To the Editor:
There is a beautiful historical thread that flows through our American socio-economic-political history epitomized through the words of many of our presidents. Those words refer to the people of the United States and the feeling that we are one people, one big family, that should be sensitive to the needs of those who are not so fortunate, and for many through no fault of their own. 

Hard-fought political discourse for the most part and from time to time even physical altercations due to differing opinions, brought about legislation (over many, many decades) that improved the human conditions in the nation. 

The Great Depression of the 1930s was one of those times. FDR during his first term of office brought about legislation that helped to take the rough edges off the hardships suffered by many of our people. Some of those pieces of legislation are still in effect today: unemployment compensation, laws supporting labor unions and the negotiating process, Social Security, bank regulations, stock market regulations, etc. 

The underlying philosophy supporting the New Deal legislation was controversial but was summed up in FDR’s second inaugural address on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1937: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” 

The Biden Administration has picked up that thread by supporting legislation that did the greatest good for the greatest number of citizens: three rounds of stimulus checks sent to lower income families during the COVID-19 period and expanded the eligibility of the Child Tax Credit and sent checks directly to those families to ease their financial stress exacerbated by events beyond their control. 

But just as important to our American families is to keep our homeland safe from countries whose leaders want to do us harm. The Biden administration believes a strong North Atlantic Treaty Organization and alliances will do that and at the same time preclude our youth from having to enter wars resulting in young lives being lost for many American families. 

Protecting the many rights our citizens have enjoyed is tantamount to who we are. Reproductive rights are among those rights, along with all the other rights that are more explicitly expressed in our United States Constitution. That foundation provided the impetus for immigrants from all over the world to crave for our way of life. 

Our way of life has much to do with our economic system, supported by both political parties and seemingly coddled by the Republican Party. Thanks to the two-party system, our economic system has been modified to become more consumer and worker friendly. We hope the former Republican Party can be returned without the election deniers and conspiracy theorists currently in sway.

Richard Luci

Voorheesville