Letters to the Editor: Disillusion with voting is exactly what the far right wants
To the editor: This is exactly what the election deniers want — the disillusionment and sense of helplessness expressed by the reluctant voters in the article, “‘We’re broken.’ In the suburbs north of Los Angeles, voters feel fed up and afraid.”
They want to push as many people as they can out of the democratic process, out of participation in the governance of their own lives. They want to be left in power.
There is great division in politics today because of the vast difference in the thinking and the philosophies of groups of people. One side wants power, the other good government.
Do not be disappointed in President Biden — he has tried and tried. Be disappointed in the opposition, which has no interest in cooperative government and thinks threatening those who work for democracy is a fine way to get things done.
Ruth Silveira, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I was deeply saddened by this article, especially the closing quote by a very concerned citizen: “‘There’s nothing I can see’ to feel good about.”
There is much to be concerned about in this polarized country, but I believe it is incredibly important to have a positive and hopeful perspective and to “light the proverbial candle rather than curse the darkness.”
Counting the blessings of fresh water, electricity, some access to healthcare, a system of laws (however imperfectly administered), a country with great beauty and natural resources, freedom of communication and more, one needs to realize that there have always been problems of some kind in our dear United States. One needs only to read “The 1619 Project” or historian Jill Lepore’s recent books on American history to remember where we have come from.
My advice is to take a timeout from social media and look for all the good things our nation has to offer, and then add one’s own hopeful voice.
Claire Marmion, Long Beach
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To the editor: I am shocked that Ronald Reagan was portrayed in a positive light in your article about the deep division in our nation, a division sharply exacerbated by former President Trump.
Reagan set the stage for Trump with his casual regard for facts, his inclination to favor the rich, his shredding of safety nets, his corrupt administration, his racism and his folksy, dumbed-down populism.
Who can forget his denials regarding the Iran-contra affair? His ballooning of the federal debt as the rich got richer? His referring to African United Nations delegates as monkeys?
As a physician, I recall the upsurge in tuberculosis cases following Reagan’s slashing of the public health budget (my colleagues and I dubbed this the “Ronald Reagan memorial spike”).
I can understand the Republican Party’s need to brand one of their past presidents as a hero, but The Times should do better.
Glenn Rogers, South Pasadena
