Letter: Labels don’t promote discourse

I believe Mr. Flora is going overboard by inventing an “alt-left” in his Nov. 17 column (Dems reckon wrongly).

While some Americans are socialists and even communists, their political power is zero.

Democratic socialists form the left wing of the Democratic party. Arguing for expanding Medicare is about as radical as they get.

Most European parliaments include elected representatives much farther to the left.

The alt-right chose that name to describe their position to the right of traditional conservatives.

The media outlets named by Mr. Flora (Wasington Post, NBC) present the traditional liberal viewpoint (and they also give conservatives plenty of chances to argue their case).

There is no alt-left.

Making up names for each other doesn’t respect other viewpoints. We all want what’s best for our country; we just disagree about what we need to do to “promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity ... ” (Preamble, U.S. Constitution).

Let’s all try to practice civil discourse and show respect for our fellow Americans.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Letter: Labels don’t promote discourse."