LETTERS TO THE
E DITOR Trump has truly made America great again
To the editor: I start this letter with a heavy heart as Rush Limbaugh announced he has advanced lung cancer. I’m indebted to him for being in my radio 5 days a week imparting wisdom and making complex issues simple. He has encouraged me and his 27 million listeners to be involved and he helped solidify the values I have today. I expect someone will blast me for being a huge fan of him. I’ve found it interesting how his biggest critics often have never listened to a single program. He has an unmatched prediction success record and has changed conservative talk radio forever. Best wishes, Rush!
By the time you read this letter, President Trump will have given his “State of the Union.” Hopefully, you were able to hear it. He has so many positive developments to tout as he really has made America great again!
Also, by now, the impeachment debacle is over although the Democrats will continue to find more outrageous allegations to add to their already long list. The hypocrisy was breathtaking listening to the impeachment managers who had spoken at the Clinton proceedings act out the exact behaviors they had denounced back then. Then there was Nancy Pelosi who said last March that “Impeachment is so divisive to the county that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path.” No kidding Nancy! But you still did it.
So, where does this leave us regarding the 2020 election? I’m glad I’m not a Democrat! The Democrat candidates are all socialists - it’s just a matter of degree with only slight variations. It will be extremely easy for President Trump to defeat a socialist and make the case for freedom. You see, you can’t have it both ways. Economist Milton Friedman said, “The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither. The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.”
Although socialism is often portrayed as benevolent and kind, it is exactly the opposite. It involves the taking of basic human rights and giving to others what you have earned. Capitalism is providing goods or services that others desire - and reaping the benefits based on how well you do it. It is the most effective way to eliminate poverty in history.
Bernie Sanders had on his website, as recently as 2011, an article saying that Venezuela, where incomes are more equal, was the embodiment of the American dream - even more so than the United States. It’s true Bernie. In Venezuela, a once prosperous nation, everyone is now equally destitute.
While according to a YouGov poll, nearly half of millennials would rather live in a socialist society than in a capitalist one, only 71 percent could properly identify either. My hope is that President Trump will clearly point out the paths we can choose and what the consequences of feeling “the Bern” - or supporting any Democrat - will be.
As I’m finishing this section, the news is that the Iowa Democratic Caucus is a train wreck, a microcosm of the party itself.
I’ll close with some SuperBowl refl ection. Thumbs up for: a great game, a well-deserved victory for Andy Reid and the Chiefs and the patriotic pregame theme. Thumbs down for: I’m so glad we’ve moved past the objectification of women, now that we’re in 2020. I know everyone appreciated how profound, deep and intellectual that halftime show was.
Randy Wokatsch Marathon
Farm crisis in Wisconsin must be addressed
To the Editor: During the State of the State Address, Gov. Evers announced that he will be prioritizing Wisconsin’s farmers, and called for a special session to take up proposals to help alleviate the strain on our rural communities. The special session was scheduled for a Tuesday, and unfortunately, the day came and passed with no discussion, no debate, and no progress. In fact, Republicans chose instead to ignore our farm crisis and hold a partisan political rally of their own.
Our farms are Wisconsin’s legacy. The least we can do is show up to the discussion.
Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point)
