America is a great nation. It was a great nation when President Donald Trump took office and will continue to be a great nation long after Trump has faded into the sunset. He has used an old political ploy of talking down our greatness so that he can claim to have healed any problems himself.
His egomania knows no limits. One item that is beyond dispute is that he has been the most divisive influence in modern political history.
He is raising tariffs in order to claim that this will create jobs. He ignores the fact that these tariffs will increase the cost of goods to the American consumer. His threatened increase on foreign-made textiles will add about a 30 percent increase to the cost of such goods. He has just announced a 30 percent tariff on foreign-made solar panels. Immediately, statements were made that certain solar energy plans would be placed on hold because the price increase would place them over budget.
He gloats about his income tax reductions. Any idiot can cut taxes if they ignore the consequences of the resulting red ink. Economists from coast to coast have said that the tax reductions will add $1.5 trillion to the national debt. We do not need this additional debt so the top 1 percent of the really wealthy can reap the most generous tax cuts.
Surely, we all want clean air for our children and ourselves. Trump’s attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency will damage its ability to enforce laws to protect our environment. Also, we must defend the separation of powers in our government. They are the legislative, judiciary and executive with no one power exerting itself over another.
Robert B. Meacham, Lakeland