To the Editor:

I am sympathetic to McKay Burley’s lament (Re:"Why Massena resident voting socialist in 2024") that both political parties have forgotten the working class in America. The majority of Americans who work, raise families, serve in the military, and contribute freely to their community, have indeed been ignored by our elected servants who pander instead to special interests.
That said, Socialism in any shape or form is not the solution. History and current events conclusively demonstrate that its cure is much worse than the ailment it seeks to solve. The former Soviet Union, present day China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Vietnam practicing this failed ideology ended up impoverished and individual freedoms were abolished.
Socialism in any flavor is an external stick and carrot mechanism to program people to become a fair and just society. Problem is, it never delivers the carrot. Ironically, Socialism ends up creating a tiny elite class to exploit the very people they had promised equality and prosperity. George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” portrayed these socialist elites as being “more equal than others”. When Hugo Chavez in Venezuela nationalized the oil industry under socialism, he promised to share the wealth with all his fellow citizens. Instead, once in power, he and his cronies pulled a bait and switch, enriching themselves with billions of dollars in oil profits, leaving the Venezuelan people starving and poorer than before.

Ron Shirtz
Rensselaer Falls