I’m not one to write letters or get involved much in the current political debates, publicly. As a business owner that can be dangerous to me. However, after reading Pete Howard’s commentary in the OBSERVER (April 23), I felt I had to speak out.

Mr. Howard wrote about the different kinds of President Donald Trump supporters, the “action faction,” the “tell it like it is faction,” the “bottom-liners” and the “power elites.” What amazes me is the complete and utter arrogance and blatant hypocrisy on display. He refers to the Trump Presidency as “dishonest,” “ignorant” and “intolerant” while at the same time separating 60-plus million Americans into groups and bashing them. It must be a heavy burden to carry such anger, hatred, arrogance and an unwavering tolerance toward his fellow man … with an exemption for Trump and the people who voted for him of course.

Why would he be tolerant of us? We are just a bunch of ignorant hillbillies apparently. A bunch of no good greedy, ignorant, stockbrokers and hillpeople. We should definitely be ruled by all the brilliant writers, musicians and teachers. What would we do without their tolerance and enlightenment?

Well I can say that Trump supporters are some of the most intelligent, hardworking, decent people out there. Many had the intelligence not to go in debt by going to college, but instead bought a house, started a business, and make much more than the person with the women’s studies degree. We treat everyone with respect and equality, even the ones we disagree with. We view things differently because we took different paths, a sense of reality over emotion.

The reality is that climate isn’t something you can base on future computer models, but the actual facts and data from a 4 billion year old Earth. The reality that its virtually impossible to be accurate to a degree 10 years in the future, when they can’t next week.

The reality that just because you spent tens of thousands of dollars on a fancy degree, that doesn’t make you better or all-knowing. Your opinion matters as much as the guy or girl who changes my tires, or wires my house. It’s time to face the reality that while you were sitting through class and lectures, many of us were actually living life out in the world. The reality that you can’t have diversity without diversity of thought, after all that’s what matters. Blindly following someone just because of their level of education or the fancy letters after their name doesn’t make you more intelligent, it just makes you blind. You say you don’t like the division today, yet go out of your way to divide.

It’s people like the writer who have been so stuck in themselves that they never actually bothered to ask why. They use their vast intelligence and fancy degree to make assumptions. When those assumptions are wrong they write those they disagree with off as racists, bigots, immoral, intolerant and deplorable. When we fight back they try and silence us. I forget, who are the fascists again?

Matthew B. Newton is a Fredonia resident.