A letter to the RNC
On the same day that we read about Trump using undocumented immigrants to maintain his place in New Jersey, I got a letter from Ronna Mcdaniel. She is the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. She included a “survey” consisting of a long list of leading and self-serving questions, as well as a request for money to help re-elect the traitor currently in the White House.
They must think I’m still a Republican. Sorry, I used to be, but I’m not. How can any respectable human being support re-electing a bigot, cheat, liar and hypocrite? And that’s on top of being a front man for Putin and the murderous, anti-christian, anti-semitic Saudis?
I'd love to support a Republican such as Ronald Reagan or Condoleezza Rice. But they've been run out of the party by the current Know-nothing fringe of the right wing. So, I would never vote for the incompetent current POTUS. If I were to do so, it would violate my sense of honor learned from my father, a WWII USMC vet., and from my own time in the Marines. It would also mean that the decade I spent acquiring my doctorate in American history had been a waste.
So, thanks for the opportunity, Ronna. Meanwhile, you might want to take another shower!
Robert E. Sweeney, Memphis
Is socialism misunderstood in America?
Given all the hype surrounding newly elected United States Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez from New York, a self-described democratic socialist, it is time to take a closer look at America’s aversion to the word “socialism.”
Most citizens in the United States endorse our capitalistic society and have an “all-or-nothing view” of socialism – it must be 100 percent bad or 100 percent good. Most believe it is 100 percent bad, and they throw up an immediate red flag whenever the word “socialism” appears in a political discussion. A common retort is, “Look what socialism has brought to Venezuela.” However, in my view, any endeavors for the “collective good” of society should be commended, whether they are initiated by the government or by private enterprise. Government endeavors benefiting our collective good include our military, our interstate highway system, our police and fire departments, our public school system, our space program, our national park system, and our social security administration. Most United States citizens would agree that these government programs are desirable even if they are “socialistic” in nature. By contrast, many harms to our society can be attributed to private enterprise, such as, the stock market crash and the Great Depression in the 1920s, the Enron and Worldcom accounting scandals, the 2008 financial crisis and bank bailouts, and the Bernie Madoff pyramid investing scandal.
Let’s not be swayed by the political rhetoric surrounding the semantics of the word “socialism.” Some degree of socialism or in other words “actions for our collective good” helps make America great!
Robert Speer, Memphis Email letters to letters@commercial appeal.com; mail Letters to the Editor, The Commercial Appeal, 495 Union, Memphis, TN 38103; or click on the “Submit Letter” link on the Opinion page atcommercialappeal.com.
TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12