To the Editor:

We need to better understand each other.

On Sept. 11, I purchased The Enterprise at Stewart’s and then drove up “the hill” to my home in Knox. I saw the weekly protesters with their signs protesting fascism, the deportation of illegal aliens, and almost anything President Trump stands for.

While I might not agree with most of what they were saying, they were peaceful, not blocking traffic, not burning anything or causing any problems. They were just exercising their First Amendment rights.

I served on active duty in the Army for 22 years and swore to defend the Constitution of the United States. Article One gives us the right to peacefully protest.

I also remembered the words of the guest speaker at my commissioning ceremony in 1982. He was a Fransican priest who spoke on the topic of “Can a Christian be a Soldier?”

He answered by saying that he would like to say no, but we live in a world of reality where force must sometimes be used to protect a free way of life. He caveated that by saying that we must never close off the opposing view because that is what keeps the balance.

I remembered those words as I drove up the hill in my pickup truck. I then watered my plants and sat down to read The Enterprise.

I was shocked to see that at least one member of the protesting crowd saw me as one of the deplorables that Hillary Clinton spoke about. At least that is the way I interpreted the words of Michael Seinberg in the opinion section. [“Speaking truth to idiocy,” The Altamont Enterprise, Sept. 18, 2025].

I would like to address some of his comments, provide some other insight, and then suggest a way we might address these issues.

Mr. Seinberg was quick to categorize pickup drivers when he wrote, “The men in those trucks … are venting their anger on people they don’t know, for reasons they can’t articulate because they’re angry, upset, and miserable due to their lives being less than what they hoped for and felt they deserved.”

Mr. Seinberg goes on to say, “Their lives do suck. They’re driving old, rusty trucks because they haven’t got the money for new ones.”

I have a six-year-old pickup truck that I intend to keep until it is old and rusty. I have the money to buy a new one in cash now, but my priorities do not lie in keeping up with appearances and having a new car to show off.

My neighbor has an old truck with lots of rust. Based on Mr. Seinberg’s words about people with rusted trucks, I asked him if he has all of his teeth. He gave me a rather strange look, and then I showed him the column.

He laughed and said he has all of his teeth. He has two relatively new cars, but the truck runs great, is a 4x4, and will be a great winter car. I guess he is more interested in being safe in the winter than keeping up with the Jones.

Mr. Seinberg goes on to say that all of the country’s problems are because of billionaires. Until recently, many on the left blamed millionaires, until it came out that many of them are millionaires, (Bernie Sanders comes to mind) so now it is the billionaires. What about George Soros? Talk about class warfare to fit your needs.

I would like to address some of the other topics Mr. Seinberg mentioned:

— Health care

Yes, there are issues with health care, but we should start with the members of Congress who get the golden parachute plan. I wonder if Paul Tonko uses Medicare and one of the supplements, or does he have a golden plan offered to politicians? Remember, we already have Medicare, Medicaid and the TRICARE, and we know how perfect these plans are. Do we really want the government to run all health care?

— Food costs

I agree that prices are high, but not as high as in many parts of the world. The small farmer cannot make a living and the Chinese are buying up farmland;

— Education

We spend more money per student than any nation in the world, yet how many of our students graduate with a sixth-grade reading level? My Uncle went to a two-room schoolhouse, yet earned a four-year scholarship to Brown University. As for the price of college, yes, it is way too high compared to many parts of the world, but most foreign schools don’t have the activities associated with the American college experience;

— TV

What size is your TV, Mr. Seinberg? I did not buy a TV until 1991, and then it was a 13-inch one. Sure, I have a flat screen today, but it is 36 inches, not the 75 inches you state in your article. I have only one TV and my daughter never had one in her bedroom. Even today, her TV is less than 36 inches;

— Illegal immigrants

You state that you are part of the “upper-middle class.” Do you have one of the large four-bedroom homes in Altamont? If you have a spare bedroom, have you considered letting some of the illegals stay in it? If not, I hope you are not heating those unused bedrooms and contributing to global warming.

It is nice that you are out protesting and I am sure it makes you feel good, but are you doing anything in the community to make it better? Perhaps you might consider volunteering with the fire department.

Then again, many of those volunteers drive pickups, and I get the impression you do not want to associate with mostly white, mostly male, mostly pickup drivers’ types.

I welcome the opportunity to sit with you and find some solutions to the issues that challenge our society. I give The Enterprise permission to provide you with my phone number. Perhaps together we can find common ground.

David Erickson

Knox