Last century, in the mid 60s, after I enlisted there was a saying that went “I’d rather be dead than red.” Considering the political climate in 2024, I’d ask voters to consider this saying but in context of our two major political parties.

The red party promotes lower taxes and smaller government. They are trying to do away with the public school system. They favor destroying things and institutions rather than trying to tweak or adjust the item to have it function more as intended. They pursue power for power’s sake rather than having the purpose to improve the lives of their fellow citizens. Their first priority for government is to reward contributors and donors, not the majority of tax payers that allow government to function for all.

The blue party is for people. They spend taxes but they raise taxes and want to collect them first.

Their programs are for the less fortunate and the ones without a voice. Regulations serve a purpose for health and safety reasons. They are much closer to a religious basis in applying those values to government than the other party and how you should treat your neighbors. They encourage more individual rights rather than try to remove them.

If you care about the debt and deficit, think about this. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget did a study and determined that a blue presidency could increase the debt by $3.5T over 10 years.

The same study found that a red presidency could increase the debt between $7.5T to $15.2T.

Would you rather have a smaller, less responsible government (all levels) or work to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and involvement of the current system? The vote is yours and you’ve been warned.

John Thompson

Ogden