Schwab correct on results of Trump, GOP economic policies

I whole-heartedly agree with Sid Schwab’s thoughts (“The silver lining in Trump’s and the GOP’s cloud,” The Herald, Dec. 1) on the malignant bent to our current American capitalism, where personal profit trumps any concern for its impact on the community. During the last couple of decades this trend has led to the immense income disparity we now see with the very rich growing their wealth exponentially while those in the middle and lower income brackets see their buying power shrink and our natural environment sicken.

I think of my father, a WWII veteran with a long career in finance and always a conservative voter, who nonetheless said there must be strict government regulation of the financial industry to protect against human greed. His compassionate brand of conservatism stressed the need to put the community’s well-being on par with personal profit.

I hope more of our leaders will govern with a sense that our noble values of individual freedom and rights can be balanced with a sense of responsibility to the local and world communities.

We can make a difference with our votes, communication with our legislators, and with the acknowledgement that on a daily basis we are each personally challenged to make decisions that affect not only ourselves but our communities.

Lou Bellows

Edmonds