In a letter to the editor published March 13 (“Socialized medicine should never come to America”), the author seemingly equates socialism interchangeably with communism.

The Social Security Act (1935) created a government program enacted for the general welfare and, most notably, to provide workers age 65 and older a continuing income after retirement.

Medicaid (1965) is run by both state and federal government and provides health insurance for low-income individuals.

These mediums, out of many government-run and funded programs are designed to be ways to benefit the health and well-being of the populace.

Evangelist Dave Kistler posed this equation: take $1 million, multiplied by 366 days in a leap year, by 2018 years and you get $7.39 trillion. Do the math. Today our national debt approaches $21 trillion.

Be mindful that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 forecast an estimated increase of $1.2 trillion to $2.3 trillion over 10 years. More recent estimates place the increase at $1.9 trillion to the national debt.

Of the aforementioned, which demonstrates the better fiscal policy prudence or discretion?

I hope that, one day, the author of that March 13 letter will be eligible to qualify for Social Security and Medicaid and not see these programs converted into voucher programs because we cannot pay our national debt.

Call me a “commie,” but I sure do like my Social Security benefits. And voting is a privilege, but should not just be for the privileged.

Where were the fiscally conservative Republicans in 2017? Second-rate? Sub-standard? No, just complicit.

— Harold Stover

Salisbury