Dems' Fightin' Words. (Correspondence).

I AGREE WITH MICHAEL Tomasky that while the GOP's long-term strategy has been in place since the New Deal, Ronald Reagan's election put it at the forefront of American consciousness ["Dems' Fightin' Words," August 26].

In 1980, I was a single parent making less than $6.50 an hour. I was shocked to hear the new rhetoric: Certain Americans were receiving "entitlements," which was wrong because "handouts" cost money. I was dismayed by the cultural progress that was undone and stunned by the thinly veiled racist language of Republicans. I wondered why ...