Letters to the editor Feb. 17

Government waste

Watching the progressive Democrats in this country lose their ever-loving minds over the work of DOGE is something to behold. 

How dare anyone look at the the books of so many agencies and find all of the fraud, waste and abuse. As American taxpayers everyone should be thrilled to have someone finally doing this work. 

But it’s a further extension of the Trump derangement syndrome and what appears to be yet a newer iteration, Elon derangement syndrome. 

Democrats, Republicans and the deep state alike could have and should have done this work a long time ago, but it was allowed to fester and bloat and now finally we have a president who is taking this head on, as he promised. Elon Musk is doing this as a service to this nation, pro bono, so buckle up buttercup. 

The scare tactics from the left are reprehensible. Calm down, take a cleansing breath. Maybe, just maybe, when all of the fraud and waste is unearthed and eliminated, programs like Medicare and Social Security will have extended their solvency far into the future and those of us who depend on these programs can breathe a sigh of relief. 

For those of you who still want to live with your catastrophic thinking about all things Trump, please move aside and let those who want to be a part of America’s new golden age get on with helping this nation prosper.

— Jill Williams, Kalispell

Conflict of interest

We should be worried about the access DOGE has to government departments and programs. It’s reprehensible DOGE has left secure servers open with access to your personal data, along with our country’s most secure data.  

More concerns of the department include $400 million in the State Department budget earmarked for armored trucks, originally identified as Tesla armored trucks, but corrected after complaints. Tesla trucks have numerous issues, with several recalls.  

Any wonder DOGE wants to dismantle programs like National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Consumer Product Safety. A SpaceX Starship exploded in January, affecting hundreds of flights due to falling debris. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reviewing 100 Tesla self-driving car accidents, with 51 fatalities. Musk has a huge conflict of interest with his companies that have been awarded $18 billion in government contracts.  

DOGE and Trump claim to reduce government waste, so why attend the Super Bowl? Some estimate it cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Watch what they do, not say!

— Laura Gebhart, Kalispell

Vaccines save lives

mRNA vaccines are a lifesaver — literally. House Bill 371 would outlaw those vaccines in Montana.  Please don’t let this become law. Let me have a choice. The Covid-19 vaccine worked. New vaccines will be created and more people will benefit from these scientific advances.

It’s science, not politics, that saves lives.

— Douglas Cook, Columbia Falls

Skewed view

William Fry thinks President Donald Trump’s speech was a message of hope and unity (Sowing fear, Feb. 10)? 

No sir, it was very much about division and retribution. But I suppose you agree with his assessment that Jan. 6, 2021 was a “day of love” rather than an attack on the foundational values and institutions of our country. Well then, how do you feel about him releasing the mob responsible for violently attacking 150 Capitol Police and directly causing the death of two of them and serious injuries to many others? How do you feel about him removing the security details from his political enemies, effectively putting his own personal army of revenge out on the streets? Is that not retribution? 

It’s time you watch something besides Fox “News” Mr. Fry. Your perception is seriously skewed.

— Tim Wiley, Kalispell