Not So RosyReader Reg Cornelia, in his recent paean to Donald Trump, tells us that we should be praising the president because of our so-called booming economy [“Mostly Wrong,” Letters, May 2]. I would like to make two points in this regard.
First, I urge readers to Google “job growth since 2008 graph.” The first item to pop up is an article from the conservative business magazine Forbes. The headline reads: “Two Charts Show Trump’s Job Gains Are Just a Continuation from Obama’s Presidency.” The accompanying graphs explain the facts in stunning simplicity.
My second point is that while the economy is hot and job growth is continuing, many Americans are not feeling the benefits. More than half of Americans are struggling to get by with less than $1,000 in savings. And, according to USA Today, 60 percent of Americans do not have enough income to pay off their credit card debt—a situation that traps them in a downward spiral of high interest payments and exorbitant bank fees.
If you are an Uber driver or are working for minimum wage at a Walmart, I am sure the economy does not seem as rosy as it does to the billionaires who received Trump’s huge tax break, or to the corporations like Amazon and Apple who no longer pay any federal taxes. This giveaway to our richest citizens and corporations is leading to record deficits. However, Republicans do have a remedy for this—and it includes massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Reader Cornelia seems ecstatic at the possible demise of the Affordable Care Act. How can you be happy to see millions of hardworking Americans lose their health insurance? Or to see millions more with pre-existing conditions like cancer or diabetes no longer able to purchase affordable insurance?
Among the many lies told by this president is his statement, “We’re going to have insurance for everybody.” On the contrary, the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare seems to be 100 percent repeal with zero replace.
Two-thirds of Americans ages 65 and older struggle with medical bills and debt. Millions of them have been forced into bankruptcy by medical emergencies. And, despite Mr. Trump’s saying, “You’ll be seeing drug prices falling very substantially in the not too distant future,” millions of Americans still must choose between buying groceries or life-saving medicines.
As for reader Cornelia’s allusion to “Russia hoaxsters,” the Mueller report and every federal security agency have stated unequivocally that Russia interfered with our 2016 elections. Yet our president stood next to Vladimir Putin and said he believed the Russian dictator when he denied any involvement.
What an embarrassment to our country.
John NeelyWesthampton Beach
Staff Writer on May 6, 2019