Letters to the editor | Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020: Readers tee off on President Trump
Learn from Trump’s mistakes
I hope the president and the first lady and everyone impacted are fine and they have a full recovery. I mean that in all sincerity. No one, anywhere on this planet, should go through what more than 200,000 Americans have.
When this was still new, working class Americans who did not have access to the best health care, or have millions spent on their security, were deemed essential, and those who lost their jobs, the administration worked to force them to go back to work.
One month from the election is bad timing for him. It is what it is. Politics on the national level, it’s tough; he knew what he signed up for.
I also hope it serves as a warning to those who aren’t taking this seriously. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Stay home. If you must go out, wear a mask. I hope you don’t need our thoughts and prayers.
Gary W. Kinard, Gustine
Washington, D.C. is a mess
The administration in Washington is a threat to Americans in three major ways: our health, our economy, our democracy.
Because the administration spread misinformation about COVID-19 and refused leadership, Americans have suffered about 25% of the world’s deaths whereas we are only 4% of the world’s population. Countries that shut down until their cases were low, supplied PPE, instituted testing and contact tracing, and required masks have suppressed the virus. This administration has pushed reopening prematurely, causing further spread of the disease and refused a robust infusion of federal money needed to prop up the economy. This poor leadership has led to a second-quarter 34% drop in the Gross Domestic Product, a better measure of economic health than the stock market.
Worst of all, the president and his echo chamber are spreading doubt about the election and are trying to gut Post Office services that are essential for safe, reliable voting in a pandemic. Our military have used this way of voting for years. Almost worse, William Barr has transformed his office into the Department of Injustice, acting as the personal fixer for this administration. We have never seen such corruption, cruelty, and cupidity in Washington.
Patricia Ann Egenberger, Modesto
This isn’t brain surgery
You have the one guy who is a full-time liar and con man. He has no morals and not one shred of decency or personal honor. He and his followers want to make America white again, silence the free press, steal your vote and make sure people of color know their place. He loves dictators and wants desperately to be one. He would sell his country down the river if the price was right. His name is Donald Trump.
Then there’s the other guy. His name is not Donald Trump. “Wait,” you say, “it can’t be as simple as that.” But you know, I think it really is as simple as that.
Michael King, Modesto
He doesn’t care about others
Thousands of people in the U.S. have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. Many have recovered and many have also died. Regardless of the outcome, all those people had to go through their experiences without the benefit of having their loved ones by their side to comfort them, for the safety of others. Yet our current president seems to think it is OK to jeopardize the health of Secret Service agents who are working to protect him by driving in a car with them so that he can wave to his well-wishers outside Walter Reed Hospital. Unbelievable and absolutely unacceptable.
Kymn McGrath, Turlock
Elect real public servants
I hope that Donald Trump recovers fully from the COVID-19 virus. I wish him no harm, but I do not want him or his boot-lickers to be reelected. I want our government to be run by competent, honest, qualified people who are willing to work together for the good of the American people, not for their own self or party’s interest.
Glenore Flanders, Turlock