A recent letter claimed poisoning of minds of voters, by those who “lied and withheld news of Trump’s accomplishments…one of the best presidents of our lifetime.” That boggles the mind: that president is, among other things, the one whose ignorance alone was responsible for so many needless deaths during less than one year of coronavirus. Remembering so many ways those words don’t fit into our recent history, I decided to look up some of the truths left behind about that so-called “good man.”
For starters, of course, we can remember his known sexual misconduct as well as his lying, harassment, bullying, unabashed white supremacy and his extraordinary openly racist views. It could take President Biden four years to restore the environmental policies Trump methodically blew up; damage done by greenhouse gas pollution unleashed by Trump’s rollbacks, may be one of the most profound legacies of his term. Thankfully, most of Trump’s environmental policies, erasing or loosening almost 100 rules and regulations on air pollution, water and atmosphere can
eventually be reversed.
The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell wrote about “repairing the machinery of government corroded by Trump’s incompetence and malevolence.” Rampell believes “…Biden’s transition eam’s urgent attention will…have to deal with policy, people and public trust.” For example, “…journalists and others have shown us in various ways the damage Trump inflicted upon major policy arenas and federal agencies, and what it will take to put immigration, the environment, trade and healthcare back together.”
We can’t forget Trump’s responsibility for the current coronavirus deaths — now (as I write) 268,626 in our country.
Those of us with great regard for Biden and Harris are taking these coming tasks with great fervor and most of all, we’ll delight in Trump’s absence. The country will be so much better off.
Dan Lourie
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 12/6/20