By Mark Loon, Hamilton
Response to Roger Mitchell (“Socialism vs. freedom and liberty”, Star Letters, 4/10/19)
I guess I can agree to leave you alone if you agree to leave me alone. Or us – those of us who agree to participate in society.
You’ll need to not drive on our streets. Not shop in our stores, that includes grocery – I hope you have a garden and a seed bank. Hope you can sew and have several bolts of your favorite fabric. If you have children, take them out of our schools. If you get sick or injured you’ll have to take care of it yourself. Stay away from our doctors, hospitals and medical facilities. Maybe our police and fire departments can put you on “do not respond” list, although there’s probably no reason for you to have a phone. Do you have a generator? If you have a job I guess there’s some way you can work from home. And don’t even try to vote.
Those of us who choose to live in a society understand the benefits of giving up a tiny bit of personal freedom for the multiple rewards it brings. We don’t always agree on the structure of the rewards but we try. That’s called government.
Most of us learned this when our age could be measured in single digits.