Letter to the editor: Empathy and public policy

In his appeal “Less judging, more love,” letter-writer Keith Kondrich ironically ponders bedtime questions through a lens of self, but imagining hardship on ourselves doesn’t prevent or alleviate hardship for others. “What if it’s me” ignores searching for solutions to help improve lives of those struggling with difficult circumstances.

If cartel corruption causes thousands to put themselves — and children — at risk of injury, slavery and death by fleeing on a dangerous journey, what can be done to stem the flow of humanity?

Could free chemotherapy be provided to every cancer patient if society was willing to pay more routine medical costs out of pocket? Or should no one (including noncitizens) ever pay a dime for any medical need ever?

What if a husband and father risks his life daily to protect and serve, and mistakenly shoots an unarmed teenager in the commission of a crime? Tragedies are never about a single person.

Prisons are dangerous places full of dangerous people; how do we create a society which understands that consequences for committing crimes can be very unpleasant?

Mental health and addiction often result in homelessness. What interventions can prevent the downward spiral of isolation, apathy and self-abandonment that leads to huddling under cardboard in the dead of winter?

Empathy is a constructive human characteristic, but it’s destructive as framework for developing public policy initiatives to remedy complicated sociopolitical issues. Money is no answer either; ask Mike Bloomberg. We’re to believe a few Russian Facebook trolls influenced our election, but his $600 million could hardly buy a vote.

Joe Schmidt

Lower Burrell