Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I recently attended a King and Queen County Democratic Committee meeting. As I recited the Pledge of Allegiance, I wondered how it could inform my vote this year. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

With the pledge, I promise to uphold and renew the structures of our civil society that support “liberty and justice for all.” I affirm with former President Jimmy Carter, that we are “not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic: different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” I recognize a Higher Power present in our personal and national affairs. I measure liberty and justice by the Golden Rule with respect for God’s goodness in all people and life on earth.

This translates into specific social policies: affordable health care for all, farm policies that support a living ...