Revive New Deal
America is broken. To fix it, we need to decide which kind of capitalism we want.
The capitalism of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal included big government investments in a robust safety net, education, housing and job creation.
In the post-World War II era, the continuation of FDR’s New Deal policies created the great American middle class — where the American dream of being able to work hard and get ahead allowed each generation to do better than the one before.
In New Deal capitalism, the government protects Americans and the environment from corporate abuses.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan introduced the opposite. Reagan’s capitalism hollowed out the government and weakened unions.
Trump is doing the same. The corporations and the rich have thrived with tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulated corporations and broken unions. The promise was that the benefits to the rich would “trickle down” to the workforce. Hey — it didn’t happen.
The trickle down experiment destroyed the American dream and diminished the wealth and security of the middle class. It created huge class inequality and a government, a news media and a political party owned and controlled by the wealthy few.
It’s time to return to New Deal policies that protect the environment, our democracy and we the people.
Noelie Rodriguez
Ninole
Register and vote
It’s still not too late to register and vote in Saturday’s primary election.
Voters can go in person to one of the voter service centers located on Hawaii Island.
They’re located in Hilo at the Aupuni Center and in Kona at the West Hawaii Civic Center. They are open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Friday of this week and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day.
The voter service centers provide voter registration and voting, a drop-off place for ballots, accessible voting machines, the ability to correct voter registration problems and voters can get replacements for lost or damaged ballots.
There are also six drop boxes located on our island. They are open 24 hours a day until 7 p.m. Saturday
They are located at the Naalehu police station, the Pahoa police station, Rodney Yano Hall in Captain Cook, the Waimea police station and at each voter service center.
For more information, call the county Elections Division at 961-8277.
Rosemarie Muller
President, League of Women Voters of Hawaii County