Letters to the Editor: Republicans should be more concerned about their fiscal policies than the ‘woke’ left

To the editor: Unfortunately for contributing writer Josh Hammer and fellow conservatives who convince themselves that there’s an endlessly growing base of voters who are willing to trade their own economic security for the opportunity to punish the “woke” left, there’s still a tough choice to be made (“Democrats are spiraling into irrelevance. Good riddance,” July 18). That choice comes from the harsh reality that wealth inequality is staggeringly high, is repugnant to the majority of Americans and is increasingly associated with conservative fiscal policies that reward predatory financialization at the direct expense of social safety nets.

Why should any of us fear the exodus of the one-percent’s capital from politically left cities when so many of us struggle to afford rent, groceries, healthcare, childcare and transportation even with their presence? What fleeing grocery chains can’t be replaced by community-run co-ops that care about locally sourced organic produce ahead of profits? What landlord could be worse than the kind who denies six roommates a two-bedroom apartment because each one doesn’t individually make three times the rent?

If I am finally entitled to the basic necessities of life because they are government subsidized, why would I whine about a CEO’s tax rate? Or my neighbor’s gender identity? Conservatives expect us to trade the most basic forms of personal security in order to punish who they see as the less deserving. Are they willing to participate in authoritarianism to keep up the charade that their policies represent hope for the people they refuse to help?

Matthew Neel, Sherman Oaks