Daniel Kraft writes that Bernie-Sanders-style progressives are a far cry from Soviet Russia's communists.
To the Editor:
In response to George Anderson's recent letter, "No one wants Bernie (Sanders) or any socialist president":
It is clear that Anderson cares about our country. But he, like many Americans, has a poor understanding of the meaning of "socialism" -- probably fueled by fears from the days of the communist United Socialist Soviet Republic (U.S.S.R.).
Socialism had its origin in the thinking of Karl Marx, who observed that workers had to work to live, and live to work. Marx called this "wage slavery." Socialists like Bernie Sanders want to end this system.
Contrary to Anderson's assumption, Sanders did not try to redefine socialism by "putting the word 'democratic' in front of it." "Social Democrat" is a common term in modern Western politics. Social democrats like Sanders advocate reducing economic inequality. This is something with which many Americans agree, as seen by the tremendous support Sanders enjoyed in the Democratic Party presidential primaries.
This is all a far cry from Anderson's assertion that candidates like Sanders "possess no belief whatsoever in the individual human spirit" or "feel that people are born failures."
A simplified view would be to picture a continuum with capitalism at one extreme and communism at the other. You can see that every country is socialistic to a degree -- with public school teachers, police, military, and other governmental programs -- as well as capitalistic, with its private businesses. Some countries lean left. Others lean right, but all are socialistic.
Although I am not a "democratic socialist," I owed it to myself to become informed so that my voting decisions would be based on understanding rather than fear and ignorance. I don't care to move away from the United States, as Anderson suggests for those who want a more a European-style society.
Daniel Kraft
West Deptford Township
Cast Trump as 'The Manchurian Candidate'
To the Editor:
I am a military veteran and an independent voter, and nothing Donald Trump says makes sense to a logical person.
There is a large group of people out there who should look at all the issues.
When they have time, they should watch the first movie version (1962, with Frank Sinatra) of Richard Condon's book, "The Manchurian Candidate." Then they should watch the 1979 film "Being There" starring Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardener (Chauncey Gardner), a simple-minded landscaper who unwittingly becomes a powerful Washington insider.
Christopher Lopko
Millville
Trump's 'sacrifice' doesn't compare
To the Editor:
My name is Ron Steidler. My brother, Johnson "Dutch" Steidler, was killed in combat in Vietnam in 1967. He was 19. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star medals.
I was at the presentation of the Gold Stars to my parents. I saw the look of disbelief on their faces.
Donald Trump can go to Hell.
Ronald R. Steidler
Gibbstown
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