Columbia, SC — Jim DuPlessis says he’s a Democrat because he is practical and believes in serving the common good, helping the less fortunate and rewarding merit (“Democrats can’t afford to squander opportunity,” Dec. 13). So if I share these same characteristics, why do I find it so difficult to vote Democrat? I even find kittens adorable.

I think it’s because I am a linear thinker. For example, to many Democrats, it’s not OK to kill a convicted murderer, but it’s perfectly reasonable to kill an unborn child who hasn’t done anything to anyone. Yet another, it was evil for the U.S. government to loan banks and insurance giants money to keep them from collapsing, even though this money is being paid back and the Treasury is making billions of profit on resale of stock. But it was a “success story” when the government dropped $50 billion on General Motors that won’t be paid back. People like me can’t think in those terms. Murder is bad, and government intervention is bad.

The thrust of the column, however, was that the Democratic Party needs to deliver a competent alternative for Sen. Jim DeMint’s seat. The last one was a sad joke, and to prove Mr. DuPlessis’ point, he got almost 30 percent of the vote before waking up.

James M. Holloway Jr.

Columbia