To the editor:
I am compelled to respond to the Readers Opinion letter that appeared in Tuesdays Sentinel. In it Dave Molek outlines why he thinks the election of Barack Obama will be disastrous for America. He accomplishes this by making generalizations about the American people that voted for Obama that are simply wrong.
The first and perhaps the most troublesome is the very clear statement that the people that voted for Obama support socialistic redistribution and these are the takers, not the makers. He goes on to point out these dependents have little or no interest in civic responsibility, free enterprise, debt issues, or our Constitution ... that they voted for Mr. Obama out of collective ignorance. Mr. Molek should know better.
Im almost 62 years old. I have worked since I was 16 years old. I have two college degrees, my wife has two degrees and I am working on a third degree in economics. Im very knowledgeable about our debt and our Constitution.
My wife and I have never been on welfare and with the exception of a couple of months following the closing of the American Viscose after the 1972 flood. Neither of us have ever drawn unemployment. We have done very well and our efforts have allowed others to also do well.
We are not takers and we are not collectively ignorant. We supported Barack Obama. Many of my contemporary friends did also. Moreover, there were tens of millions of hard working Americans of all persuasions that voted for Barack Obama.
For most of us, voting for Obama wasnt a vote for radical redistribution. It was a vote to preserve Social Security, Medicare, public education and civil rights for all. Most of us are are aware of the debt. Our votes werent votes for class warfare. We voted to close the budget gap by returning to the tax rates of the 1990s for those that can afford it. People may recall that the late 90s were a time of very low unemployment and a balanced budget.
Moreover, it wasnt the embrace of socialism, voter fraud, or weak-minded voters that caused the Republican Party to lose this election. It was their poor choice of candidates and the Tea Partys outdated position on issues of interest to working men and women. The Tea Party and people like Dave Molek claim to be the salvation of the Republican Party and the United States. Ironically, their positions probably contributed more to the Republican loss of this election than anything the Democratic Party did to win it.
In my opinion, Mr. Moleks comments are simply not appropriate for an elected official. Several of his comments border on paranoia. I voted for him in the previous election. Now that I know what he thinks of me and the millions of other hard-working Americans that dont see things the way he does, I will not make that mistake again; even if hes the only one on the ballot.
Harry M. Geedey
Lewistown
