The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

DATE

Apr. 27, 2024 

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Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor

I believe that I speak for many Democrats when I tell you that I don’t like the overall direction that the national Democratic Party is taking. I would like the Party to be more like it was in the 1960s when it focused primarily on the bread-and-butter and kitchen-table issues that affect about 90% of Americans except for the wealthiest 10%.  I want the Party to stand for enhancing the social safety-net programs such as Social Security as well as advocating for other social programs including a Canadian-style national health insurance program.

I believe that the Party focuses too much on fighting against Trump and the Republicans on the “identity-politics” and “cultural-war” issues.  These issues are important to people like me, but I worry more, for example, about people who can’t afford to pay for and take their prescription medications that they need to be in decent health and often need just to stay alive.  I would also like to see the Party have the courage and bravery to advocate for the passage of a “National Wealth Tax” of 15% on all individuals with a net-wealth of $10 million and higher to be able to pay for this new spending as well as to advocate for eliminating the $100 billion/year that is spent on “corporate welfare” and “business subsidies” to help pay for it because we need to be fiscally responsible and not bankrupt the country or raise the national debt or add to the federal budget deficit by showing how we will generate the revenue to pay for the new spending we propose.

Sincerely,

Stewart B. Epstein

P.S. I am a retired college professor of Sociology and Social Work.

I taught at West Virginia University, Slippery Rock University, and SUNY Brockport.