A Democrat and a Republican walked into a bar — and no one wanted to engage with either of them!
Though the May 28 front-page article “Acute dislike for both main U.S. parties, survey shows” was interesting, we didn’t need to have The Post survey 1,200 Americans to recognize the disconnect between our political parties and the priorities of most U.S. citizens.
Like many Americans, I am centrist, moderate and all of those boring adjectives representing balance in life and politics. I formerly called myself a “lifelong Democrat,” but the healthy inclination to “give back” and “pay it forward” morphed into a Democratic Party that is overly concerned with marginalized groups. I think the greater good is served by focusing first on health care, a fair economy, job creation, infrastructure, peace, and checks and balances. I don’t believe that transgender rights should command more attention than reforming our health care system overall; or that our borders should be completely open; or that the government should be bigger.
It might sound as though I have become a Republican, but there is no longer a Republican Party to join — only a MAGA party. People seem to believe that once Donald Trump is gone, all will go back to “normal.” The MAGA party will not let go easily. Many of my Republican friends are incredulous, but what alternative do they have? There is no political choice today representing moderate Americans.
Government is not a business; it is a fiduciary. It requires tough diplomacy, pragmatic empathy and a heart of service to the nation’s citizens. It respects equality and our capitalist system, while focusing on the overall needs of the community. While I desperately want our democracy to succeed, I am a lost American in the politics of today.
Claire Stanard, Bethesda
When accountability disappears, so do students
In his June 6 letter, “Unpredictable school calendars are driving parents crazy,” Steve Sidorek voiced a gripe shared by many Fairfax County Public Schools parents and teachers. Punctuated by constant days off, school often feels like a sideshow rather than the main act. But far more maddening and burdensome for teachers are the high rate of student absenteeism and the permissive policies and practices that have allowed it to flourish.
As a teacher at an FCPS high school for 23 years, I have seen the effects of expired attendance rules. Traditionally, five unexcused absences in any given class resulted in a failing grade. The demise of that policy has engendered a revolving door of students arriving late, or not at all, with absences sometimes persisting for days and weeks at a time. Schools have staff members whose primary responsibility is to track truancy and issue slap-on-the-wrist penalties like lunch detentions. These staffers often interview school-skippers and report their findings to teachers in group emails. It’s not unusual for teachers to learn that a student is “uncomfortable” in their class and to be asked what they can do about it.
To meet state attendance requirements, FCPS has devised an “attendance recovery” system whereby absentees attend after-school study halls overseen by staffers who want to earn some extra cash. In the final weeks of the school year, teachers are flooded with emails from administrators about ways to push flunking absentees over the finish line. Sometimes, a teacher is required to fill out a spreadsheet with assignments that the student can complete or redo — the latter owing to a generous policy of second chances on failed assessments.
This crisis has consequences. Besides the obvious loss of learning and the exhausting demands on teachers, it has fostered a school climate that is lazy and unserious — a place of academic anarchy. There’s also the cost to the community, including the tax dollars wasted on empty desks and after-school babysitters. As I prepare to retire, a few years earlier than I had planned, I am haunted by voices from the future. They say, “High school was such a joke! I barely showed up, and I still passed!”
Helen Mondloch, Fairfax
Absent or present?
Regarding the May 29 front-page article “In a striking shift, Trump’s approval plunges among working-class base”:
Numerous Americans were dissatisfied with President Joe Biden because they felt he was too old, he often appeared tired and sleepy, and, under his leadership, prices were way too high. Accordingly, he was succeeded by President Donald Trump, with whom numerous Americans are dissatisfied because they feel he is too old, he often appears tired and sleepy, and, under his leadership, prices are way too high.
Mark Godes, Chelsea, Massachusetts
Once upon a time, one of the criteria for electing a president was how he or she might react in the event of a missile attack in the middle of the night. With a critical window of 30 minutes or less, how would a rudely awakened commander in chief — with the survival of the nation hanging in the balance — handle that 3 a.m. phone call?
Considering that the current president routinely appears to fall asleep during Cabinet meetings, after rage-posting until the wee hours of the morning, I worry about how he would handle that doomsday call not only at 3 a.m. but 3 p.m.
Vin Morabito, Scranton, Pennsylvania
A picket line no more
The June 1 front-page article “A suburban staple becomes a rarity,” about the rise of taller and more solid fencing, mused to readers: “Maybe the white picket fence embodied an America that no longer exists, one where dopamine springs from outdoor interactions instead of indoor scrolling, and trust in community wins over paranoia. Maybe it was best not to pine for what Hollywood moguls and 20th-century ad executives popularized as shorthand for prosperity. Maybe the architects of yesteryear tailored these layouts for soldiers returning from World War II, striving for respectability even as the rush to accommodate a rising middle class demanded conformity.”
If you’re going to assume that the decline of picket fences is a sociological statement, you’re obligated to look outside the fence.
Americans have lost their privacy at home, on the road, in stores and on the internet. Hidden cameras abound. Digital records are forever. Perhaps the emerging privacy fence is an effort to regain a small piece of what has been lost. Signed, an owner of wire fences.
John Walker, Coaldale, Colorado
Madness, gladness, sadness
Thanks for the June 6 online Style article “Kennedy Center’s ‘Shear Madness’ becomes Trump-related collateral damage.” I have a fondness for the show because they stuck my name and quote on the side of city buses — and on the show’s program — for decades. Of course I took a lot of ribbing for calling the comedic whodunit “the most fun I ever had at the Kennedy Center,” but at the time, the Kennedy Center was working to overcome an image as an elite organization with ticket prices beyond most pocketbooks. Other fun productions, including the “Greater Tuna” series, enjoyed long runs, but “Shear Madness” stood out in its joyful corniness.
I enjoyed so many wonderful moments at the Kennedy Center, in the theater and beyond. When friends visited, I’d take them inside for a look and out to the terrace to view the river, or up on the roof to survey the city or Memorial Bridge and Arlington Cemetery. The uncertain status of this great institution is the saddest I’ve ever been about the Kennedy Center.
Arch Campbell, Chevy Chase
The writer was a critic for WRC-TV from 1974 to 2007.
Letter submissions
Send letters to [email protected].
Submissions must be exclusive to The Post and should include the writer’s address and day and evening telephone numbers. Letters are subject to editing and abridgement. Please do not send letters as attachments. Because of the volume of material we receive, we are unable to acknowledge submissions; writers whose letters are under consideration for publication will be contacted.
As the semiquincentennial approaches, Post Opinions wants to know: Where do you first take visitors to the D.C. area? What makes that spot special to you? Send us your response, and it might be published as a letter to the editor. wapo.st/washington_welcome
The post Bye-bye, Democrats. No way, MAGA. Where can a centrist turn? appeared first on Washington Post.
