Editor’s note: Here we go again with election recounts in Florida, and The Daily Signal’s audience is none too pleased. This week’s mailbag begins with some of those comments. Remember to write us at letters@dailysignal.com.—Ken McIntyre

Dear Daily Signal: Once again we see the double standard, as Fred Lucas reports on the Florida recounts (“Trump Calls Out Embattled County Election Official in Florida Vote-Count Mess”).

If I broke state and federal laws, I would be in jail or prison. If you are Democrat Party hack, you get to stay on the job while continuing to violate the law.

Brenda Snipes is a Democrat. They love government-run health care, etc. In prison, she can live the dream. The state takes care of everything. It is the Democrat utopia.—Vance Robinson

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Why was Brenda Snipes still in Broward County as supervisor of elections? A judge found that she committed voter fraud and destroyed ballots to help fix Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s election in a Democratic primary.—Anthony Alafero

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Broward County re-elects Brenda Snipes to supervisor of elections despite repeated fraud and incompetence in the role.

Broward County also allowed incompetent Sheriff Scott Israel to retain his job after his officers cowered behind their cars as children were massacred in their school in Parkland, Florida.

Perhaps the entire nation would be better off without the opinions of the imbeciles in Broward County.—Allie Davis

Why is Brenda Snipes allowed anywhere near the election process in Broward County, given her background and current legal situation?

She should be the last person allowed to make a decision, make a comment, be in the room, or in the building for that matter.—Marty Miller

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This isn’t democracy, this is democratization. Snipes believes the only fair election is the one that elects her party’s candidate.

Her lack of integrity and the broken system down in Broward County should not determine the outcome of this election.—Wes Potts

Ice Cream and Anti-Semitism

Dear Daily Signal: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s have been acting like fools, as Kelsey Harkness’ commentary reveals (“Ben & Jerry’s Says It’s ‘Comfortable’ Supporting Group With Ties to an Open Anti-Semite“).

Several years ago, Cohen and Greenfield made headlines with their hate for the NRA and Second Amendment. That day was the last time my family purchased any of their products.

In fact, at local events, Ben & Jerry’s either has free samples or small containers to give out. We refuse then and we will continue to refuse to support this company. Another one on the no-shopping list.—Marty Miller

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When it’s a liberal Democrat, no one is perfect. But with a conservative Republican, they must be perfect or they must be banned, waylaid, rebuked, attacked, torn down, and destroyed.—Peter Raymond

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Ben & Jerry’s used to be my favorite ice cream. It no longer is.

I would rather eat frozen mud than contribute to the bottom line of a company that supports such outrageous left-wing principles and organizations.—Marion E. Daniels-Price

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Ben & Jerry’s are a bunch of liberal wackos anyway, so this does not surprise me. It is right in line with the rest of their political actions. Which is why I stopped buying their products a decade or so ago.—Christopher Chance, Sadler, Texas

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Overpriced crap. Never bought it, never would. Same goes for their politics.—Allie Davis

Wising Up About Socialism 

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding your podcast interview with Eric Bolling, President Trump has his problems but the best thing about him—the thing I think most people voted for—is that he is not Hillary Clinton (“Socialism Was Once a Bad Word. So What Happened? Eric Bolling Explains”). Intelligent Americans don’t want the anti-American poison that is the socialist liberal Democratic agenda.

What these modern children need to learn is that socialism has but two aims: to enrich and empower a small, ruling elite and to condemn the rest of the populace to serfdom.

Anyone with half a brain has only to look at Venezuela—once the richest, most prosperous country in South America—to see the effects of socialism. But, they cry, “They didn’t do it right. We’ll get it right.”

Listen up, snowflakes, there is no right way for socialism. None. It’s a destructive, hellish system, and we in America don’t want it.—Maud St. James

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It started with the Vietnam War guys being drafted. President Johnson started the free food march. We have three generations on government handouts; they think it’s their right. Next comes socialism.—Dennis Anderson

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The world “socialism” has lost its barb. It has been used so much and so often as a boilerplate “this is bad,” it lost all teeth. So, opponents got together and focus-grouped again and came up with a new word: fascism.

