To the Editor:

To SLC Republican Committee,

Your committee’s knowledge and comprehension of political history is on the line in responsibly educating your voters. Your website claims, “Republicans are the party of the people”.

Previous Republican Presidents cared about workers. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) promoted an industry/ labor balance by enacting regulations to prevent worker abuse. Howard Taft (1909-1913) fought corporate monopolies with 80 antitrust lawsuits. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) believed businesses and government had an obligation to act on behalf of public interest, not just financial profits. Dwight Eisenhower’s policies (1953-1961) built a strong middle class.

But now, Republican billionaires outspend Democrats 9-1 to garner Wall Street/corporate favoritism. The GOP’s 2023 “Limit, Save, Grow Act” makes big claims about “reining in wasteful spending”. But have you actually read the 315-page document with its givebacks to Big Oil’s corporate billionaires?

Who are the “people” your party claims to represent? Considering that GOP rhetoric has encouraged vigilante violence against Black, Brown, Asian, non-Christian, LGBTQ individuals, unions and women entitled to constitutional rights.

“We are bringing back the American Dream.”

What dream would that be? A world where people in the above groups are excluded, where progressives don’t make you uncomfortable by pointing out inequality and injustice, where deregulation allows get-rich scammers to con people out of their hard-earned dollars, pollute the environment and poison citizens with addictive drugs? A fantasy world where freedom means “no one tells me what to do” and social media is considered a news source?

Historical scholars have documented how your party tempts voters with pretentious words about freedom, rule-of-law and constitutional rights, while scheming behind America’s back. Nixon’s Watergate disgrace. GOP operatives secretly derailing Carter’s Iranian hostage negotiations. Reagan’s illegal weapons sale to Iran. Bush’s fake “weapons of mass destruction”. GOP conspiring with the NRA to protect its gun-manufacturer donors by fabricating lies about the government coming to take away guns.

Historians have analyzed how a charismatic Hitler (depraved and obsessed with power) raged about replacement theory at rallies to demonize innocent people and promote nationalism in the same devious way an egotistical, compulsive liar like Trump does.

Shouldn’t your voters be informed by historical knowledge and perspective - not 60 years of skewed insinuations and exaggerated accusations about socialism, government spending and over-regulation? Instead of voters being captivated by deflective “whataboutisms” and fear-mongering conspiracy theories, don’t you have a responsibility to educate your voters with realistic evaluation and verified history?

Martha Hodges
Massena