Dear editor:

This letter is in response to Harold Hochmuth of Paw Paw who believes that he speaks for the residents of Niles. Some may hold his view, but I for one do not and I am a resident of Niles.

I found John Eby’s column informative and thought provoking. I notice when there is nothing people can say to defend their need to feed greed within our society and especially to stop social programs and anything that helps all citizens often stoop to name calling. His description of John Eby’s words as “liberal trash” offends me. I consider myself an independent, and I probably am more liberal than some, but I have never heard a liberal person call someone “conservative trash.” In my dictionary “liberal” means open-minded. Since when does that equate to trash?

We have heard this all before, this name calling, brick throwing and overall bullying of those who would dare think that we are all equal in this country as our founders proclaimed. Child labor laws (remember those babies who died in the factory making money for the robber barons?), the 48-hour work week, women’s right to vote, social security, Medicare and Medicaid and on and on are things that the closed-minded have fought to prevent. Yet at the same time they are the first to line up to take advantage of the programs they feared so drastically when they are in place.

Wake up people! The debt you fear is not more important than the health and welfare of people. All people. We will figure out a way to cover this debt, but you can never bring back those who have died due to being denied decent health care. Debt is fixable. Death is not.

Deane Gemmell
Niles