To the editor:

Our nation is changing, and not for the better. Reports are coming in from across our country of attempts to make voting much more challenging. Some states are arbitrarily purging people from the voter rolls. In the last two years since Russia aggressively interfered in our election, our leadership has taken no steps to protect this process from a repeat from Russia.

Donald Trump has persuaded his base that any news organization that broadcasts or prints any comment unfavorable to him is “fake news.” A recent poll revealed that the majority of his base believe Trump should have the authority to shut down any news entity he chooses. The fact that our Constitution addresses “freedom of the press” doesn’t matter to his base. The fact that believing Trump should have that power is an indicator of how a dictatorship functions.

Recently Donald Trump commented on a Republican congressional candidate that body slammed a reporter, and he praised that event. New hate groups such as “Proud Boys” are sprouting up with violence as their primary agenda. The founder of that group, Gavin McInnes, recently said, “We need more violence from the Trump people.” The parallels to our current political climate with the early stages of the rise of Nazism in Germany are stunning.

When Donald Trump and the Republican controlled House and Senate passed their “tax reform” measure it was heavily tilted to benefit large corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent. They promised it wouldn’t add to our deficit, and Trump’s supporters swallowed the bait. Now that it’s revealed it will add trillions to our debt, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are publicly advocating for “necessary” cuts in Social Security payments, and Medicare. They realize that funding for those programs does not add one cent to our debt. They realize that Americans pre-paid into those accounts throughout all their working years, matched by employers. That doesn’t matter to them, and given the chance they’re more than willing to gut those programs, regardless of the harm it causes.

There are lots more examples, but the point is, our leadership is not representing the voters that placed them in office. They’re working for the wealthiest Americans, and giant corporations, and if they cause harm to other Americans it’s just collateral damage.

Here in Southwest Florida as we approach the mid-term election we have a chance to create a course correction. Our member of Congress, Francis Rooney, is a supporter of Trump and his dangerous policies. He hasn’t and won’t stand and fight for his constituents, rather he’ll vote for what the power brokers tell him to. There is an alternative to this. David Holden is a candidate running for our congressional seat. On all the issues, he’s on the side of our citizens, not special interest groups. He will stand up, and aggressively defend his constituents against assaults on our Social Security and Medicare trust funds. He’s on the record stating that he will address the issue of red tides and algae slime that threaten the health of his constituents, and our tourism industry.

But the clearest indicator of how right David Holden is on all the issues is the fact that the incumbent, Francis Rooney, has refused to even have one single debate with him during the campaign cycle. Francis Rooney can’t defend his record, or his stance on the issues, so he stays in hiding hoping no one will notice. This upcoming election provides us the opportunity to gain representation in Washington that serves our interests. The choice is clear. We can elect a candidate that is willing to publicly state his position on the issues, or stay with a candidate that is fearful that one single debate would showcase his real views and record in office.

I support David Holden. I will vote for David Holden, and I’m absolutely convinced he is the right man for the job, and will be on our side. We deserve a candidate that will actually represent us, not the special interests. Here’s our chance, don’t let it slip away.

Kenny Belford

Cape Coral