Submitted by Sherry Wernicke, Riverside
To the Editor:
2020 is a watershed moment for me. I will be putting party over candidate when voting. We are in a profound crisis as a country and at risk of losing our democracy due to the incompetence, lies, and corruption of our President and I’ve yet to hear CT Republicans speak out.
They even gleefully nominated him to run again. Well, they can’t hide behind the national vs local excuse like 2018. Their character is now on the ballot by their silence.
For a party that purports to care about democracy, law and order, fiscal responsibility, national security, and the military, it appears that party values have been abandoned. This presidency has been the manifestation of the darkest human forces.
The country has been divided with hate, racist and misogynist rhetoric. Calling COVID a hoax has left a trail of economic destruction and death. Our democracy is being dismantled before our eyes with a total disregard for the rule of law. Free speech is only okay if it favors them. There’s no responsibility or accountability. The US is now the most disrespected country in the world. Our military is called losers and suckers. Healthcare for millions of people is threatened along with protections for pre-existing conditions. Violence is encouraged along with conspiracy theories. Science is a 4 letter word. Lying has become as easy as we breathe. Efforts to stop us from voting have become rampant. By their silence, you can only conclude that CT Republicans think this is just fine.
Well, I’m here to say it is NOT okay to believe whatever happens is justified as long as you get what you want. Our lives are not a reality show. Your children are observing this horror show and your reactions. When you don’t say this behavior is wrong, they will come to believe it is okay or normal.
And speaking of children, how did you not speak out about the callousness and cruelty of locking children in cages and now we learn that 545 may never be reunited with their parents. Where is your outrage?
When it comes to governing, this party is out of touch with Americans on many issues such as the environment, reproductive rights, and gun safety. They have no platform or new ideas. It’s the same old same old – smaller government, less regulation, and reduced taxes – that time and again have proven NOT to build economic growth nor provide benefit to its citizens. Yet, that’s it. That’s all they have besides disinformation campaigns. They claim to be the party best for the economy, but that is a myth. History proves that economic growth is much better under Democratic rule. In fact, most of Wall Street believe that the economy will fare much better with a Democratic sweep of all 3 branches of government.
We have more people out of work today than at any other time in history. We have bread lines miles long. We have people losing their homes and life savings. We have small businesses closing that will never come back, along with many jobs. None of this had to happen. It’s all because of the failures of this presidency and party.
This election we must ask ourselves if we want to continue to be the worst we can be or do better. I hope you choose the latter and join me in voting a straight Democratic ticket. These candidates are socially progressive, fiscally responsible, and have real, innovative solutions backed up with actual policies that will make ALL of our lives better.
By joining me, you will be voting for compassion over cruelty, for country over party, and most of all, for decency and democracy. No one who has remained silent about the atrocities committed by this President deserves to represent the state of CT. I hope you agree.
Sherry Wernicke, Riverside
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor in support of local candidates in the Nov 3, 2020 election had a hard deadline of Oct 26, 2020 at noon.