David Regier (MWR, Aug. 10) asks for reasons to vote for “extreme left socialist- leaning” Democrats. Joe Biden is hardly a socialist or extreme left. That would be Bernie Sanders. People on the left have concerns about Biden’s centrist record. But I keep seeing Christians criticizing Democrats as socialist and big government. I cannot find any biblical warnings against socialist policies or big government. The prophets judge nations that forget the poor and decry nations that depend on chariots and horses. Both parties spend too much on our military, but Democrats tend to dial it back, while Republicans increase military budgets every time. Virtually every program to address human needs — Social Security, Medicare, “Obamacare,” food stamps, housing assistance, the minimum wage — is a Democratic program. When Republicans talk about freedom, they mean freedom from government regulation or responsibility for the greater good. Under President Trump, the cruelty to refugees and those seeking asylum, the embrace of white supremacists and the rampant corruption are intolerable.

Duane Beachey, Madison, Wis.