In the letter of Sept. 7, a "patriot" goes on about how higher wages will drive business out of this country. I guess it's better to appease the corporate masters than anger them by expecting decent wages for working people. U.S wages have been stagnant for 30 years. He goes on to cry about jobs being shipped overseas, but who famously made a career of doing that exact thing? His candidate. He quotes President Dwight Eisenhower, but also complains about the top earners being taxed too much. I guess his recollection of the 1950s is a little hazy, because top earners were taxed at a 90-percent rate in that decade. Yes, 90 percent. What is most revealing about this writer and others is this repeated phrase: "Vote for the American." Just who is the American?
One candidate belongs to a religion that was driven from the east to the desert west because of their beliefs. His great-grandfather left the U.S. because of polygamy. Living in Mexico for a period of time, the family eventually is driven from there over the very same beliefs. Back in the U.S., this candidate's father (born in Mexico) faced unnecessary racial taunts ... showing the ignorance of those who did the taunting. The candidate's father went on to raise a family in the U.S., enjoying all the freedoms given to immigrants (who tend to have a multicultural point of view).
The other candidate was born in the U.S. (proven fact) to a white mother (with Kansas roots) and an Kenyan father. After a couple of years, the family split, with this candidate only seeing his father one other time in his life. For about four years, this child did live in Indonesia as his mother continued her studies abroad. This candidate went back to Hawaii to live with his Kansas-raised grandparents. There, he graduated from high school (with a multicultural point of view) to enjoy his American freedoms.
To a logical reader, one could make the case that both of these candidates have issues with America or the American government. Or one can easily give both men the benefit of the doubt and realize, though they have differing approaches, both are American and want what is best for America.
It is just that there seems to be some other, not so subtle, issue at play here. We all know what it is. It is noticeable when you see the candidates. These "patriots" just don't have the guts to admit it.
Leonard Donaldson,
Fostoria
