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When I was a child, I walked through field and farm to a one-room country school, where I was the entire first grade of 11 pupils in the classroom.

George Washington looked down from a frame on the wall, as with hands over our hearts, we pledged allegiance to the flag. Then we sang from “The Goldon Book of Songs” — hymns even. Well — Madelyn Murray O’Hair changed all that, didn’t she? We can’t afford to give up any more of our freedoms.

Some of today’s young people seem to be enamored with socialism. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I am independent. I have voted both ways in my time.

You think that socialism is so wonderful — yes, free health care; lots of time off from your jobs and long vacations; free this and free that; and while you’re enjoying all the “freedom,” they move you through the next door — communism — and they take it all back!

I don’t want that for my grandchildren!

I know I’m old enough to remember when the Berlin Wall (or the Iron Curtain, as it was called) went up, which separated families for years, some forever. It went up so fast that people went to work in the morning only to find at quitting time that the wall had gone up during their weekday, and they couldn’t get home to their families that same day. Thankfully, I have lived long enough to see it come down (and pray it never happens again).

In the early ’70s, living in Rochester, I read in the Post-Bulletin of a lady named “Hansi,” who had written a book about her life in Germany as a young girl, and she was coming to the Kahler to speak. I read her book, then went to hear her story of her life during the war and the atrocities that she and her friend endured at the hands of Russian soldiers.

She concluded her talk waving her finger back and forth over us all as she said: “You, Americans, watch out — your day is coming!”

That was nearly 50 years ago, and I’ve thought of it every day since.

So, to the young people today, who are so starry eyed over socialism, that you think is going to be such a good thing, there is an old saying: “Be careful what you wish for; you might get it.”

Thank you.

Lorraine Nagel

Glenville