So now, everything is labeled fascist, even though it’s got nothing to do with the original idea, and no one knows really what fascism is. For some things, if fascism isn’t considered scary enough, socio-fascism is used.They’re completely different concepts, but they’re both scary and mysterious sounding.

What is socialism? Something scary that’s got nothing to do with the original idea, which the powerful use to scare you.—Edward Buatois

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Socialism is not a term used to scare people. It is a system with a proven record of destroying people. A 100 percent failure rate. It has zero to do with health care.

In democratic socialism, business profits go to the “people.” Do you know what that means? To the government. It is impossible to accomplish this.

The U.S. has the biggest, most powerful multinationals on earth. They operate in 100 or more countries and are owned (publicly) by shareholders worldwide.

How will you force Google to fork over its profits for redistribution? They would move their charter offshore overnight and become Google Canada or Cayman Islands. The nation would collapse.

Socialism is how the nation makes its money, not how it spends it socially.—Anthony Alafero

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I believe it’s more than weak education and indoctrination. The movement started when politicians began giving freebies to people in return for votes. And the more freebies given, the higher the probability they would be elected.

Slowly this morphed into the advanced citizenry we currently have in the U.S., where a huge segment of the national population is removed from the tax rolls because it earns under a specific income threshold and even more receive some form of government assistance.

Essentially, people are addicted to these government programs and aren’t all that interested in giving them up.

I believe everyone needs to have skin in the game and pay into the system from dollar one. If you pay no income tax anyway, the idea of a tax increase to 50 or 60 percent won’t affect you or your lifestyle, so you’d vote for it.

Additionally, if you’re receiving government handouts—such as welfare, health care, food stamps, and housing—you would get behind and vote for anyone who promises to give you more of what you’re already getting.

This is why the Democrat socialistic ideology appeals to such a large segment of the American population. Conversely, you would likely not vote for anyone who would take away all your freebies, push you to get a job, and make you pay into the system.—Von Steever

The Reality of a Socialist Economy

Dear Daily Signal:  The report by Fred Lucas on the economy under socialism reveals the primary reason why the 26th Amendment should be repealed, returning the voting age to 21 (“Government Economists Offer Window Into What a Socialist US Economy Would Look Like”).

At 18 most not only are not mature enough to make an educated decision, but in most cases still live under their parents’ control and, in many cases, their roofs.

This makes them more likely to support a socialist agenda, since they have little to no idea what it takes to earn a living or support themselves and how much an income tax affects their overall ability to live.—R. Jeffrey Savlov

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Medicare for All means everybody gets terrible health care. Really bad idea.—Jeanne Ballard

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It should be quite obvious that, once again, this is about totalitarian control over the people. Of all people, why would the Democrats, who demanded that companies provide health care, now want to transfer that enormous cost to the taxpayers?—Anthony Alafero

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OK, let’s step back and do a reality check. Any country that has embraced socialism has failed. Anyone who does not believe this I invite to go live in the Soviet Union, Greece, Cuba, or Venezuela for six months. You’ll come back screaming, begging for the benefits and positive aspects of capitalism.

Is capitalism perfect? No. But it is the economic system that raises more people out of poverty than any other. Take your heads out of the sand and do the research yourselves, don’t just listen to the talking heads and believe everything you hear.—Marion E. Daniels-Price

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Socialism is the answer only if you want increasing unemployment and poverty, stifling bureaucracy—if not outright political tyranny—catastrophic environment pollution, rotten schools, and so many societal ills.—Wes Potts

 Young Black Leaders and Trump

Dear Daily Signal: Good for these young people at the Young Black Leadership Summit for giving President Trump a chance, as Troy Worden reports  (“Meet 5 Young African-Americans Who Want to Give Trump a Chance”). All it takes is a willing ear and an open mind to hear and at least consider what he has to say.

Also, I am sick of the term African-American. I prefer black American, American, or just black.—Delilah Fleharty

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Without “victims” there would be no need for the Democrat Party, or the progressives, liberals, and socialists who call themselves Democrats. Where victims don’t exist, count on the Democrat Party to create them.—Drew Page

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Troy Worden writes of Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA’s founder: “Kirk stressed the ‘very big’ role [Kanye] West played in conservative outreach to black America.”

