Letter: U.S. has long been moving toward socialism

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Editor,

Democracy, Socialism or Communism; that is the real question for America!

In the ’60s and early ’70s, the Communist Party ran a candidate for offices including the president of the United States. As the U.S. moved farther left, the Communist Party stopped running for office. There was no need to run but join the Democratic Party and help them move farther left.

To move a country toward communism, the politicians are using a gradual reform, utilizing the democratic processes to pass socialist policies that slowly transition the country into a Marxist-Leninist state. They have control of the media, schools, control of the military and remove citizen gun ownership.

To implement the plan the government needs money. Today’s approach is taxing the rich. Over time the definition of rich decreases and includes middle incomes. There are the camouflaged taxes on the poor, such as at the onset of 2026 the Washington adder to a gallon of fuel was around 70 cents per gallon. Today it is around $1.10. That 40 cents per gallon hurts the lower income families.

I was a Democrat. John F Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” The trend today is: Ask not what you can do for your country — ask what your country can do for you.

Terry Sparks

Oak Harbor