Change must be for better

I have noticed that both presidential candidates have espoused “change.” I also paid careful attention to the speakers at the conventions that elevated them to their respective candidacies. So, based on that, I have concluded what the most likely changes are that each candidate would like to bring to America if he were elected president. I am listing 10 for each.

One seems to prefer these:

Dismantle public education.
Mortgage our government into eventual bankruptcy.
Dismantle Social Security.
Make health care a luxury, available to all who can afford it.
Divide Americans by class, ethnicity and religion.
Make the Constitution optional for our commander in chief.
Make bullying foreign countries, including our friends, our foreign policy.
Move away from the market economy by encouraging private monopolies.
Shift more of the tax burden to those who live paycheck to paycheck.
Replace patriotism with simple jingoism.

The other candidate seems to prefer the following:

Improve public education.
Put Social Security on a sound footing.
Make health care available to all, and have all contribute to making it so.
Unite Americans around basic shared values.
Make the Constitution pivotal for all actions of our president.
Work closely with our allies and make our enemies know our strength quietly.
Protect the market economy by insisting on fair-play regulation.
Put the highest tax burden on the people who can afford it the most.
Encourage us to understand that patriotism may include shared sacrifices.

I hope that we all have enough wisdom to understand which “change” is which, and then vote accordingly in November.

Henry F. Weinschenk
Albemarle County