LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

Donald Trump, aided by Elon Musk, a billionaire with no federal governmental connection, in a month has managed to eliminate thousands of federal workers, entire agencies, and has created a questionable future for our democratic form of government that has existed for 200-plus years. Musk’s motives are unclear, “out of the goodness of his heart?”

Musk has answered Trump’s call to MAGA. An unpaid position to “clean up the mess” that Trump so emphatically and repeatedly speaks of.

Exaggeration and lies are Trump’s forte. Unfortunately, there are so many gullible citizens who accept and never question the validity of those lies and exaggerated statements.

What consideration was given to the vast number of federal employees in all areas of government who were fired? Done in a timely matter? Confusion seems to rule the day. Quick life-changing decisions — not organized or thoroughly thought out.

What’s the rush? If the federal government is in such dire straits, why did Trump not address that issue in his prior presidency? A convicted felon and a billionaire, what a combination. The damage he and his cohort have done in such a brief time should prove to us that Trump’s mission is to destroy America, which is in opposition to his false claims of Making America Great Again.

This political slogan was introduced by Trump. A slogan made popular by Adolph Hitler as propaganda to recruit the gullible Germans. Let us not forget the appearance of a Nazi salute made by Elon Musk as he celebrated Donald Trump’s victory.

Every day we wake up to Trump’s latest executive order, or crazy idea.

What will it be today? New names for the Atlantic and Pacific oceans? Perhaps banning the Pledge of Allegiance? The Washington Monument will be razed and in its place a Trump hotel? Combine all the military branches into one armed militia? Congress will be dissolved and all known Democrats will be imprisoned? Lest we forget, Trump’s delight in retaliatory measures. The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers will again be invited to “visit” the Capitol, and on this occasion will be accompanied by Donald Trump?

Republicans who do not agree with his ideology will face trials and tribulations? Fulfill his yet unfulfilled fantasy of being known as dictator Trump?

Preposterous, unbelievable and unreasonable?

Think again.

Grace Beck

Rostraver Township

To the Editor:

Really Bad Idea No. 6: Butchering government. Few people are really against big government. Instead, people complain about specific things government is doing – or not doing. Only crazies want to use a meat ax on government. Especially if done by amateur butchers.

Elon Musk’s rockets have exploded, his cars have been recalled for defects, their sales are declining, he has been fined for ill-treatment of his workers, and he single-handedly wrecked “X” (Twitter). He is a living example that people are not necessarily smart because they have made huge piles of money. And yet this is the guy who to wants to “fix” our Social Security and heath care. Of course, we deserve that since we are not smart enough to be fabulously rich.

The damage being visited on our country will not easily go away. It has taken decades for the government to assemble the ability and expertise of the present federal workforce. Even if, by some miracle, Republican politicians come to their senses and halt this craziness, where will the government find replacement air traffic controllers, medical research scientists, experienced education specialists, librarians, and the rest? How long will finding them take? How will we get rid of the clowns they put in their place? And what will we do in the meantime? (Federal workers account for only 4 % of the budget and their numbers haven’t really increased for decades.)

So now Republican legislators ignore Trump firing thousands of federal workers while enjoying some the cushiest jobs in America: well-paid, protected by a gerrymandering that insulates them from the voters, insisting government should do as little as possible – to which they gleefully comply. They denounce citizen protestors as “Communists” and refuse to hold town halls. When evidence of the devastation mounts they will weepily claim, “I didn’t realize what was being done!” They did not know that wielding a meat ax is a vicious form of weaponization. So don’t believe them for one minute. They should be sent to Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell. Or failing that, not a single one of them should get a single vote from any of us, no matter how popular, regretful, friendly, nice, or sweetly reasonable they want us to think they are. They are not.

Robert Supansic McKeesport