To the editor:

Let me be clear I have nothing against volunteering, in fact, I encourage it. When I stand on the corner waving a sign I am volunteering to serve my fellow citizens. So please volunteer.

I am discouraging volunteering for the military service. Those who volunteered to serve our country have been the poor, minority and immigrants, for the most part.

As I see it in America today, these are the very people we seem not to be able to grant simple decencies of justice and equality. Mass incarceration, police brutality, poor education, last to be hired first to be fired, poor health care, unless you’re getting it from the VA, ect., is their reward. Perhaps if we had to start drafting the offspring of the rich we could see this in a different light.

Stop Spending: This is particularly amusing. In fact, I often wonder why those poor Americans passing me waving a sign like this do not confront me. Most of them are rubbing dimes or pennies together trying to make it. They realize things are difficult but do not seem to realize just how bad they are.

Production in America is not great. Seventy percent, about, of the GDP is from consumer spending. This does not create jobs that advance wages and increase upward mobility. This does make the rich richer.

The pressure on growth, income and wealth is at the top.

The top eight richest in America have more wealth than the lower 50 percent. Upward mobility in the lower 50 percent hardly exists.

Perhaps, if there is a decrease in spending, the GDP will decrease and our leaders will notice the problem. Income inequality today is not a problem for our leaders. If you mention this problem they characterize you as a complainer who wants wealth redistribution. They make the laws that create this maldistribution and concentration of wealth at the top.

Unfortunately we continue to elect the rich powerbrokers.

I am suggesting that those good Americans who value justice, equal opportunity, respect and love for others start buying only what you need.

Lewis Robinson

Fort Myers