To the editor:

I don’t think I’ve ever read a more pessimistic view of the United States than that of Mr. (Roger) Baumann’s recent letter to the editor titled “Open your eyes — we are heading toward socialism” (May 15).

Personally, I love our country and I believe out of all the countries in the world we have the best chance to win and shape the future.

I’m kind of curious as to why exactly Mr. Baumann thinks we’re headed toward a socialistic/communistic state. Is it because President Joe Biden and Democrats want to invest in the infrastructure of the future, invest in the future of our children, expand the middle class, have the rich pay their fair share in taxes, invest in local communities so they can afford to pay police officers, firefighters and EMT services, reign in lobbyists, stop foreign interference in our elections, stop the extremely rich from being able to buy elections, protect the right to vote for all Americans, invest in American businesses by buying American, attempt to live up to our ideal of all men and women being created equal and create a more perfect union?

If Mr. Baumann considers all of that and building the interstate highway system, Social Security, Medicare, NASA, the Internet, the Postal Service, the military and all of the various law enforcement agencies as a socialistic/communistic scheme to install a democratically elected despot, I kind of feel bad for him and those who think like him. But hey, this is America, and Mr. Baumann is free and has the liberty to think how he will.

But his dark and pessimistic view will not change the fact that I am also free and I have the liberty to be very proud of all of our accomplishments and extremely optimistic and hopeful for the future of our country and for all of the people who reside here.

Anthony Studemann

Marshall