Letter: What unites us

We Americans have more that unites us than divides us.

The majority of Americans, regardless of political persuasion, ethnic background, race, and economic status, agree on the following:

Make health care more affordable.

Reduce poverty by guaranteeing families access to health care, food and housing if their wages are too low.

People without health insurance from an employer should be allowed to buy into a public plan.

Pharmaceutical companies should be penalized if drug prices increase faster than the rate of inflation.

Increase good jobs with a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure, including roads and expanded production of green energy.

College education is too expensive. States should do more to help people afford a college education without getting buried in debt.

People are upset by the huge gap between the wealthy and everyone else. They want to reduce inequality with a 2 percent wealth tax on net worth in excess of $50 million.

Rich families and corporations should pay a lot more in taxes than they do today, and middle-class families should pay less.

Corporations have too much power and should be strongly regulated.

Politicians deliberately pit Americans of different races and ethnicities against one another so that they can pursue policies that transfer wealth and power to the rich and Wall Street.

And finally, the majority of Americans believe this:

We need to take back our government from wealthy special interests and make sure it works for all Americans. Government should ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to get ahead in life and has access to affordable health care, good schools, and a secure retirement. Government should work for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.

It’s time to work with what unites us.

Duane Pitts

Moses Lake