Living & Voting My Faith

To the Editor:

I have never written a response to another letter writer before because I feel that this space in the paper is for everyone to have a voice. I am doing so today because Ms. Hooper (in her letter two weeks ago) asked for someone to respond. She wants to know why anyone would vote for a Democrat. Let me begin by saying that I make decisions on candidates based on what kind of job I think they will do or have done and how they present themselves to the voters. In the county where I used to live, we had great elected officials from both parties who were reelected by the voters of both parties because they were competently carrying out the duties of their position. Rarely did things seem partisan. That began to change as the tea party movement gained hold. It has continued to get worse in the MAGA era.

I am a person of faith; however, rather than condemning the actions of others, I try to live my faith. I strive to live my life in a way that shows my love for my fellow man. This manifests itself in my actions, how I spend my time and money, and how I vote. Throughout the 20th century, it was the Democratic party that championed the causes of minorities, women, the poor, children, and the environment. I believe that we should look out for others and help in any way we can. I see that reflected in the legislation put forth by Democrats. Does that make the party perfect? No. No party or person will ever be perfect. That’s why we have to weigh our options when it comes to how we vote. We have Social Security and minimum wage because of Democrats. The Civil Rights Act and Voter Rights Act were passed because of Democrats. Those last two split the party because southern Democrats weren’t ready for equality in our country. Affordable health care is now available to everyone. While the program isn’t perfect, it is more than Republicans have offered to those in need.

Ms. Hooper and I might be able to agree that politicians often mislead the public or exaggerate the truth. Let’s look at the numbers. In 2016, the deficit was 402 billion after peaking at 1.6 trillion in 2011. President Obama and Congress reduced the deficit by over a billion dollars. In 2020, the deficit was 3.1 trillion. President Trump and Congress added over 2.5 billion to the debt during his first term. By 2024 President Biden and Congress had the budget back down to 1.83 trillion. The deficit for this year is outpacing the rate of last year. While the goal of reducing spending and the deficit are worthy, the MAGA affiliated Republicans began to shift the mindset away from working across the aisle for the good of the country to a slash and burn mentality which is finally manifesting itself in the form of Elon Musk. Ms. Hooper respects Musk and thinks I should, too, because he is the richest man in the world. He is rich; however, he is not a humanitarian or a philanthropist. He only spends money in ways that will make more money for him and his companies. He could single-handedly solve many problems in our country and world but chooses not to. So no, I don’t “have” to respect him and choose not to.

We are watching him dismantle many important government agencies in the name of saving money. There are two problems: his cuts aren’t saving a significant amount of money, but they are putting the most vulnerable of our citizens at risk. He is doing this at the blessing of President Trump. Ms. Hooper said her father said it was time to cut off the check machine. Had it not been for stimulus checks during COVID, many would have suffered. I guess she didn’t cash her checks because of her upbringing. I did accept mine and used it to purchase from local businesses where I lived.

Why do I vote for Democrats? Because their programs have taken care of the poor, the elderly, and the marginalized, just like Jesus called us to do.