Countering point of view on Trump

Posted 7/26/18

To the Editor: On July 22, 2018, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Providence Journal after President Trump's ludicrous performance with Russian President Putin at the Helsinki summit. I quoted former CIA Director John Brennan who asked, Republican"

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Countering point of view on Trump

Posted

To the Editor:

On July 22, 2018, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Providence Journal after President Trump's ludicrous performance with Russian President Putin at the Helsinki summit. I quoted former CIA Director John Brennan who asked, "Republican patriots: Where are you?"

I explained that I am a Republican who has had it with President Trump. That I had supported him on tax cuts and on reining in federal regulatory agencies whose actions have been far outside of their congressionally-approved authority.

I further opined that after Trump's Helsinki disaster, the Republican Party would suffer irreparable harm if it continues its almost unconstrained support of the president. That tax and regulatory relief is being overshadowed by Trump's abject stupidity in areas where a president must display intelligence and diplomacy. And, that based on Trump's one-sided support of Putin at Helsinki, surely Putin has dirt on Trump or Trump is a certified idiot.

I closed with the opinion that if the Republican Party doesn't distance itself from Trump, even if it is only occasionally denying him congressional support, the party will be lost to the next generation or two.

Three days after the Journal published my letter, I received a handwritten letter through the U.S. Postal Service from a Providence widow who vigorously disagreed with me. I thought about sending it to the Journal in hopes it would be published as a counter-argument to my letter. However, the Journal's policy on length of letters precluded that. I sincerely believe the widow's opinion deserves the same publicity I received - thus, this letter to the Beacon. Here is the verbatim response I received from the Providence widow.

"Seriously, grow up and stop listening to the socialistic propaganda on the news. Everyone thinks they are pundits and all knowing. We know nothing!

"Trump isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I still support him. I was a loyal liberal for most of my 71 years. NO MORE! Free phones, free food, free housing, free healthcare, free education, STOP.

"I was a widow at 44 with five kids to raise. No one gave us anything for free. I am still working at 71 because I cannot afford to retire. Washington, D.C. is a den of thieves. No one there likes Trump because he is an outsider. He has made a mistake with Putin but no worse than Obama or Clinton mistakes. No one cared then. No one cared about detention centers then either.

"Democrats want socialism and we are not far from it now. My neighbor is being forced to sell her home for nursing home care. Two other neighbors have reverse mortgages to pay for their spouses care. However, a girl I know is a Brown graduate, her parents are illegal immigrants, and she brought her illegal immigrant mother to RI when she had a stroke. She pays nothing for her care! The woman has a husband and two college graduate children! My son's friend married an Iranian who brought her mother here to live. Her mother gets social security. No wonder it is going broke!

"I am tired of working and following the rules only to see other people circumvent laws and receive more.

"If all the Republicans did what was right for the country instead of their own self-serving agenda, maybe we could get somewhere."

For whatever reason, the widow either didn't have the desire to send her comments to a newspaper or she lacked knowledge of how to do so. In either case, I think her opinion has some validity. Certainly, it shows why some Americans, especially older Americans with meager fixed incomes, feel the Democratic Party represents only those who are taking advantage of taxpayers' forced largesse.

Lonnie Barham

Warwick

Comments

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  • Straightnnarrow

    Mr Barham is another whiny RINO who has experienced a melt down with no recovery is in sight. "Surely Putin has dirt on Trump or Trump is a certified idiot."

    The good widow is right to be outraged at the way our government has sided with the open border, free tuition, free food, free medical, free cell phone crowd whose only response is "you are a racist?" Three cheers for her bold declaration!!!

    Friday, July 27, 2018 Report this

  • JohnStark

    Trump Style: Icky.

    Trump Substance: Demonstrably and quantitatively productive.

    You choose.

    Monday, July 30, 2018 Report this