That’s how desperate conservatives are. Kanye is a narcissist. Conservatives will feed him attention, and maybe even a representation of adulation. He pays them back. A lot like Trump.

Maybe conservatives could try something like sustained and reasonable dialogue? Or policies that seek to improve public education and health care availability for all citizens? Or policies that seek to promote voter participation rather than suppression of poor and minority voters, as has been revealed in so many states, including Georgia?

Kanye is all they’ve got?

It would be fun to see The Heritage Foundation starting to include young black people in its interns program. Perhaps the ideological and religious filters are simply too tight to get people of color invited, or maybe it’s just indifference. Who knows.—John Levin

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Wanna drive progressiviks absolutely nuts? Just chant:

All we are saaaaaying
Is give Trump a chance!

All we are saaaaaying
Is give Trump a chance!

All we are saaaaaying
Is give Trump a chance!

I can just see aging boomers reacting to John Lennon being desecrated. Let ’em bang their noggins into walls and beat their brains out.

I’m a boomer too, perhaps a traitor to my generation, reading “Conscience of a Conservative” in 1964. Please don’t tell anyone.—William Westchester

Nancy Pelosi and the LGBT Agenda

Dear Daily Signal: How is the party led by Donald Trump and Mike Pence an unfriendly place for LGBT individuals (“Pelosi’s Top Legislative Priority Would Punish Dissenters on LGBT Issues”)? Have they been denied the right to vote? Have they been denied any other constitutional rights? If so, let the protesters name those who have been denied these rights.

Just because men and women want public restrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms to be segregated by male and female, without regard to the wishes of the small minority who want the right to use the facility of their choice (regardless of their biological gender), doesn’t mean that the GOP is an unfriendly place for LGBT persons.

I dare say there are as many Democrats as there are Republicans who are opposed to sharing public restrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms with those of one gender who choose to identify as a member of the other gender.

College campuses are not friendly places for conservative students these days. Should we pass a law putting conservative college kids into “protected classes”?Drew Page

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As usual, Democrats plan to criminalize disagreement with them. They are tyrants to their core, as subscribers to all leftist ideologies are.

It’s no coincidence that both fascism and communism came out of the left, and killed more than 100 million dissenters in the previous century.Michael Hiteshaw

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Nancy Pelosi and the House Dems can pass a billion bills to die in the Republican Senate or be vetoed by Trump.Stephen Warford

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Pelosi is about to learn why many voted for Trump. It was all about Supreme Court picks. And sorry, Nancy, but today’s SCOTUS will not allow you to destroy religious freedom.Anthony Alafero

Hate Speech and the Eye of the Beholder

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Kim Holmes’ commentary, “The Origins of ‘Hate Speech,’” it seems to me that there is a lot of hate being expressed by those so opposed to “hate speech.”

Leftist Democrat politicians who call for stalking, confronting, harassing, and intimidating conservatives, Republicans, Trump administration officials and their families and supporters are peddling quite a bit of hatred.

Those leftist organizations funded by George Soros that organize protests and pay “protesters” such as Antifa to violently disrupt, harass, intimidate, and physically attack conservatives on campuses, at airports, in restaurants, and in the streets should be arrested at least for disorderly conduct, if not rioting.—Drew Page

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A great history lesson by Kim Holmes, but what does it have to do with the bakers’ position? If I remember right, this all started because they refused to make a cake for a gay marriage.

Why didn’t the gay couple just go to another baker who would make the cake instead of starting trouble? My guess is they wanted to start the trouble all along, but me saying that certainly doesn’t mean I hate them.

The left takes everything they disagree with and turn it into a fiasco just to promote trouble.—Gerry Costa

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To the left, hate speech is any speech they don’t like.—J. C. Smith

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Hillary Clinton said: “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for.” Arrest her for inciting a riot.—Paul Johnson

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The problem is that those on the left think they are the only ones with the right to freedom of speech. If you don’t agree with them, they want to shut you up.

