Does anyone else find it odd that Donald Trump, a huge opponent of government health care, a man who pays next to nothing in federal taxes and is all about private sector health care being the best, goes to the hospital for COVID-19 and receives government health care?
Rick Winking
Bozeman
Despotism is unacceptable, threatens our democracy
In 2018, Democratic Senate candidates won the popular vote by a margin of 54 to 46 percent, but Republicans gained two seats in the chamber. In 2016, Hilary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.8
million, but Donald Trump was installed as president. President Obama carried a mandate of victory by a margin of 5 million votes, but we were told “the American people should decide” who appoints the next Supreme Court justice.
When the American people rejected Donald Trump, he nevertheless got to appoint Obama’s stolen candidate regardless of facts. Then, two years later, minority-installed Trump appointed a second justice. Now, weeks before another election, before Ruth Ginsberg’s body was even cold, Trump announced that he would appoint a third. This was welcomed by McConnell, who cynically
rejected holding to his earlier position because he’d figure out how to spin it later — maybe something about lame ducks? The point is, power is more important than integrity and honesty.
Two earlier conservative Supreme Court justices were appointed by George W. Bush, who was also installed by a conservative Supreme Court after losing the popular vote by a margin of half a
million Americans. Donald Trump now states that he will not observe a peaceful transfer of power. The empty arguments change, but the trends remain the same. The Republicans would rule this country without the mandate of the people.
They no longer carry the consent of the governed in any branch of government, and have thereby breached the social contract of our society. America was once the bastion of democracy, and has
now fallen under the intoxicating sway of petty despotism. Our declaration is clear, despotism is unacceptable and anathema to America.
Bryce Ross
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letters to the Editor 10/25/20