Readers Write: Trump agenda a disaster for most Americans

The Island Now

A frequent response from the right wing to those voicing their dissatisfaction with the Trump Administration is:  “Why don’t you give him a chance?” or “He won, so just get over it.”

“If they would only take away Trump’s phone, everything would be just fine,” is a variation on the same theme.

These reactions entirely miss the point of the vigorous opposition that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have experienced since the election.

It’s not the person (though there is certainly more than enough in Mr. Trump’s personal conduct that so many find objectionable); it’s the agenda.

Of course, if you don’t mind unsafe air and water; if you believe that every American does not have a right to affordable health care regardless of his or her wealth and income; if you don’t believe that we have more than enough nuclear weapons to withstand a foreign military attack; if you don’t believe that diplomacy is important; if you don’t believe in funding for Meals on Wheels, the humanities and the arts, then you should be very happy with the Trump Administration.

I’m not happy with that agenda and neither are a lot of other Americans.

We saw what happened to the lead in the drinking water in Flint, Mich. and other cities.  Should we be eliminating regulations to prevent water contamination in the future?

We’ve seen that the American automobile industry can thrive while still complying with regulations to increase the fuel efficiency of cars and SUVs.

So why should we reverse the fuel efficiency goals and add more pollution to the air?

We’ve seen a huge expansion in affordable health insurance coverage.

So why should we change course and pull the rug out from under those who are already benefitting from the Affordable Care Act, sending them back to the emergency rooms, poorer health care outcomes and the threat of bankruptcy from doctor and hospital bills?

The failure of Republicans to repeal and replace the ACA only serves to underscore how out of touch they are with the needs of the vast majority of the American people, the people they purport to represent.

Should we eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood cervical screenings to detect ovarian cancer?

And, at the same time, threaten the survival of many hospitals?

At a time when the greatest threat to our national security is not a military attack, but individual terrorists armed with guns, ammunition and explosives easily purchased from domestic gun shops and at gun shows, why do we need more battleships, planes and nuclear warheads?

Shouldn’t we be increasing our diplomatic efforts rather than cutting our State Department budget?

And as we face ideological threats to our democratic freedoms, shouldn’t we be increasing our efforts to win the hearts and minds of people around the world instead of waging war on an entire religion?

When banks take advantage of its depositors to open up unauthorized banking and credit card accounts and reward their executives with obscene salaries and bonuses, should we be emasculating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

When the income and wealth gap between the 1% and the rest of us continues to grow, should we be cutting the taxes of the wealthy while at the same time eliminating or reducing funding for the programs that the poor and middle class rely on?

And what ever happened to that trillion dollar infrastructure program that was going to put the (mostly) white workers who voted for Donald Trump back to work?

Haven’t heard much about that lately.

In other words, why are Donald Trump and the Republicans so intent on enriching the already wealthy on the backs of the poor and middle class?

I could go on, but the bottom line is that the Trump/Republican agenda is a disaster for most Americans.

So even if someone were to take away Donald Trump’s phone and he stopped insulting our allies and spreading his outright lies, baseless assertions and delusions masquerading as fact, I would continue to oppose him.

The Trump/Republican agenda will not make America great again.

In fact, it threatens to undermine our already great nation.

 

Jay N. Feldman

Port Washington

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