Letter: We face an age-old struggle of freedom vs. fairness

We live in divisive times. I’d like to say it’s a contest between good and evil, but it’s not. It’s the age-old struggle faced by all democracies — freedom vs. fairness. Is it right to take from some and give to others? Is it fair for a few to have so much? The Gilded Age, the age of the robber barons, gave us Teddy Roosevelt, trust-busters and, eventually, the income tax in reaction to the abuses. We may be headed for another Gilded Age.

One side favors public education, universal health care, affordable housing and a livable wage. The other asks how will you pay for it? It’s not that they are mean, cruel, or uncaring; they don’t want government to control their lives. None of us want that.

Still, how do you ensure everyone has the same shot at success, the same climb to the top? How do you make life fair? Should you?

In Utah, we have taken the wrong steps. We have a flat tax, which places an unfair burden on those at the bottom. We have a gerrymandered state, which ensures one-party rule, and candidate selection by party bosses.

Sorry, no room for my solutions — sorry, maybe next time.

Dennis Read Hanks, Salt Lake City