McConnell is helping transform the country 'from democracy to oligarchy'

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a letter to the editor sent to the McConnell-friendly Paducah Sun by a retired Paducah hospital chaplain. We thank our union brother J.W. Cleary for passing it along to us.

Editor,

Your editorial in the December 6 edition praises McConnell for getting enough votes to pass the Senate tax reform bill. You apparently accept without question Republican claims that their tax reform proposal will actually benefit the people who are struggling financially. However I would refer you to the Associated Press article on page 6 of the same edition. According to independent analysts (are they the ones providing the "misinformation" your friend Mitch refers to?), "most of the gains will flow to corporations and rich individuals". The 1986 Tax Reform bill was passed with bipartisan support after months of Congressional and public scrutiny, and apparently it was considered successful. What you have named success is a success only for a small part of this nation, hardly my idea of success for a supposed democracy where all people have a claim on the right to "the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness".

Senator McConnell has ignored my numerous requests to share my concerns with him. It seems as if he is a willing participant in the transformation of our form of government from democracy to oligarchy (rule by the many to rule by the few). I fear this nation is going away from the greatness of compassion and justice for all to a definition of greatness that is all about the use and abuse of power by the few.

Rev. Jim Gearhart

Paducah