Letters to the Editor (June 1)

Democracy or demagoguery

Davis Merritt has received a lot of criticism for his May 9 column based on Madeline Albright’s book, “Fascism: A Warning.” As a former newspaper editor, Merritt can handle it, but his subject matter is worth reiteration.

Albright’s book is a history of fascism from World War II to present, and the current threat fascism presents to liberal, freedom-loving, western democracies. Albright, having escaped as a child from fascism in Europe and immigrating to this country to later become ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of state, is well qualified to address this issue.

Albright cites Italian writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi who, when arguing that every age has its own fascism, says the critical point can be reached by “denying and distorting information, by undermining systems of justice, by paralyzing the education system, and by spreading … nostalgia for a world where order reigned.”

For over 200 years, our democratic, representative republic has withstood civil war, two world wars, and numerous existential threats. Will we reach a critical point as so much distortion, disinformation, and distraction makes us numb to the truth? Will democracy prevail over demagoguery?

Stop the violence

President Lyndon Johnson started the war on poverty in 1964. The guidelines for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program were developed for a single parent with a child. In 1960, the total percentage of single-parent households in the United States was 12 percent. Today it is 31 percent.

The incarcerated population in the United States has gone from 332,945 in 1960 to 2.1 million in 2016. The employment rate for all persons 15-64 in 1961 was 61.6 percent. Last year it was 69.4 percent.

The national priority needs to change to a two-parent household with the father in the home, rebuilding the inner-city community, and teaching the benefits of self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

Let us stop the violence and work for a better America.

Nielsen, DHS deserve support

I appreciate the balanced approach adopted by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

She faces multidimensional challenges that evolved over decades and will take time to resolve. Hurricanes pose additional challenges for DHS. As the hurricane season is about to begin, we should be talking about how we can support DHS and Secretary Nielsen.

This story was originally published June 1, 2018 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (June 1)."