With all due respect, as a working student, a $30-plus head tax to be a part of the democratic process of engaging with your elected officials is outrageous. The Democratic Party has historically been the voice of the working class and social justice for the past century. I hope that is still true today, with the moral obligation to let everyone’s voices be heard and to make progress toward a better union. Putting these meetings behind a paywall, as the Eastern Democratic Party and Shore Democrats clubs have done, is discouraging the next generation like myself. Why should I want to engage with a party that acts more and more pretentious every election cycle and with candidates committed to appeasing a small circle of wealth while only paying lip service to social justice issues?
Plus, having some of these meetings at high-end restaurants where it’s required to purchase a meal on top of the meeting makes these meetings even more inaccessible to the working-class person. While in a free society, everyone has the right to hold their own beliefs and ideas. If the Delaware Democratic Party wants younger voters, they are going to have to earn our trust district by district, by listening to their constituents. We elect them to serve us, not private interests. In politics, it should always be about the people over money and patronage, as it is, first and foremost, a public service.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
