Dear Editor,
To parody Harold Hill, the Music Man, We Got Trouble Right Here in the USA with a capitol T and It Rhymes with P and it Stands For Progressive. Patricia Houser proclaims, “progressive elites hate liberals, independents and conservatives alike.” Quoting Butch Cassidy, “who are those guys?” She claims progressives, “began by forming non-governmental organizations.” Are they AOL, RCA, GMC or the PTA? The only person she refers to is Bill Maher, a comedian, who is neither ultra-rich nor ultra-powerful compared to, say, Rush Limbaugh, a comedian. She is concerned progressives, “want to enslave America, making us their serfs.” Ma’am we had that with the practice of “ sharecropping” in the South and “company stores” in the mining towns. Theodore Roosevelt, a progressive, subdued the real enemy, Robber Barons or monopolies for awhile, but they are back in the form of Multinational Corporations owning most of the private land, mineral rights, airwaves and moved our jobs overseas. Progressives? I don’t think so. Capitalists? Do you think so?
When she said, a wonderful founder cried out in his day, “ Now Is The Time For All Good Men To Come To The Aid Of Their Country”, I was overwrought with patriotism. Then I recalled I had heard that phrase in typing class. That wonderful founder was a typewriter salesman back in 1867 who was showing a prospective buyer the speed of his contraption. I know you meant well, but now I’m depressed because I thought someone important uttered those words. Is nothing sacred?
Albert Newland
Pittsburg
PITTSBURG —
