Democratic views increasingly aren’t republican
To the editor:
I would like to respond to Sandra Baker's Thursday letter to the editor, "Name game":
Are you a Republican or a Democrat? Are your views republican or democratic? Sorry that republican can be used as a noun or an adjective, while Democrat only goes one way -- noun -- and democratic is the adjective form of the word.
Frankly, ever since I was a politically interested youth (before Rush Limbaugh), Republican meant "the party of Republicans" and Democrat meant "the party of Democrats." Therefore we have the Republican Party and the Democrat Party, in short, using both words as nouns.
Apparently, Ms. Baker is unafraid of being labeled democratic, but feels emotionally scarred when labeled a Democrat. Well, the word "democratic" pretty much means the same as "mob rule"; a majority trampling the minority in order to achieve the optimum for some of the people (the good ones, no doubt). The other word, "republican," refers to rights that citizens of the republic are guaranteed, rights that cannot be taken away by a majority, no matter how large.
Now, I am a member of neither party, but I am republican. Notice the little "r"? If Democrat is big "d," then democratic should be little "d."
The big D's can call themselves whatever they want, but the collectivists cannot take the republican-protected right of free speech away from people who are not D's, to call the party whatever they like. My favorite epithet is the Pity Party.
Kevin L. Stockton
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Who to believe?
To the editor:
Here I am believing Republican politicians who tell me the United States has the best health care system in the world. Then that mean columnist John L. Smith has to tell me that the World Health Organization says we spend more then any other nation on health care, but are 37th in health system effectiveness (Wednesday Review-Journal). Who can I believe?
The World Health Organization, which has all the statistics, or Republican blowhards who are doing everything they can to defeat the Democratic health care reform bill? If average Americans would realize how bad our health care system is compared to other nations, then they would give Democratic legislators their full support for reform.
Richard J. Mundy
LAS VEGAS
