ELECTION: Two views, one leader

Mr. Veit had it all wrong in his characterization of President Obama’s remarks. What the President clearly and positively stated was that, if you built a successful business, you didn’t do so without help along the way. You were assisted by teachers who helped you acquire knowledge, researchers who helped develop the Internet, government (yes, government) that helped provide infrastructure to move materials, products, and customers, firefighters and police to protect your business, and all sorts of people who have maintained the system in which you can start with nothing but a great idea and lots of sweat and build that into a successful venture. In other words, you didn’t build it “all by yourself.”

Of course, the Republican trash dispensers (funded largely by wealthy donors whose identities we are not allowed to know) already have ads out spreading the same manure as contained in Mr. Veit’s letter. They attempt to deliberately mislead, to paint President Obama as “different” (Socialist, European, not American, radical), to portray him as “anti-business,” when nothing could be further from the truth. They do this to try to avoid the real choice we will have in November.

Voters will have a clear choice between two competing views of the future. Mitt Romney and Republicans are promoting a top-down, trickle down plan to rebuild our economy. The problem with this is that we have tried the Romney way for nearly a decade. Tax rates are currently the lowest they have been since Eisenhower, yet the “job creators” continue to hold back investments and outsource jobs. Wages continue a downward trend, and benefits taken away. The only people who have continued to benefit are the very wealthy.

President Obama and Democrats offer policies to rebuild the middle class, end rewards for corporations that outsource jobs, and provide a balanced combination of spending cuts and taxes on the very wealthy (who have benefited the most from current policies) to bring down the deficit. Small businesses (the real job creators) will be encouraged and protected. Vital investments in infrastructure, education and research will be made, and our economy will be rebuilt stronger and more vigorous than ever before.

Don’t listen to scary Republican propaganda. Take a close look at the two competing visions and I’m confident that you will choose the Democratic view. Together we can forge a stronger, fairer America. Make sure you are correctly registered (correct address and accepted identification) and remember to vote in November.

DOUG STRONG

Fernwood