<p><strong>To the editor:</strong></p><p>American values worth caring for</p><p>In his July 4 column in the Daily Journal, Rep. Trey Hollingsworth declared that American values are always worth fighting for. He rightly praises our troops, past and present, for fighting to protect us and our freedom. Yes, but let’s make fighting an absolutely last resort. The best way to thank our troops is to find peaceful ways to protect our freedoms.</p><p>Those wonderful freedoms are worth understanding and caring for. Since we agree that all people are created equal and have the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we have an amazing privilege to work together for the good of us all. “All,” it turns out, is an important word, not to be used carelessly. Most of us work hard and live responsibly. A few are rewarded with great riches. Many others struggle desperately at honorable work in pursuit of survival, leaving little room for pursuit of happiness. We do not “all” have access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.</p><p>Since most of us agree that this is the greatest nation and the strongest economy on earth, we might also assume that we have the ingenuity and resources to bring liberty and justice and hope and genuine opportunity to all while building a better nation in a better world. Trey, let’s stretch our thinking not only to fight for freedom, but to care for and nurture and extend freedom and peace into our real world so that we can all enjoy living together.</p><p>You say you work for “Freedom to spend your hard-earned paycheck for your family, not give it all to the government;” That should be easy because no one gives anything near all of his earnings to the government. I’d rather see you work to ensure that a person can work full-time and earn a paycheck large enough to provide his or her family with a safe, healthy and reasonably pleasant life, not just struggle to survive. And how about a just and fair tax system that buys essential government services for us all?</p><p>You say you work hard for “The opportunity to turn an idea into a Fortune 500 company, not be limited by government overreach;” That sounds good if all companies, large and small, would treat all of their workers with dignity and respect and protect the air and water and earth they use. Since some businesses carelessly abuse their power, how about ensuring that government regulations protect us all from exploitation?</p><p>You say you work for “A doctor-patient relationship without the government signing your prescription.” We all know the doctor (not the government) signs our prescriptions and then the insurance companies decide whether to pay for the treatment or meds our doctor says we need. Most folks I know say they can’t afford the premiums for private health insurance and many of us say Medicare serves us quite well. How about promoting truly affordable, high quality health care for all instead of protecting the privilege of big insurance and big pharma to take our money and serve us poorly?</p><p>You say you work for “The freedom to think differently from your neighbor without persecution or stigma.” Now, there’s a value worth caring for! And let’s add to that an open, respectful dialog about real issues that need our attention. And how about a congress and president who set aside self-serving partisanship long enough to cooperate in actual leadership and service to all the people of this nation?</p><p>I suggest here a few urgent and critical issues for you, our representative, and the government to lead the nation in achieving: saving the earth, water and air now for our children and grandchildren; making truly affordable health care available to all people within our borders; establishing and maintaining peaceful collaboration at home and around the world so that we live in harmony and prosperity rather than send more of our young men and women off to kill and be killed; making sure that people are skilled and prepared for new jobs as old jobs disappear; guaranteeing equal pay for equal work; promoting true harmony and fairness among the races and cultures; enacting a rational and humane immigration system; getting big money out of politics; eliminating the electoral college and gerrymandering so that every vote counts; generally cleaning up government; honestly researching suspected threats to the common good and opportunities for a more just and fulfilling future; keeping the public informed; engaging citizens in making this great nation ever more wonderful for us all.</p><p>Shall we continue this dialog?</p><p><p><strong>Gene Critchfield</strong></p><p><p><strong>Franklin</strong></p>
