Note: My representative in Congress signed a moronic resolution that formally “‘decries the horrors of socialism.” In response, I called his office and delivered these comments; I also emailed them. I’m adding links for clarity because that’s a thing you can do on the internet.

In 1952, Harry Truman was stumping for Adlai Stevenson in Batavia, New York. At his stop there, he delivered a speech that took direct aim at the conservatives that were attacking the social policies that FDR had implemented.

These were policies that not only helped pull American out of the Great Depression, but the economic and societal infrastructure they created helped kickstart the post-war boom that so many people think of as a Golden Era for this country.

At the end of his speech, he summed up his argument with a very simple phrase: “Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”

That’s why I’m embarrassed and appalled that my representative in congress signed a resolution “decrying the horrors of Socialism.”

Socialism and socialist policies brought us such horrors as:

• The US Postal Service
• The National Weather Service
• Fire Departments
• Public Libraries
• Public education
• Social security
• Medicare and Medicaid
• SNAP and WIC
• Regulatory protections on food, drugs, workplaces, and much more.

Many of these are things that Representative Vasquez has recently gone to the mat for. I get his weekly newsletter. I’ve read his rhetoric.

This resolution denouncing the horrors of Socialism is nothing more than an attempt to reach a mushy middle that doesn’t exist. Instead of decrying the political philosophy that brought about many of America’s greatest improvements to our way of life, he should embrace it, educate the people who have benefited from it on both sides of the aisle, and serve in the interest of the people, not the ballot box.