“Make America great again” is a catchy slogan, but this country doesn’t need a makeover by Republicans and President Donald Trump, that Tweeter of false accusations, insults and incorrect “facts.” I think the underlying slogan is “Make America white again,” which promotes discrimination against everyone who is not a white Christian fundamentalist.
America is a melting pot of races, religions and different ideas. That is the strength of this nation, not a weakness that needs to be corrected. Those people who have immigrant ancestors who were German, Japanese, French, Polish, Irish, Catholic or Jewish know their ancestors faced prejudices that now seem unthinkable. So why fear properly vetted immigrants today? According to a 2015 Rolling Stone article, between 2004 and 2013 there were more than 316,000 deaths from firearms in the U.S. compared to 313 deaths caused by terrorists, so, logically, people should fear fellow Americans with guns.
People of various races, genders and religions are not going to destroy America. Seeing a gay character in a children’s movie will not make a child gay. Adults and their children will not be assaulted in bathrooms by men pretending to be women. More than half of the entire federal budget already goes to the military, which is far more than adequate.
The Bible says Christians must help the sick and the poor and welcome strangers. That clearly does not mean cutting Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA (Obamacare), or Social Security, or to reject immigrants. The truly Christian solution would be to expand those programs.
Ellen Field, New Gloucester
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