Right-wing tactics

Dear editor:

The causes of and cures for poverty are well known. Sweden, Norway and Denmark do well in eliminating extremes in income. Once when these countries weren't fully democratic and employed Scroogian capitalism (aka laissez-faire), hundreds of Scandinavian people came to this country. Not many come today because of America's poorly rated "quality of life." Those countries that our president called (blank)hole countries have wealth concentrated in a few who don't pay many taxes or invest in their people. An example is Haiti, whose Papa Doc, Baby Doc and other Haitian millionaires were coddled by Wall Street and other USA gazillionaires and pay little taxes.

Before the Great Depression, many recent immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe lead lives of dire poverty in America's tenement slums. Catholics and Jews were further penalized because of prejudice. Americans should read Mario Puzo's book, "The Fortunate Pilgrim," to understand poverty among Italian immigrants and the cost to America in crime (mafia).

After World War II and the GI Bill, many of these European immigrants received good wages; some obtained higher education and housing under the GI Bill. These measures were an effective, positive remedy to their former poverty. Unfortunately, most veteran minorities and women didn't benefit from GI housing and schooling. In the prosperous post-World War II era, few had the will to attack poverty and the right-wing went the other way: taking jobs away from the inner cities and white pockets of poverty. (I think Robert Kennedy had the will to revitalize white Appalachia.)

Thus, we had Detroit, the south side of Chicago, New Orleans and other poor and crime-ridden areas. Gleefully, the right-wing propagandists blame all our problems on the poor and liberals. This tactic is ironic because Roosevelt liberal New Deal policies proved that thousands could be moved from poverty to a prosperous middle class.

The extreme libertarianism of the Koch brothers/Ludwig von Mises/Milton Freeman, etc., has an ideology that forbids any government to solve its basic problems. And it won't let a democratically elected government do anything but provide defense and police.

(Feb. 10 -- Michael Gerson -- The Sentinel-Record) "For some years, the main political project of the right has been to take control of the government while denigrating the government." I feel right-wingers want to take control of the government to privatize most government functions (enriching Wall Street and CEOs), reduce taxes for the rich and have America's soldiers protect their businesses.

So we had "Heck-of-a-job-Brownie." The disaster of Katrina/New Orleans came in part because an ideologue with no experience ran FEMA, an agency partially privatized. A similar result came when ideologue Paul Bremer ran Iraq, with some privateers, after our invasion.

The right-wing has no intent to remedy nonmedical abortion. The highest abortion rate is in Latin America where it is illegal and the nations are racked with poverty. The right-wing would have no propaganda ploys if we could democratically solve our problems. We need more to bring American jobs back besides the lip service of Trump and GOP propagandists.

Linda Woodbury

Hot Springs

Editorial on 04/19/2018

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