Everything you say is hatred if you don’t agree with them. As for me, I’ll say what I want, when I want, and where I want. If they don’t like it, they can take a long walk off a short pier.—Estell Newton

Senate Democrats and the Courts

Dear Daily Signal: The dogmacrats always play hardball and fight dirty, as Thomas Jipping’s commentary indicates (“Why Democratic Senators Won’t Succeed in Attempt to Block Judicial Nominee”).

Trump is slowly teaching Republicans how to fight back.—Charles Roy, Columbia, S.C.

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The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is known for its politically liberal perspective. It’s high time this court has objective, law-abiding justices who interpret the law as it is written rather than those who choose to legislate their left-wing views from the bench.

The 9th Circuit has had more of its decisions overthrown by the Supreme Court than any other court in the land.—Wes Potts

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Well, knowing just about every case of the 9th Circuit gets overturned by the Supreme Court, perhaps it’s time for these two far-left, communist Democrat judges to resign before they get indicted or impeached. These two know things aren’t looking good for them or their anti-constitutional opinions anymore—Bob Shoemaker

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Thank you, Harry Reid, for the gift that keeps on giving.—George Harris

What Being Transgender Means

Dear Daily Signal: Glad to see someone, in this case Walt Heyer, is telling the truth about the mental illness of transgenderism (“Trump’s Proposed Rollback of Transgender Policy Is Good News for Many Who Are Suffering”).

While it is perfectly normal for small children to play at being the other sex—just like they play at being a fireman or a nurse or a cowboy—it is not indicative of a life choice.

That choice is made for you in the womb. If you have a penis, you are male. If you have a vagina, you are female. You can change your plumbing, but you can’t change your DNA, and it is your DNA that decides which sex you are.

What Heyer’s commentary article shows is that the mental illness of transgenderism is all too often sparked by sexual abuse as a child. We need to get tougher on child abusers, as they are the instigators of so much misery and mental illness.

Another thing to consider is how much time—doctors’ time, hospitals’ time—and public and private money is wasted on this idiocy of transgenderism. How much better they could be spent on things that are real and truly important instead of being squandered so egregiously.—Maud St. James

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The talk of gender surgery is a misnomer, for gender is one’s brain perception and sex is what is below the waist They are not interchangeable, nor are they a matter of semantics.—Diane Penn, Pennsylvania

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Isn’t that what the LGBT community wants to do: Force other people to live their lives according to their (mistaken) beliefs?—James Chapman

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Being transgender or gay is a choice. You are not born that way. I believe that something happens during childhood that makes a person that way.

It’s not the people we hate, it’s the lifestyle. God condemns homosexuality and transgender lifestyles. He doesn’t hate the people. He loves them. And if  we all  could understand that simple fact, we would be better off.—Estelle Newton

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“Accepting all people as they are” is not a problem for conservatives. We just don’t like being told that because of some people’s gender dysphoria, we have to treat them “special” (like letting them use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms of their choice).

Anyone who says “conservatives” hate gays and transgender people is a fool to make that kind of generalized statement. The only person showing hatred is that person.—Drew Page

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Excellent read. I’ve never heard of people regretting their transgender post-op. Thank you, Walt Heyer.—Kyle Amidon

This and That 

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Kevin Mooney’s report on the Clinton email case, this nation has gotten so used to the old saying:  I scratch your back and you scratch mine (“Judge Accuses State Department of Making ‘False Statements’ on Clinton Emails”). To add to that, corruption is rampant because the rich want to get richer.

Look at the people in Congress. Fat paychecks, great health care, salary until they close their eyes. And what does the middle class have? Nada, other than paying higher taxes and shaky health care.

Not to mention Social Security will run out because the Democrats keep putting “I owe you’s” in there and stealing the seniors’ savings. Nice slush fund, they call it. They go in as normal middle-classers and come out as fat cats.

As soon as the middle is squeezed and hung out to dry (what will happen under Democratic leadership) you have two parties: the rich and the poor. The poor then will be squeezed by the rich.

