LETTER: More deception from White House
Ten months have gone by since the election and so much has happened. Sadly, none of it is good. Our democracy is slipping away inch by inch.
The president lives in a bubble. He said grocery prices would go down on day one of his election. Since he has taken office prices have gone up. The war in Ukraine, which he promised to end before he got in office, still rages on.
At least during his first term he had people around who had some integrity and would put a stop to some of his negative impulses. This time he has surrounded himself with only those who are loyal to him and not to the Constitution. Other presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, kept the attorney general separate from the Oval Office. Trump has made the attorney general a part of his office. He tells Pam Bondi exactly what to do.
Now, the retribution he promised on the campaign trail is beginning. Jim Comey is first, and there are others. Anyone he perceived to have gone against him, even if it was justified, is now his enemy and he will get even. New York Attorney General Letitia James was next.
Military troops are in Chicago, even though the governor does not want them there. They used Black Hawk helicopters to descend into a five-story apartment building. According to news reports, they broke down doors, grabbed children, zip tied them and put them in dark U-Hauls for hours. This is the United States of America. What is happening?
The dispute at the heart of the government shutdown centers around a tax credit that helps 22 million Americans lower their health care costs when they buy policies through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace. It is set to expire at the end of 2025, and leading Democratic lawmakers are making a funding deal to keep the government open contingent on Republicans agreeing to extend the tax credit. Insurers are already preparing to send notices to households that they will see increases starting in January 2026.
Now, the White House is being torn apart for a ballroom. Another lie was told by the president concerning this. He said that no part of the existing structure would be touched. What really happened? The East Wing was demolished.
The good thing that happened is that more than 7 million people in every state and Washington, D.C., peacefully protested to let Donald Trump know that his policies are worse than we have ever seen. If this group votes next year, we can get the spineless Republicans out of office and elect the Democrats who will put a stop to the president’s reckless agenda.
Many years ago, Americans fought for a democracy. The success of the “No Kings” rallies showed that Americans still want a democracy.
Sister James Ann Germuska, O.S.F.
Brownsville