Letters to the editor April 7

Radicals

In response to Ms. Williams’ letter “Message to Democrats” she states Democrats have been “untethered from all reality.” Could it be that the majority of Republicans are out of touch with it by bowing to President Trump in all of his chaotic, irresponsible actions in his new office?  

By Trump appointing Elon Musk to run DOGE, our country has been thrust into even more bizarre actions by our government. Musk has not in any way evaluated the federal agencies, departments, programs upon which he is wreaking havoc. There is no evidence he has objectively learned how any of these are actually functioning and he has fired more than 100,000 Americans without regard to their qualifications, capabilities, efficiencies and productivity. 

The Veterans Affairs system has lost 80,000 plus staff, Social Security positions and locations have been dissolved, the FAA was to fire all their probationary (i.e. new) air traffic controllers, he basically eliminated USAID, slashed IRS staff, along with Forest Service and National Park Service staff, along with many, many others.  

Clearly Trump isn’t a military veteran, and our Navy servicemen, Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Tim Sheehy are just observing, not resisting these actions. Trump and Musk don’t fly commercial airplanes, so they don’t need the FAA. And like the other 756 American billionaires Trump and Musk don’t need the IRS to monitor them as they can afford armies of accountants and lawyers to weasel out of paying taxes. The rest of us 331,00,000 Americans pay significant amounts of our incomes in taxes. And don’t forget USAID, which has provided resources and education to numerous citizens of third world countries to improve their lives, and help American gain crucial good will in return.

Do Republicans approve of Trump being so disrespectful of our allies, while cozying up with Putin?  It is an affront to Canadians that Trump wants to annex them. Why would America be audacious enough to decide to take over Greenland? Why did President Trump and J.D. Vance accuse Ukraine of starting a war with Russia? And why humiliate and bully President Zelensky on American television?  

These are scary times for many Americans and what party has really been “untethered from reality”? Americans need to join together and moderate our leadership away from radicals on both sides.

— Rayne Beach, Whitefish