Letters

In a recent letter, reader Ed Surgan, without offering any details, complained about Democrats having a sense of superiority over average Americans [“Justice Served,” Letters, May 21]. This complaint is heard whenever right-wing politicians fear that working class Americans, whom Republicans claim to represent, might actually look at issues that affect their lives.

So the Republicans say that Democrats, who are fighting for better health care and safety regulations for coal miners, really do not care about them. They say that Democrats who stand up for the rights of union workers can’t be on the side of working people, because they are supported by some “Hollywood elites.” And the party that supports a living wage for the hardest-working Americans is just out of touch with those very same folks.

On one issue after another, the Republican Party has sided with big banks, the largest corporations and the richest 1 percent of Americans. That is why we have banks cheating their customers, payday lenders preying on service members and veterans, and corporations like Apple and Amazon paying no taxes. How does that help America’s working families?

In his letter, Mr. Surgan, referring to his hero Donald Trump, writes, “Get off your high horse and weigh his performance.” Well, to avoid more saddle sores, and to set the record straight, I will do just that.

First, regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the president’s response has been, by every metric, pathetic. He has waffled from claiming it to be a hoax to stating that only he saw this tragedy coming. He closed the White House office charged with preparing for epidemics and ignored early warnings that, if heeded, could have saved thousands of American lives.

He has blamed China, the World Health Organization, former presidents, governors, hospitals and the media. As for himself, he said, “I don’t take responsibility at all.” Now that’s true leadership.

On the economic front, the president has until recently been bragging about the Republican tax cuts and the so-called strong economy. The fact is that the vast majority of those tax cuts went to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations who used the windfall to buy back stock and increase bonuses for their CEOs.

Very little in that bill helped working families, as evidenced by the fact that in January about 63 percent of Americans polled said they were unable to handle a $500 car repair. No wonder we saw bread lines only weeks into the pandemic.

And remember that fantastic health care Trump promised? Not only has it failed to materialize but the administration is now in court trying to strip health insurance from hardworking Americans.

And now, where is that high horse of mine?

John Neely

Westhampton