Dear editor:
Steve Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, in or out of the White House, was interviewed in an Nov. 6, 2017, Time Magazine piece by Massimo Calabresi, titled "The Wrecking Crew." He said President Trump's Cabinet is dismantling government agencies. Mr. Bannon states "the mission of the Trump administration is the deconstruction of the administrative state and that all Trump's Cabinet appointees were chosen for a reason, and the reason is deconstruction." Deconstruction means diminishing and even ending the agencies they were chosen to lead.
The agencies being deconstructed assure that we have clean air, pure water, fair labor laws, fair housing standards, anti-discrimination laws, financial protections, food and drug safety, and schools with national education standards. The thousands of people employed by these agencies are there because of their expertise. They are competent professionals. They are not elected. They are not politicians.
Federal agencies serve all 50 states. No state or locality is treated with preference over another. Cabinet members that administer an agency are there to support the career professionals with the revenue and resources they need to accomplish the agency's mission. It is immoral and unpardonable to appoint Cabinet members to weaken or destroy those programs that protect us.
When the EPA responds to a toxic waste spill or tells a coal company that it can't pollute the surrounding air and water with carcinogens, it is protecting Americans. When the Department of Health and Human Services administers a nationwide program of medical care for the elderly, it is providing for all Americans.
When Trump deconstructs the agencies that protect humanity, he grants his billionaire oligarchs, corporations and industry the unrestrained right to do whatever they want, even when it's harmful to the health and welfare of American citizens. It's unethical and criminal. Cabinet members Wilbur Ross, Rick Perry, Ryan Zinke, Betsy DeVos, Tom Price, Ben Carson, Scott Pruitt and Elaine Chao were all chosen to deconstruct and abolish their agencies.
America elected a president who is unprofessional and unfit to govern, an egocentric, psychologically confused man making daily decisions that may well destroy America as we know it. The president listens to and surrenders to the alt-right ideologues in the White House. His decisions are not based on logic and fact, and is making decisions on false information and false beliefs.
What can we do about this? It is not enough just to be concerned, we must act. Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to show up and vote choosing wisely and by calling, writing, texting and emailing our senators and representatives. If we don't agree with our senators and representatives positions and actions, we need to inform them of that. We often think that we are powerless, but we have the power of the vote as witnessed on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, with Democratic victories from East to West. Voter power works!
George Lindholm
Hot Springs
Editorial on 11/11/2017