In letters: A history lesson for Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency | Opinion

‘Wooden-headed’ ones

Elon Musk and his non-Department of Government Efficiency are saying that they will cut government spending by $2 trillion to balance the federal budget. They are right that the current deficit is around $2 trillion and that continuing deficits at that level is unsustainable.

What they seem to forget is that we got here because of income tax cuts passed under the Trump, Bush and Reagan administrations that were supposed to pay for themselves by stimulating growth. Just as Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall, and didn’t, the tax cuts stimulated deficits, stock buybacks and massive income and wealth inequality, not growth.

Rather than learn from these failures, the Trump administration now wants to pass more tax cuts to make billionaires a little richer and pay for it by cutting grandma’s Social Security check.

This is a prime example of what historian Barbara Tuchman called wooden-headedness in government. She cites the example of King Phillip II of Spain, of whom it was said that “no experience of the failure of his policy could shake his belief in its essential excellence.” Sounds like he could have been part of the Trump team.

Christopher Toews

San Luis Obispo

He can’t have our minds

Thomas Bridge’s letter of Nov. 24 rings profoundly true for me. He concisely sums up the dread of the coming administration and its long-range ramifications.

Still, I cannot keep my head in the sand that long. Further resistance requires awareness. It’s a fine and dicey line, a real challenge. To paraphrase Bill Maher, “(Donald) may be president but he can’t have my mind.” The slide into despair must be avoided. It would only feed the sh--t show.

Might we, instead, view recent events as a challenge...? Then, make of it a project to find our way to meet it. Things change. There’s a mid-term election in two years and campaigns will begin soon.

Somehow, we must carve out a path of RESISTance, transforming fear and passion into action. I heard said that faith involves the capacity to see what is ‘possible’. We can’t know anything with certainty. There will be legal challenges, and a handful of congressional representatives and senators might even discover courage.

Susan Pyburn

San Luis Obispo

One powerful ‘flash’

A recent Tribune reports “A new flash of rainfall Tuesday morning caused multiple car crashes that backed up traffic in areas throughout the county.”

I want to know how the rain “caused multiple car crashes?” New magic? Some quantum leap of water that replaced the drivers?

Please elaborate. I am sure it will win a Nobel Prize.

Jim Carlisle

Atascadero

Sign the ‘ethics pledge’

As everyone knows, Donald Trump won the recent presidential election. With that victory he earned the right to appoint his cabinet. But he also has a responsibility to appoint qualified candidates, who have the experience and background to run our country efficiently and safely. We live in a very complicated and dangerous time, with wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa. We live with the threat of international and domestic terrorism. These dangers and threats make it essential that the president elect’s choices have the necessary skills, international contacts and relationships to smoothly transition the new administration.

To ensure that the cabinet nominees are qualified, the Senate has the responsibility to vet those nominees. To bypass the vetting process would be a dangerous, autocratic move, which gives the president too much power. The president and all of his cabinet should also sign the “ethics pledge,” which affirms their commitment to promote the public interest, avoid favoritism, avoid conflicts of interest, be impartial and be a good steward of public resources.

Doug Perrin

San Luis Obispo

What’s up with Trump’s choices?

What is it with Trump’s nominees? It seems to me that the cabinet and senior adviser nominees put forth are nearly all so unacceptable they invite disbelief, ridicule and let’s face it, disgust.

Why would this slate be put forward? Trump has “suggested” to the Senate that members take a recess (or a hike) so he can appoint them without review and consent.

So, what gives? Could it be that, like a little child, he put forth the totally unacceptable, knowing most will be rejected? Then he can nominate others who are just a hair better. Once Congress and the people see how low he can go into the pool, his team hopes we will breathe a sigh of relief and accept thieves, rapists, drug users, scoundrels — though to borrow a phrase from Trump, I assume some are “good people.”

Ron Gottesman

Arroyo Grande

This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 7:18 AM.