Letters to the Editor
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In his June 21st column, Cal Thomas addresses the political and social rage that exists in our society today, and lays much of the blame on "the left." Thomas epitomizes, rather succinctly, the heart of the problem as he sees it: "It never occurs to them that their policies, forged in the era of Franklin Roosevelt, have exceeded their 'sell by' date, and so they lash out, trying to undermine the duly elected president by focusing on things that have nothing to do with average people." I think you will seldom find a quote that is so historically, politically and socially shallow as that.
When FDR provided jobs for millions of Americans through the CCC and WPA, there was no "sell by" date for that. When he stopped child labor and provided disability coverage for all Americans, there was no "sell by" date for that nor was there a date to cease social security for unnumbered Americans since then. And continuing FDR's work, Lyndon Baines Johnson introduced Medicare, Medicaid and civil rights for all Americans. Is all this now subject to a "sell by" date?
And as for all this having nothing to with average Americans, does health care or voting rights or clean water have nothing to do with average Americans? It has nothing to do with wealthy Americans, but then they are not average. Does Mr. Thomas not know that many crucial agencies of government are ridding themselves of advocates for health care, voting rights, civil rights and the environment, clean water and air? Are we all on our own now?
When we heard as youngsters that all Americans have a right to life, that had to include health care. Without health care, people die. Average Americans die. And when Lincoln told us our government was "for the people" he meant all the people. Government shouldn't choose who gets health care and who does not. We all have a right to life.
There is no "sell by" date for common human decency, nor for the gracious decisions of our forebears who worked so hard to bring us where we are today.
Paul Stubenbort
Bensalem