A sorry mess
To the editor:
Donald Trump supporters, you owe me and our country and the world a huge, sincere apology.
In 2016 you voted for Donald Trump because you said that you wanted to see change in our government. You did that even knowing that he has lied and cheated his whole way through his petty, selfish life. You said he was a good businessman: Are you referring to the Trump University students cheated out of their tuition, painters/contractors put out of business because he wouldn’t pay them, his own illegal immigrant staff that he underpaid and overworked? He and his family steered charitable contributions from hard-working citizens into their own pockets — he treated your donations as his own private funds. Thinking of the bankruptcies he filed for failed businesses as he squandered the fortunes he inherited several times — as well as the “small fortune” he cheated/stole from his own family members. Does all that makes him a “good businessman”? – He cheated those folks fair and square.
After dodging the draft due to fictitious bone spurs, he called members of our military “losers” and “suckers.” Did nothing as a bounty was placed on their heads by Putin. He mocked the disabled. You and we and the world saw him do it. Repeatedly.
He fires our Generals and mocks our national heros. He used our military to attack peaceful protestors for a photo op and fired the National Security advisor because he would not support those illegal actions. In fact, he has fired competent leaders and installed his loyalists too many times for me to count. He demoralized the institutions and damaged our faith in our government by causing us to question the integrity of our own CIA, FBI, National Security team and our Department of Justice investigations over that of his friend, Putin. He falsely attacks his political opponents and accuses them, without proof, of exploiting children and pedophilia. And you buy that baloney? Even after seeing many photos of him posing with his friend, Jeffry Epstein? He bragged about molesting women. But that was all OK with you, too.
Then during his tenure, he separated innocent children from their parents. That was OK with you, too, and you could look the other way from seeing terrified children in cages the rest of us saw with sickening clarity.
He spent over 300 days golfing — and in excess of $145 million taxpayer dollars to do it to pad his profits at his resorts. But not “his” tax dollars. Most years there weren’t any taxes paid to our country by Donald Trump. He paid more in taxes to China than to the US. He also profited from official business at his hotels.
Trump intentionally misled the entire nation as hundreds of thousands of us got seriously sick and died from Covid-19. The man is not qualified to run any company, including the US Government, and has dismissed all experts who could advise him. He is too narcissistic and uneducated to “believe” in scientific experts so he does not consult them. He has eroded the trust of our people in our scientific and educational institutions. A man who can barely read at the level of a third grader? And you trust him over Dr. Fauci? Who by the way, is not profiting from the Covid pandemic, as he has been falsely accused. Also, the frontline doctors and nurses are getting sick and dying from Covid — are not artificially inflating the numbers for profit as has been claimed by Trump and parroted by his supporters.
Or do you vote for this con just because you selfishly thought only of saving a few of your own dollars in taxes while giving the .01% huge tax breaks. Really? You are likely not in that group but are as emotionally small and naive as he believes you to be if that was your reason. And you were willing to destroy our Democracy for those short-term gains? The national debt increased over a trillion dollars under his watch even before adding another 2 trillion due to Covid.
Donald Trump blatantly supported racist white nationalists who plotted to kidnap a sitting governor, try her for “treason” and execute her. And he defended a young man coming in from out of state shooting protestors with a semi-automatic weapon. You watched and you stayed silent. You listened to his thousands of lies and praised his incoherent texts on a daily basis. And still supported him and voted for him again. You decided he best represents your character and your values. He will always will be remembered in history as an impeached President, but not removed because he bullied and cowed the spineless Republican-led Senate.
It is no surprise that after losing a fair election he will not leave office gracefully. Should he be tried for treason as he has attempted to interfere with our recent election by slowing the mail, attempting to suppress votes cast and sowing doubt about our election’s integrity? What say you now? Still proud?
Trump still has not released his taxes because he does not want us to know how much he owes to foreign interests. Are you compromised, Comrad Trump? Do Donald Trump’s actions remind anyone else of any other authoritarian rulers? They all discredit the legitimate free press and install state-run propaganda like right-wing alternative media such as Fox Entertainment, OAN, Breitbart and others. They replace professional government leaders with incompetent loyalists. They take over the military for their own benefit. “Tell big lies and tell them often. The masses will believe them.”
Families and friendships are splintered — not over “just a difference in politics” but over core values now that our differences have been exposed. If you know of anyone you used to love and who loved you — until they got sucked into the cult of Donald Trump and the right-wing media, I recommend you watch “The Brainwashing of my Dad” on Amazon Prime. Another good one is Rick Steve’s “The Story of Facism in Europe.” Both documentaries should be required watching by all citizens. Without an educated electorate, history is destined to repeat itself and Democracy doomed.
One good thing he has done is expose every loophole and crack in the structure of all three branches of our US Government. My sincere hope is that we can somehow come back together as The Unites States of America and begin to repair our relationships and the exposed cracks. The next time our country elects a psychopath we might not be so lucky to get rid of him in four years.
In 2020 you doubled down and voted for four more years of corruption, cruelty and chaos. None so blind as those who will not see.
You owe us all and the world a sincere apology.
Lynn Hagedorn
Cape Coral