Letter: Party is a sham

I was saddened to see that in the last edition of the Triplicate you had as a guest columnist someone espousing the Libertarian point of view regarding wearing face masks. The Libertarian Party is a sham, created by some economists and real estate developers to avoid regulations and taxes. They believe in very limited government, with no public schools, roads, utilities, etc. They espouse individual rights with no individual responsibility. This goes against the American ideals of the commons and the public good. George Washington understood this when he mandated all his troops be vaccinated against smallpox during the Revolutionary War. Also, one of his first priorities after becoming president was to have public roads built to link the cities.

The best example lately of selfish libertarian thinking is the school teacher in Marin County who chose not to wear a mask or get vaccinated. Half of the students and many parents got sick because of this one teacher. Public health takes precedence over individual rights. Private actions have public consequences.

If you are going to have different points of view in your  paper, then I expect I will see guest columnists from other parties across the political spectrum such as the Green Party, Democratic and even the Republicans. That’s only fair, right ?

Steve Shamblin, MBA

Former Public Health Manager of Del Norte County