March 18, 2017 Arizona Daily Sun
In the year of my birth, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that the “Four Freedoms” would guide the policies and actions of our country:
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of worship
• Freedom from want
• Freedom from fear
These are the values that helped us prevail in WWII.
In my opinion, the current occupant of the White House and his fellow ideologues are attacking all four of these freedoms.
–Freedom of Speech: “The press is the enemy of the American people”
–Freedom from Want: We should alter the health care system and the social safety net so that elders and minimum wage earners are the most penalized. Instead, let’s transfer even more wealth to the wealthy.
We fought and won WWII with FDR’s freedoms as our core belief system. We have now descended to flattering our enemies, confusing our friends and totally ignoring the vital issues of the day (principally the dire consequences of climate change caused by humans).
I believe that we should keep our eye on the ball: What are the vital issues for future generations and how can we help out? The continuing distractions created by an unstable narcissist and his managers help us avoid dealing with the issues that really matter long term.
We can survive the current inhabitant of the White House, but at what cost? Every thinking person should insist that our country return to the core values that gave us strength and unity in the past. We owe it to those who will come after us.
CARL TAYLOR
Coconino County Supervisor, retired