We do not hate the country
In response to Mr. Ardell’s letter of July 17, I would like to say that attitudes like this are the problem we face in our nation today.
We have become so divided that we do not see those across the aisle as patriots who also love our country but just have a different philosophy as to how to make things better. We see them not just as the opposition, but as the enemy.
I dare say I know many more Democrats than Mr. Ardell does and I know that they are caring people who are willing to give of themselves, their time and, yes, their money to help others who are less fortunate. They do not want to punish the poor for being poor or tell them to get over it and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
They believe that a hand up is often just what someone who is down and out needs to give them the courage to push on and accomplish what they might have thought was impossible for them.
The Democrats that I know do not want to deprive the sick of health care or insurance to pay for it. They do not want to take the money that men and women who struggle from paycheck to paycheck pay in taxes and give it to the wealthiest among us in tax cuts that they did not earn. They do not want to saddle young people with crippling debt from education loans before they even get out into the work force.
The Democrats that I know believe that giving a hungry child a nutritious breakfast or lunch does, in fact, help them to learn better in school.
They believe that employers paying workers a living wage greases the wheels of the economy by putting money into the hands of people who will actually put it back out into the system. They believe that encouraging more people to vote is a good thing. They believe that those to whom much is given, much is expected in return.
In short, Mr. Ardell, the Democrats that I know do not hate this country. They love it just as much as you do.
Verna Caruso
Chair
Lycoming County Democratic Committee
Submitted by E-Mail
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