Thank goodness for inductive reasoning and thank goodness for Pamela Brant’s letter to the editor on May 7, which taught me I can believe the myth that systemic racism doesn’t exist because one Black man in the U.S. Senate said so. Please pardon this total non sequitur: In its history, only 11 African Americans have served in the U.S. Senate. I wonder why?

And now that I know systemic racism doesn’t exist, could someone tell me on what date it ended? According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, data from 2018 show “Black mortgage applicants are more likely to be denied loans than aspiring homeowners of other races.” And Black Americans in 2018, according to Business Insider, were nearly twice as likely as whites not to have health insurance.

So when did it end? 2019? 2020? Last Wednesday?

Some folks are rugged, “lift yourself up by pulling your own bootstraps” individualists. Only so-called “victims” expect government handouts like Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (also known as food stamps). However, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The overwhelming majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors or people with disabilities.”

The government has a role to play in making our lives better. There are societal inequities and always will be. Thus, I am happy to pay taxes to fund programs so the poor, children and the elderly get health care and do not go hungry. Is that a Democratic Party thing to believe? Who cares? It’s the right thing to do – and to believe.

Gregory Greenleaf
Harpswell