To the Editor:
Re “Ideology Trumps Economics” (editorial, July 12):
The economic ideology of both Democrats and Republicans tells us a lot about what kind of country we want to be going into the 2012 presidential election. Democratic Party ideology is more compassionate toward the sick, the elderly, the disabled and the most vulnerable, and fights spending cuts for social programs. Republican Party ideology tends to abhor vital social programs, and its survival-of-the-fittest philosophy demands permanent tax cuts for the rich.
The gulf between America’s haves and have-nots grows wider every day. We are a stronger and better nation when both sides of the political divide incorporate compassion into their ideology. Compassion unites us; selfishness divides us. The rich, the middle class, the poor are all important. We are in this together and need one another. The most generous in any society should be those to whom much has been given. It is time to play the compassion trump card.
PAUL L. WHITELEY Sr.
Louisville, Ky., July 12, 2011
Note from KBJ: How is it compassionate to make people dependent on others? How is it compassionate to take from some to give to others? How is it compassionate so to regulate the economy as to stifle growth? The letter writer needs a crash course in economics. He appears not to understand that prosperity is a function of individual liberty.
