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Don’t blame the government

To the editor:

People are quick to get mad and attack the government about things they don’t like. But the government, which provides a structural framework, isn’t the problem. Neither is the Constitution, which brilliantly lays out the principles of social consciousness and equal rights.

Put the blame where it belongs, on the Republican politicians who have betrayed their oath to support the Constitution. For decades they have fostered an anti-government attitude to create a groundswell of suspicious, rebellious sentiments in a direct attack against Constitutional tenets for citizen responsibility and accountability.

Republicans know that people complain “it’s a free country” and assume laws are bothersome infringements. So they’ve used a falsely simplistic interpretation of the Bill of Rights to raise the appealing “personal rights” battle cry; especially during COVID. Their stance conveniently ignores the constitutional duty of social cooperation in the best interest of our country. (Perversely, they then ignore the constitutional separation of church and state to deny women “personal rights” regarding abortion.)

The government, President Joe Biden and the Democrats are the ones upholding an accurate understanding of constitutional principles. You may not like the idea of having to compromise in order to accommodate public health, safety guidelines or equal rights for all citizens. But if you value the American ideals of unity and sacrifice over your personal agenda, you would stand by our Constitutional government and the politicians who actually honor it.

Don’t point fingers at the government. Direct your criticisms where they belong: one, toward Republicans who are threatening the integrity of our Constitution by telling people there shouldn’t be any limitations to one’s personal freedoms; while hypocritically trying to take away the rights of women and voters in non-Republican districts; and two, toward vigilante “freedom fighters” who think they’re patriotically defending our Constitution while blatantly undermining its basic tenets.

Martha Hodges

Massena

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