John Jensen fails to mention any of the great issues facing our time in his rambling indictment of "collectivism", (June 26), preferring to complain, vaguely, about "government schools," "dependency," "progressivism," "obsession with government" and the way "collectivism and individualism are irreconcilable" I'll have to assume, however, that his real targets include public education, environmental and safety regulations, and nationalized health insurance, if not Social Security, Medicaid, gun control, vehicle insurance mandates or facemasks.

The notion that any of these programs are incompatible with individualism is ludicrous, as is the idea that other Western democracies, providing citizens with more generous benefits, "tend toward dystopia." Having spent two years in Europe, I can tell you that there is nothing dystopian about knowing that you will never be homeless, that you will always be able to see the doctor, that your college-bound children will not incur massive debt, that your food supply is safe, that your government is cooperating with others in reducing carbon emissions, that your freedom to protest work conditions is protected by labor unions, or that you can safely walk the streets without a sidearm. Go see for yourself!

William Allik

Stonington