Let’s vote for democracy

As the world’s superpower, the U.S. has two systems that contradict each other: democracy and capitalism.

Democracy operates as a public system of collaboration; capitalism as a private system of competition. Both operate within the unifying framework of the U.S. Constitution.

Trump is the icon of capitalism; Biden the icon of democracy. Each has held the presidency.

Trump came into office with no prior public service; but by his celebrated economic empire. Trump’s wealth creation and celebrity stand for his presidential credentials — as exampled by his strategies.

Biden’s presidency is the culmination of 48 years of public service at the U.S. capital where his committee positions thread inter-generational, global trust in U.S. diplomacy and allegiance to U.S. interests.

This year’s presidential campaign and election bear witness to the cresting encroachment of U.S. capitalism on U.S. democracy as Trump and Biden vie for the most powerful position in the world.

Because of the peril the world experiences, who prevails determines humanity’s navigation forward. Both systems — democracy and capitalism — are man-made. As is the U.S. Constitution.

Though no one dares to say it, capitalism is the global system responsible for climate change.

The front face of democracy — by its Constitutional underwriting — is complicit in concealing the man-made role of capitalism.

This is how humanity’s pickle is fermenting. As the world superpower, the U.S., holds the pickle jar, of which its Constitution is the lid.

What the world needs now is a democratic economy — as must necessarily be administered publicly.

That is, by earth’s public domain, it is imperative that democracy trump capitalism by fair election — based on telling the whole truth of our situation.

Patryc Wiggins

Guild N.H.

‘Little Red’ vs. Big Ed

Croydon’s one-room schoolhouse known as “Little Red” is a cultural staple of our community. Its image adorns town signs. Yet this iconic building has come under threat from the very people charged with its preservation.

The school district created the Strategic Planning Committee to address future challenges, guided by community values. This effort initially produced two plans. One calls for a one-room school house only, whereas the other replaces Big White, maintaining the status quo.

These plans, warts and all, address future challenges while honoring the will of the community.

A third plan, known as the “Franken-Red” plan, broadly disregards community goals. It destroys the form and function of Little Red by attaching a $3.5 million expansion, permanently removing school choice for all students up to grade 4 and possibly beyond.

Any plan that establishes 30 years of elevated taxes, destroys the form of Little Red, and erodes school choice while raising operating expenses should never see the light of day. How did we get here?

When a plan opposes its stated goals, its time to start looking at unstated goals. For nearly 18 years, the education establishment has opposed school choice in Croydon. Big Ed wants to put the genie back in the bottle, and they are perfectly willing to destroy Little Red, our children’s education, and our financial future to make it happen.

Jim Peschke

Croydon

Trees have their place

To be clear I like trees as much as the next guy. I have planted hundreds of them. However, not all places are ideal or even suitable for trees. The School Street Cemetery in Lebanon is an example of a place where trees are inappropriate.

I lived on School Street for about 40 years and went by and through that cemetery innumerable times. There are dozens of damaged headstones in that cemetery. No doubt most of the damage has been done by vandalism. But I have seen much damage done by trees to headstones, both through falling limbs and whole trees as well as damage caused by roots moving headstones around.

At some recent point the city had the laudable sense to remove all the trees from that cemetery. Now, it appears that there are plans to plant trees there again. Isn’t this what is sometimes called a form of insanity where if you do something that doesn’t work out, you try it again and again expecting different results? It is at least foolish.

Don Koury

Lebanon