Letter to the Editor 3/20/09 No.2

To the Editor,’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ I disagree with the viewpoint expressed by Giles Howard in his… To the Editor,’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ I disagree with the viewpoint expressed by Giles Howard in his article ‘Obama promoting class warfare.” ‘ ‘ ‘ First, I do not believe that Howard fully understands many of the terms and concepts he uses in the article. For example, the headline refers to class warfare and suggests that Obama supports it. Class warfare is inherent in any capitalist society such as ours. It is represented by the struggles of the Third World to fight against exploitation by multi-national corporations. Here at home it is represented by labor unions fighting to receive just compensation for their services or the inner city population fighting for a better school system for America’s impoverished youth similar to the one enjoyed by the children of America’s wealthy. This is the underlying concept of class warfare as defined by experts on the topic, including Karl Marx and Max Weber. Therefore, Obama’s recent policy proposals would actually combat class warfare, not promote it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Howard labels Obama’s plan a ‘socialized medicine scheme.’ This implies doctors and hospitals work directly for the government. In Obama’s plan, he simply looks to provide means for those without health care insurance to obtain it and even aims to lower insurance costs for those who already have it. I find it sad that Howard cannot find empathy for his fellow Americans and, to a greater extent, for his fellow human beings. Kevin Foley, School of Arts and Sciences