I cannot let the writer of the Nov. 16 letter “Sore losers” go unchallenged in its demeaning description of progressives as “sniveling brats.”
The progressives I know are doctors, nurses and teachers; lawyers, factory workers and farmers; social workers, store owners and day care operators; and police and military officers.
They have families, attend PTO meetings, coach Little League and soccer, and profess a powerful faith.
Some went to college; some learned their trade through experience.
They work long hours, pay mortgages and college loans, and share their abundance with those in need.
They strive for the American dream, and they worry about the future, as I assume the letter writer does.
Progressivism is not a disease; it is a different — and equally legitimate — view of the role of government in society.
Together with conservatives, progressives have built and continue to build this country.
Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been a deliberate effort to turn us against each other, and the letter writer’s rhetoric suggests that campaign has been altogether too successful.
It’s time to start reversing that trend.
I suggest that the letter writer — and anyone else who subscribes to the “sniveling brats” theory — go out and have a real conversation with a progressive or two.
What you hear might surprise you, and you might find that snide and derisive descriptions are neither appropriate nor constructive.
At the end of the day, we are your neighbors, and yes, we are (or can be) your friends.
Geri Zanon,
Port Angeles