LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Where are the Democrats of old?

Posted

To the editor:

I believe that I speak for many Democrats when I tell you that I don’t like some of the overall direction that the national Democratic Party has been taking.

I would like the party to be more like it was in the 1960s when it focused primarily on the bread-and-butter and kitchen-table issues that affect about 90 percent of Americans, except for the wealthiest 10 percent.

I want the party to stand for enhancing the social safety net programs such as Social Security as well as advocating for other social programs, including a Canadian-style national health insurance program.

I believe that the party focuses too much on fighting against President Trump and the Republicans on the “identity politics” and culture war issues. These issues matter, but quite frankly, I worry about people who have lived good and responsible lives who can’t afford to pay for and take the prescription medications that they need to be in decent health and often need just to stay alive.

I would like to see the party have the courage and bravery to advocate for the passage of a national wealth tax of 15 percent on all individuals with a net wealth of $10 million and higher to be able to pay for this new spending as well as to advocate for eliminating the $100 billion a year that the conservative-Libertarian think-tank The Cato Institute has informed us that the federal government spends every year on “corporate welfare” and “business subsidies” as an additional way to pay for this new spending so that we do not add to the national debt and the federal budget deficit.

Stewart Epstein

Stewart Epstein,

Comments