Those are the times that the poor will have to work for a day’s meal in order to survive. But not for long; either the guillotine will be in use again or the world goes kaboom. The train to the kaboom has started. Time is running out. Know who you vote for.

As for me, I vote for the president who does not work for a salary. You know he means well for the country. Hillary has amassed amounts of wealth by shady means. And you vote for who? MAGA.—Rene Donk

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I truly enjoy receiving The Daily Signal direct to my inbox. That said, in my opinion, you too often give press coverage to haters of our president and his supporters.

One recent Morning Bell email included four articles with details about how these people hate President Trump. The commentary “Democrats’ Mindless Opposition to Brett Kavanaugh” is on how the Dems find 10,000 ways to try to derail Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court. Not only wasted space, but it gives their garbage air time.

Then we have the story about Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, headlined “Evidence of Crimes Irrelevant to Impeaching Trump, Texas Democrat Insists.” I (and I’m sure many others) could not care less about what this lame Democrat thinks. Why give his meaningless words any more visibility than the mainstream already does?

I look forward to your positive stories and ignore the mainstream because they are 98 percent negative about the president and say zero about so many great things he and his team have achieved.

Two more articles fall into the same category. One (“Maxine Waters Unloads on Trump: The Most Deplorable, Disposable Human Being“) is the same exact story Waters has been spewing for two years.  And “Kerry Seen as Helping Iran ‘Drive a Wedge’ Between US, Allies” is OK, but heck, he was doing this as Obama’s  secretary of state and nothing has really changed.

What I look forward to are fact-based stories such as “Why Small Businesses Are More Optimistic Than Ever Before” and “On the Street: Real Americans Tell Us What’s Wrong With Washington.”

Now this is real information that we will never find in today’s mainstream media, and we search for it like a starving animal searches for food. My mother always taught me to ignore negative people and embrace positive ones; that is how one improves.—Wade Ellison, Arapaho, N.C.

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I appreciate The Daily Signal’s candor and honesty in labeling articles News or Commentary. In looking at all my online sources of information (i.e. “mainstream” and journalists with “credentials,”) no source has anything labeled Commentary.

So I looked closely and realized that any story called Analysis is really that source’s commentary. And there are plenty of analysis stories to help the ignorant masses “understand” what’s really happening.

My suggestion is that The Daily Signal follow suit and change the Commentary label to Analysis. After all, isn’t all commentary someone’s analysis?  The word analysis is apparently something that the left recognizes as “truth.”

Keep up the great work.—Barry J. Rava, Houston

Editor’s note: We occasionally do use the Analysis label, Barry, including for some pieces by Heritage Foundation experts, for our podcasts, and for some videos. 

Image may contain: shoes and textHow Are We Doing?

Dear Daily Signal: Times have changed. When I was growing up, it was always Mom or Dad hollering, “Go get the paper!” Then it became “Turn on Walter!” Those days are gone.

Newspapers are going, news stations lie. I’m always skeptical of internet news, but so far I like you. Please don’t abuse my trust. You’re all I have left. God bless.—Melissa Warhurst

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Fred Lucas, your White House correspondent, is a professional journalist, not biased or a pusher of propaganda. Excellent journalism.

He gives both sides as reporters once did prior to 2009, when journalists became propaganda outlets for the Democratic Party. I may not agree on all his concepts, but I deeply respect him as a journalist.—Michael Moritz, New Jersey

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Thank you very much for Ken McIntyre’s weekly “We Hear You” compilation. I find in it pearls of wisdom and healthy challenges to beliefs or practices.—Joseph Dugal

I love your Morning Bell email. Keep it up, and thank you very much.—Patricia Werderitsch

The Daily Signal is the first news to go to in the morning. Great job.—Evelyn Sharp

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Great informative content with true titles and headlines. I have really taken notice.—Brad Gill

The Daily Signal has been doing excellent work.  Very educational.—Adam Schwartz

I love your news. I love what you send in the Morning Bell email. But as I have to leave my phone by my bed, your early morning alert doesn’t allow late sleeping. Could you possibly delay your communication an hour or so? Thank you.—Johnny Snow

Sarah Sleem and Troy Worden helped to compile this edition of “We Hear You.”