their future well-being. Everyone should have health care without the risk of bankruptcy, Everyone should receive an education with the best teachers, best facilities and the best curriculum we can provide. We need public transportation to ensure people can get to work easily and safely and entice businesses to Baltimore and the surrounding counties.

Yes, we may have to pay for those things with more taxes or fees, but isn’t our children’s welfare and future worth that? We are leaving a legacy of poor schools, poor environment, poor infrastructure and poor medical care opportunities for our children. We should be ashamed. We need to pull up our “bootstraps” and look to the ideas of the future and not be “tepid” or timid. Maryland, in my opinion, is one of the best places in the U.S. to live but we could do better, we could be the leaders and example for other states in the areas of education, environment and health services

We have so many excellent resources, organizations and caring people in Maryland, let’s add to that advantage with a progressive governor. Everyone needs to vote and Democrats should support Ben Jealous as our candidate. I have heard him speak. He is articulate, he has excellent ideas and he has thought through solutions to the problems. Please make an informed decision when you vote and vote for the brightest future we can give our children. Vote for Ben Jealous.