Finding Common Ground

To the Editor: For years, I’ve been distressed about the anger and disrespect between the political Left and Right in our nation and in Humboldt County. I was a staunch Democrat most of my life, but in 2015-2016 something unexpected happened.

I had volunteered with Betty Chinn for a couple of years and wanted to do my share of dealing with “the homeless problem.” My wife and I put a lot of work into fixing up our garage with cots, bedding and access to toilet, shower, a small fridge, etc., and began hosting unhoused people. All we asked was that they do one or two hours of work per week on our property. We had problems with every one of the 12 people we housed over two years actually doing the work they’d agreed to. This brought us both a lot more respect for conservatives and their championing of the work ethic.

It also changed my thinking about free enterprise and capitalism. I now see free enterprise as creating a business with ingenuity and sweat equity, paying a living wage to employees and reaping the rewards: good homes, cars, travel, a good retirement, etc. Capitalism (creating a business, selling stock to fund it and paying dividends on the stock) can be a great vehicle for doing business at that level. But when I see statistics that say the top U.S. billionaires together hold $5.7 trillion, which exceeds the gross domestic product of almost every country except the U.S. and China, I just can’t relate to that as anything but raw, power-based, bare-knuckle capitalism in its most toxic, dangerous form.

My most fervent hope is that the people of our country will stop waving signs, mocking and fighting with each other in demonstrations, start actively looking for the needs and beliefs we have in common, and act on them together. Then, and only then, can we start rebuilding our nation and truly make it great again.

Bob Olofson, Eureka