Editor,
While I have the utmost respect for Ms. Zeiter, I was stunned by her claim that President Trump’s first year accomplishments exceed any president in recent history. As a fiscal conservative and lover of the Constitution, I’m afraid the antonym for accomplishment is more accurate.
In one year, we have seen the recent passage of a 503-page tax bill, 1,000 pages with the accompanying explanation. I only read to page 300. This tax bill reduces federal taxes for some individuals for 10 years (like the president), but makes corporate tax reductions permanent. It will “accomplish” this by adding over a trillion dollars to the national debt in less than 10 years. How is this fiscally prudent?
If this increase in the national debt isn’t enough to make a fiscal conservative flinch there is Homeland Securities estimate that “the Wall” between the U.S. and Mexico will cost more than $21.6 billion to build without including the cost of maintenance. Why build a physical wall when those in the technology sector say there are less costly solutions?
The great Republican president, Teddy Roosevelt, established our national parks system. Trump has undermined this legacy by approving oil drilling in national park lands and along all coasts in the United States, including marine preserves. And, for what–access to oil reserves that are priced at all-time lows when the use of fossil fuels are on a decline?
Under Article 2 of the Constitution, the president must pledge to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.” Amendment 1 of the Bill of Rights stipulates that no law can be made “that abridges the free exercise of speech or of the press,” and yet in opening days of this year, our president has tried to stifle the publication of a book, “Fire and Fury.” Many of Trump’s diatribes about the press give the impression of someone opposed to the democratic, free press promised in the Constitution.
His last accomplishment for the year was tweeting about having a bigger nuclear button than North Korea’s. Is a potential nuclear war a positive for anyone?
2017 has been one of the most alarming first years of a presidency we have witnessed in half a century as well as doing damage to the reputation of Mr. Lincoln’s party.
Deborah Weiss, Laguna Beach
How hollow your complaints of President Trump ring, Deborah Weiss. Trump’s tax cut will “add over a trillion dollars to the national debt in less than 10 years”? Did you utter a whisper of complaint about Barack Obama’s irresponsible socialist spending spree that skyrocketed our national debt up to more than $19.5 trillion? Not a chance that you did, Deborah. Not a chance. You tolerated no criticism of your god, Barack Obama, and anyone who did criticize him was blasted as “racist.” How petty. How disingenuous Democrats are – the party formed to keep slavery – the party which voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The party that continues to foment divisiveness by calling conservatives “racist” and patronizing blacks with low expectations to keep them down on the Democrat plantation.