Trump exerts power with White House demolition
For anyone who has difficulty following President Donald Trump’s many actions as he expands his power and that of the Executive Branch, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House provides a graphic example of one action. He is doing this without getting permission from the National Capital Planning Commission, which is closed because of the government shutdown, and after stating that he would not be touching the building. I have heard that the Commission deals with construction and not demolition, but I believe the White House should not be demolished without permission from some agency.
It is good to remember that the changes to the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches will be there for the next president, whoever that may be. Trump warned us that he could shoot someone on New York’s Fifth Avenue and nothing would happen to him. Thanks to the Republican Congress, I believe it is probably true.
Ann M. Saurman Winter Park
Protesters are listening to wrong info
My hunch is that if all of those protesting against President Donald Trump listened to the real news, the “No Kings” rallies wouldn’t exist. Many Americans are ill-informed due to their news resources. Left-leaning news commentators don’t allow their viewers to hear the entirety of what Trump says. Instead they cherry-pick and omit what they don’t want to be heard. As a result, Trump is quoted out of context — the very reason why Trump is disliked by many. They did the same with Joe Biden, by not allowing his bad moments to be seen on the air. But in the meantime, those protesting look like they are embarrassing themselves in front of the world. World leaders want to work with Trump. Yet many Americans refer to Trump as a fascist, Hitler and a Nazi. In a nutshell, it’s asinine.
JoAnn Lee Frank Clearwater
Where do we turn amidst the chaos?
I am an average, hard-working citizen, living in Orlando and heading towards my Medicare era. Therefore, I remember many times when our country was in chaos or crisis and we looked to the president to calm or console us, even if he was not who we chose to elect. We listened as he addressed the nation and felt safe knowing that he had our backs no matter what.
But what do we do when the current president is the cause of the chaos? Who do we turn to, then? We can’t even rely on Congress to help because Speaker Mike Johnson has sent his people on an extended (paid) vacation while many federal workers are going unpaid. I truly wish to know how people like me can feel safe again. Yes, I believe this administration wants us to fear, because fear divides. But the 7 million people who recently attended the “No Kings” protests appear to be united in being sick of the president’s lies, immoral behavior, retribution, hypocrisy, and his goal to destroy the Constitution. Many of his loyalists in Congress claim to be Christians, yet their votes speak otherwise. They seem quite happy to have children go to school hungry, millions of people kicked off their insurance (or seeing their premiums rise) and families facing tough choices because of high rent and food costs.
Who will stand up for us? We, the people, need answers.
Denise Holdridge Orlando
Open carry is a step backward
Two individuals openly carrying firearms (thanks to the state’s new court ruling) meet and have an escalating confrontation. Guns are pulled and shots fired. The survivor claims the “stand your ground” defense. It seems like thanks to our elected legislators, dueling has just been legalized.
Here in Florida, the clock has been turned back 200 years. Welcome to the 19th century.
Glen Irwin Mount Dora
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