Letter to the editor entitled “Saddened by Pledge dispute” by Jack Schuring asks “When did it become commonplace to not be proud of this country.”
WATCHDOG: This is a fair question. Of course questioning governmental policies has always been countenanced. But Mr. Schuring is correct that a large segment of the population is losing respect for our nation’s goals.
There are two major causes: 1) The perception that we have been fighting unnecessary and unjust wars; 2) That the goal of democracy that our founders and patriots sought and sacrificed for has given way to predatory capitalism, with a fraction of one percent of the population growing obscenely rich while the earnings of the vast middle and lower class have remained stagnant over three decades.
We no longer speak up on behalf of “the people”. Rather we genuflect before the exploiters. And do their bidding at the polls.
Growl!
A notable exception but representative of many enlightened billionaires is Bill Gates. He earned his money by creating wealth for the nation, not through financial manipulations and speculations at the cost of others and the nations industrial future.
