Letters: The system will protect us from hate

As a state legislator representing Montgomery County, I get lots of email, and lately I am getting email from people apparently terrified about the presidency of the guy who won the election fair and square.

Aren't I afraid he will be worse than Hitler? No. I am not. Not because of who he is, but because of who WE are.

The United States of America is a "government of laws, and not of men," to borrow John Adams' immortal phrase. He meant that no individual leader is above the law, and none occupies the White House without also being subject to the checks and balances provided by Congress, the courts, and the free press.

I have confidence because I believe we are a government of laws, and not of men.

|Kate Harper, Republican state representative, Blue Bell

My wife is from Japan. We have been married 16 years; she holds a master's degree and is an elementary school counselor. She is here legally. She has loved her job and strives to serve the children any way she can.

The morning after Election Day, for the first time, a first-grader ran up to her, yelled, "I do not like Chinese people," and ran off. It is not the first-grader's fault - children are wonderful and innocent. I told my wife to leave it alone, that these things will pass. The more I think about it, however, the more it bothers me, and I find it difficult to follow my advice.

Please, my fellow Americans, do not assume that because someone looks different than you, he or she is evil or a law breaker or does not like you. Let us assume the best of others. Let us see the good in each other. Let us love one another.

|David Patten, Thibodaux, La.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced his intention to push through a Medicare phaseout plan within the first few months of Donald Trump's administration ("FactCheck: Ryan says Medicare 'broke' and because of ACA?" Philly.com, Nov. 15). Ryan wants to privatize Medicare and replace the current system with vouchers to cover part, but not all, of the cost of health-care services for seniors.

On Trump's government transition website, he has listed Medicare overhaul as part of his health-care plan. As such, it appears certain this will become a major issue.

Those people who have an opinion about whether Medicare should be gutted should contact their elected representatives as soon as possible. If you're not sure whether Medicare is worthwhile, ask any senior whether he or she had opted to keep private health insurance when turning 65.

|Christopher Vanette, Cherry Hill, cvanette@gmail.com

The Democratic National Committee gave us Donald Trump. It ignored that people wanted change and gave us an establishment candidate who was flawed and not trusted. The DNC stepped on the scale to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders from winning, from superdelegates to feeding debate questions to Hillary Clinton.

Instead of embracing Sanders, who had the populist message and the support of millennials, the DNC tried to squash him. Polls showed that Sanders would have defeated Trump; the same for Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

If the DNC had run a truly open primary instead of clearing the field for Clinton, the party would have won easily. America sent a clear message that it was tired of the Bushes and Clintons, but the DNC did not listen. All the signs were there.

|James Musselman, West Chester, jmesq7777@aol.com

I am a 70-year-old, white, Christian woman - I have also been referred to as a "deplorable" and "irredeemable" - and, thanks, to my father's World War II service, I have the privilege and right to vote, which I exercised on Nov. 8. My voice was heard and my vote counted.

To those who refuse to accept Donald Trump's upset victory, I say: This is life, and life is not always fair; it's not always easy. You need to deal with it, as a lot of us have had to do for eight years. Things will not always turn out the way you would like them to.

|Dale J. Porter, Philadelphia, dporter0227@comcast.net