Kudos to Allen Woods for his guest column “Trump’s message to those in need — Suffer now, and suffer later” [Gazette, Nov. 22]. He really did a wonderful job outlining the sharp contrast between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Donald J. Trump, two presidents born to privilege and wealth. It continues to strike me that one was moved to help create programs that actually helped people during dire times while the other just wants to tear the social safety net apart.
Maybe Roosevelt might have been similarly motivated if he had not contracted polio. We’ll never know, yet what is clear is that Roosevelt surrounded himself with good and true advisors — and he listened to them and worked to improve the lives of working-class Americans. When the era in which we are in ends, let’s remember that and vote for representatives who will represent our collective best interests rather than benefitting the few at the expense of the many.
Leslie Button
Easthampton