Re: Entitlement mentality 7.0 [Letter, Village News, 8/23/2012]

To Lee Racey’s letter I’d like to add another example of America taxing and spending its way to prosperity: the 1940s, effectively ending the Great Depression and setting off the boom decades that followed. Taxes on the wealthy were considerably higher, yet few complained. It was a good time to be an American, there was appreciation, patriotism of the genuine kind with a sense of duty to give something back to your country. Selfishness and greed were not the rule back then. Mr. Racey’s mindset would have likely considered Eisenhower, for example, a socialist.

He likes to label “progressive” and “socialist” together. They belong together as much as “conservative” and “fascist” do. Would he consider that a fair pairing? If anything, this country’s become closer to the latter in recent times than any bogus, ignorant fears we’re going “socialist.” The world isn’t black or white. Things are a balance. Ideological extremism backed with fear mongering and propaganda invariably leads to dark times.

He refers to President Reagan as a conservative icon. The idolization of Reagan by today’s right is interesting, when Reagan himself would have surely distanced himself from the crackpots that have now taken over the party. Indeed, any Republican politician today acting as Reagan did on a number of issues would be branded a “leftist.”

Don’t tell today’s Republicans that. They live in their own reality, too deluded by their ideological extremism.

Greg Millard