I have struggled with this posting for a couple of weeks now, and I am still not totally comfortable with it. Our country is so divided, and I know that some readers don’t always agree with me. That’s totally OK, but I feel the need to share my concerns about our country and our democracy.

Donald Trump won the presidential election in November 2024; most commentators says that the number one reason people voted for him was their concern about the economy. Although he only won by a small plurality, he and his administration have often claimed to have a mandate, and he has certainly sought to govern as if he did, overturning norms and frequently ignoring the courts when they tell him he is acting illegally.

The president manages to dominate the news; I was just looking at the NYT online on my phone. As I scrolled through the top 15 headlines, he was mentioned in 12 of them and seldom in a good light: tariffs, ICE raids, Ukraine, and the economy just to name a few.

My biggest concern is what I see as an assault on our democratic norms. The president has sent national guard troops and ICE agents to Democrat run cities all around the country, supposedly to maintain peace and roundup so called “illegal” criminal immigrants. Never mind that most of these cities having falling crime rates and moreover have not asked for any assistance to maintain law and order or restore peace. Recently two national guard soldiers were shot in Washington, DC, and one of them, a 20 year old young woman died from her injuries. Trump has blamed the “crazy left” for these deaths., but he is wrong.

I am deeply sorrow for this woman’s death, but she would not have been shot and died had Trump not illegally chosen to occupy the streets of our nation’s capital. Just a few days before this incidence, a federal judge had declared that the president’s use of masked and armed ICE agents and national guard troops was unlawful; a fact that the president and his administration have chosen to ignore.

The week before Thanksgiving, the Trump Administration presented a 28 point peace plan to Ukraine, which was clearly authored by Putin and the Russian Government. Among the many problems this peace plan contains is a proposal to give away one fifth of Ukraine’s territory to the Russian aggressor. The plan would also force Ukraine to reduce its army and prohibit the country from joining NATO and the EU.

Our Secretary of State seems not have known anything about this proposal and worked with European leaders to improve the proposal. I recently read that Ukraine, with the support of Europe, has rejected the proposal. While the world dithers, though, Russia continues to wage their horrible and illegal war on Ukraine. Every Ukrainian daily lives under the threat of a Russian attack, and thousands of civilians, including many children have died unnecessarily. Ukraine’s freedom is our freedom; we need to do everything possible to maintain their freedom.

Just a few days ago, the Trump Administration released the revised National Security Strategy, which is mandated by Congress. It looks like America and Europe and as well as other allies are going their separate ways. This administration would have us abandon NATO and other security pacts around the world as we pursue an America First strategy. Why are we doing a complete votte-face or about face after we have enjoyed 80 years of peace? How can anyone believe that a world dominated by a few superpowers, abetted by bad actors like Iran and North Korea, can possibly be the correct path?

Now it looks like our current, totally inept Secretary of Defense thinks that engaging in war crimes is a good policy. Despite what the President says, we are not at war with Venezuela. Congress has not authorized a war. Narco-traffickers are not terrorists and trying to smuggle illegal drugs like cocaine and fentanyl into our country is not an act of war, as reprehensible as it is. We do not have the legal right or authority to willy-nilly shoot boats out of the water in the Caribbean or kill shipwrecked survivors after we have blown up their boat. These people are not a threat to the United States. This is a a desperate attempt to distract us from a failing presidency.

It looks like Congress might be beginning to push back on the illegal acts of this administration. I surely hope so. The Supreme Court is completely owned by Trump and his cronies, but most of the lower court judges continue to be willing to tell the President he is wrong, even if he and his henchmen decide not to abide by their rulings.

Finally, how are you feeling about the economy? If you make more than $200,000 a year and are enjoying the exhilarating stock market ride, probably pretty good. If, on the other hand, you depend on Medicaid or SNAP you are most likely feeling uneasy and wondering how you are going to feed your family or pay for your medicines. Most recipients of Medicaid or SNAP are working full time or taking care of children or a sick or aged parent. Finding a place to live is becoming increasing difficult as well. And lest we forget, Trump and his family have increased their wealth this year by FIVE BILLION DOLLARS!

PS: Just as I was getting ready to post this, I heard the news that the US had seized a Venezuelan oil tanker…can a full blown war be far away?