Within a few hours of submitting my last column about Trump, the news about his tax information was released — a bombshell but not really all that unexpected. His financial shenanigans have been common knowledge for a long time but it infuriates me that the taxes I and others pay might, in effect, be subsidizing the services he receives from the government — the cost of running the agencies of the federal government — congress, the courts, the executive branch and even running the White House. He gets free rent, protection services, transportation to name only a few, as part of his pay.
Then we heard the news of all the money he owes. His refusal to tell us to whom he owed this money arouses a lot of suspicion about whether this might be a national security issue. Did he borrow money from them or are these payments for services? What services? Did these actions put him in moral debt to the creditors or make him vulnerable to blackmail? Is that why he refuses to explain these debts?
Then the news he has COVID-19. He still refuses to obey the simplest directions to prevent its further spread, and he put all those who serve him directly in physical danger. His actions while being hospitalized, his jaunt in the car, for instance, were completely reprehensible. Moving about the White House without a mask is a direct slap in the face of those who so loyally serve him.
Nor will he allow his doctors to tell us the truth and details of his physical wellbeing — information the citizens are entitled to. Serving in a high elective office and running for that office forfeits individual privacy on some issues and the state of the person’s health is one of these issues. Financial dealings are another. I find myself proposing legislation, or if necessary, a constitutional amendment, making release of this information mandatory for certain public officials with severe penalties for failure to do so or providing false information.
We also need laws preventing the use of federal property for political purposes such as rallies, television advertising and other purely political purposes. He wants to create television spots and rallies etc. at the White House without paying rent or reimbursing the costs for making them — which includes the costs of pay for hours spent by employees, guards, etc. away from their usual duties on these activities. It is not acceptable. Those costs should be billed to his election committee at the very least. These should apply to the entire time he has been running as a candidate, both declared and officially named.
Further, I hope any of the White House employees who suffer from coronavirus as a result of direct contact with his failure to wear protective masks or engage in other recommended procedures, sue the pants off him for any permanent damages they suffer as a result of his actions. This danger was not something they reasonably bargained for when they took these jobs.
I find myself at a loss to understand the mentality, judgement and intelligence of those who continue to support this man for high office. I see it as a terrible reflection on the quality of our educational system. Our country is the laughingstock of the entire world. His words and deeds have destroyed any claim our country used to enjoy to being a sterling example to the rest of the world.
If we are to restore our good name and reputation, we must vote this man out of office and undo the damage he has inflicted on the rest of, not only our country, but the rest of the world. His denial of climate change and his pulling us out of those international organizations designed to solve our mutual climate problems has put us at odds with all our traditional allies. It is time to send this idiot packing, even if we have to phusically carry him out of the White House.
Lenna Harding lived her first 20 and past 43 years in Pullman. A longtime League of Women Voters member, she served on the Gladish Community and Cultural Center board. Reach her at lj1105harding@gmail.com.
October 16, 2020 at 02:00PM
https://dnews.com/opinion/her-view-it-s-past-time-to-send-this-man-packing/article_ba8eb27a-d508-521e-b2f9-91359a5a10c7.html
Her View: It's past time to send this man packing - Moscow-Pullman Daily News
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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