President Donald Trump’s inaugural address on Friday was neither more nor less than a campaign speech. It is hard to imagine how a person could assume the most powerful position in the world, yet still remain so insecure and so needy. And given Trump’s constant pursuit of reassurance and adulation, it is also hard to believe that he will make good on his promise to “put America first.”
Stephen Dycus Strafford
In reading “Trump Nominees Diverge From Boss’ Views (Jan. 17) by Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus, it struck me that it is quite possible there was a meeting of the minds prior to confirmation hearings, ensuring confirmation by intentionally demonstrating divergent views.
If Donald Trump is really smart and operates with total disregard for ethics (as many believe to be the case), he would coach his nominees to express opinions that differ from his. In essence, they all said what the confirmation committees wanted to hear. Yet, once confirmed, the policies will move swiftly ahead in Trump glory. The charade of differing opinions will be sustained. There will be no way to prove an intentional and unified team effort to deceive.
When Trump makes a policy move, the media will be used as puppets to tell his lie that he overruled the advice of his appointees. This gives him all of the attention and all of the credit if successful. If unsuccessful, he can twist it back onto his appointees, throwing them under the bus. While this may sound like borderline conspiracy theory, it is very plausible if you consider the powerful narcissist in command.
Jean Goldsborough Reading, Vt.
The Hacking Fuss Should End
All this ongoing fighting about alleged hacking is getting tiresome. There are a few things that need to be brought out.
The revelation of the Democrat National Committee emails was not due to Russian hacking. Julian Assange of WikiLeaks has been adamant in insisting they came from a disgruntled employee at the DNC. The very nature of this document dump supports that theory. Also, computer security expert James McAfee agrees that this was not a case of Russian hacking.
Barack Obama responded to this and other possible Russian hacks by slapping sanctions on Russian leaders. That’s his prerogative. However, we now know that the Chinese hacked into the Office of Personnel Management and stole information about 27 million federal employees. Where is the punishment for this?
There have been ill-informed cries of outrage from Congress about “Russian interference in our election.” There was none, of course. The only voting irregularities found were in Detroit where there were more ballots than recorded voters.
On the other hand, Barack Obama has had no compunctions about trying to interfere in other countries’ elections. He went to England to speak against the Brexit proposal (which won, despite his pleading).
So let’s relax. The Russians tried to hack various systems. I’m sure we have cyber experts doing the same thing to them. Just get the best firewalls you can afford for your computer and keep it up to date. On a practical level, that is the best you, as an individual, can do.
Patrick O’ConnorWeathersfield
Repeal Would Hurt Millions
According to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement would result in 32 million people losing their health insurance and would double insurance premiums within a decade.
The ACA is far from perfect. It has many legitimate issues that could and should be addressed in a bipartisan manner. But repealing the law without a replacement is not only wrong, it is dangerous. It will yank health insurance away from millions of America’s most vulnerable citizens. It’s not the CEOs, insurance lobbyists or hedge fund managers who will lose their insurance.
Not a single member of Congress or congressional staffers will be affected. Instead, the bill will take health insurance away from people with pre-existing conditions, students on their parents’ insurance, and the 22,000 in New Hampshire who gained coverage for the first time under the law.
The CBO report paints a bleak picture of a post-ACA world, filled with substandard insurance, higher premiums and millions left without life-saving coverage. Make no mistake: the only people that repeal would benefit are the 2.9 percent of Americans — the richest Americans — who faced higher taxes under the law, and would face a windfall under repeal.
For the 32 million people who will be left without health insurance, repeal with no plan in place for replacing their lost insurance represents nothing less than a life-changing calamity.
Eric G. ScheuchNew London