To the editor:

In regard to the letter published Monday, March 2, titled “Why socialism stinks,” we ask that the editors at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise maintain the high journalistic standards that their readers expect. Publishing content in the Enterprise grants it legitimacy. The author of the referenced piece provided no factual evidence for a slanderous opinion piece that links to a hateful, extremist blog run by a single individual. We are asking the editors to please review content, give thought to what they are legitimizing and edit content before publishing it.

The Adirondacks is a unique area composed of diverse communities, from tourist hubs like Lake George to resilient local villages like Tupper Lake to resurging agricultural hamlets like Keeseville. We Adirondackers face a variety of challenges: a lack of affordable housing, a lack of transparency in local government, a lack of quality affordable health care, a lack of good-paying jobs, and the list goes on. High Peaks Democratic Socialists of America is comprised of individuals and families from across the northern Adirondack Park committed to creating a more equitable life for Adirondack residents. We support change that holds the government accountable to the people who make it, through their residency, their taxes and their democratic rights. We want to see, for example, local housing authorities become more active in providing quality affordable housing, and more of a focus on real sustainable tourism that doesn’t negatively impact the livability of the park for its year-round residents. After all, we are the ones who make tourism possible through our labor. We deserve policies that support all who live here.

DSA provides a supportive community for folks questioning capitalism and looking and working for an alternative. DSA members come from many political perspectives. But we all believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. We work to end oppression based on gender, race, sexuality, disability, religion and more. And we understand how these forms of oppression connect with capitalism. If you share these goals, please join us at our next meeting: Reach out to highpeaksdsa@gmail.com, or follow @highpeaksdsa on Instagram.

Baylee Annis, Erin Cass, Ben Gocker, Ivy Gocker, Joe Henderson and the rest of High Peaks DSA

Saranac Lake