It has become a routine for me to read the paper every morning, skim through articles online throughout the day and watch the evening news while I eat dinner or do chores around the house. Much like many, if not all, Americans, I cringe at the cruel reality of the status quo in this country.
President Donald Trump had the East Wing demolished last week for his 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Originally meant to be an attachment to the very spot first lady Betty Ford called “the heart” of the nation, the ballroom has done what Trump said it won’t — impair the integrity of the “People’s House.”
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It’s the People’s House, yet the people were caught completely off guard finding a pile of rubble where the East Wing once stood. This is truly symbolic to our country’s current state. We the people run this country, and yet we’ve been left in the dark during its governance for the past 10 months. Under the guise of populism, economic reform, immigration reform and improved law enforcement, we have rising inflation, a weakened job market and American citizens getting detained by immigration enforcement agents. To cap it all off, we have a government shutdown on its way to being the longest on record.
We don’t need a ballroom where the world’s elite can slow-dance to the cries of children watching their parents get tear-gassed and thrown into the back of a van. We don’t need masked agents carrying automatic rifles on 26th Street or Avenue N, terrorizing people because their skin is brown or their surname ends with a vowel.
The donated money going toward that ballroom should go to the federal workers forced to work without pay because of the incompetence in our government. Instead of playing the blame game, Trump should prompt negotiations to reopen the government. The resources going into Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be going toward the flawed immigration system Republicans complain so frequently about; that way, people don’t have to wait two years for a court date. There are solutions to all of the issues Democrats and Republicans are concerned about, but it’s clear that optics and show are more important to our current elected officials. Let’s remind them this coming election that “current” does not mean “permanent” if the people aren’t satisfied.
We can still rebuild from the pile of rubble left on the lawn.
— Gianni Maldonado, West Lawn
Celebrating demolition
Clearly not lost on anyone who rejects the reign of President Donald Trump is the double-edged symbolism of the artificial intelligence video of his self-portrait dropping excrement on the Oct. 18 marchers and his rejoicing over the rubble of the East Wing of the White House. The people he swore to protect and the People’s House itself are his targets. So, too, is the constitutional right to peaceful protest and the laws that safeguard historic buildings — none of which he seems to respect.
For those who had stars in their eyes on Inauguration Day, Trump’s rhetoric and actions have made it plain: He never intended to protect all Americans. Instead, we’ve seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal troops — sometimes merely the threat of them — terrorizing city streets. The government is shut down; federal employees are scrambling for financial help; agencies and national properties are closed. While he demolishes the East Wing of the People’s House, he seems oblivious that slashing funds for special education, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, farming, and research into childhood cancer and other diseases also harms his own base.
The ballroom was requested by whom, exactly? Larger than the rest of the White House, with a design that will likely clash with the integrity of its historic architecture. Triple the original cost projection. “Not taxpayer-funded,” we’re told, except that he plans to use donations (in exchange for what?) or court winnings — aren’t those public funds, too?
Reminds me of the way Republicans are using the Affordable Care Act as a bargaining chip during this shutdown and leaving town (counting on the Democrats to cave?) rather than negotiate in good faith. We cannot afford such thoughtless acts of bravado that reveal one sad truth that defines Trump and his enablers: They just don’t care.
Bravo to those who do care — those pushing back, such as governors, senators, members of Congress, military leaders, mayors, former Trump aides and the countless citizens who take to the streets, bringing legal aid, food and shelter to those hardest hit by the man who would be king.
— Barbara Turner, Darien
No approval sought
In Illinois, permits are required before any construction on a home determined to be a historic landmark. I guess the laws are different in D.C.
— Ken Sutchar, Chicago
Show up to vote
The “No Kings” marches of Oct. 18 have ended (for now?), but what did they really accomplish? At the end of the day, what did the protesters do? Did they take selfies and send them to their friends? Did they post them on their social media accounts? Did they add a smug and self-satisfying entry to their progressive resumes? Were they moved by their convictions or was it all a fad, the thing to do, like a “happening” back in the 1960s?
If I sound overly cynical, I have good reason. Nothing that happened that day matters if those marchers — from New York to Chicago to ‘Frisco — don’t turn out on Nov. 3, 2026, for the congressional midterm elections, as well as on Nov. 7, 2028, for the next presidential election. If they don’t vote, all their marching and shouting amount to nothing but a lot of sound and fury.
And to turn the clock back to November 2024, where were they on Election Day? If they had turned out in similar numbers then, would this country be in the state that it is, with possibly the worst yet to come?
— John Vukmirovich, Lemont
If we want change
Over the years, and of course even recently, I read about people complaining about presidential appointees and their “qualifications to serve” in their administrations. After seeing in the Tribune about how the national debt has just reached $38 trillion, I would suggest we be a little more selective in analyzing the qualifications of our elected politicians, including the ones we repeatedly send to Washington.
If we’re looking for change, we have control of this.
— Joe Juszak, Sugar Grove
How did we get here?
My husband and I were eagerly anticipating a visit with close friends from Santa Fe, New Mexico. They canceled! The reason: all the negative news about Chicago. They feared for their safety. Their concern is that they may be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement because they may look Hispanic. They are U.S. citizens with Italian heritage, and they carry their passports wherever they go.
How did we get to this point in our history that people feel unsafe because of how they look or where they live?
— Elizabeth Butler Marren, Chicago
Sponsor an immigrant
For all the protesters who have been pestering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the “No Kings” protesters: According to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, you can file a I-864 Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the Immigration & Nationality Act. In doing so, you agree to use your financial resources to support an immigrant named on your affidavit. You are responsible for that immigrant until that person becomes a citizen or has earned 40 quarters of work. This is a legal contract that is codified in Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
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If you are that passionate about immigration, here’s how you can truly help.
— Mike Rice, Chicago
All works of fiction
I enjoyed the recent letters (Oct. 24) regarding the Republican-created fictional subversive group called antifa.
As an 84-year-old former member of the Illinois and D.C. National Guard in the 1960s, I had my share of protests and demonstrations and decided to watch the “No Kings” demonstration on television. My Donald Trump-supporting friends sarcastically asked why I didn’t showed up.
My response was that I couldn’t make it because I was at an antifa meeting with Marxists: Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo. My old uncle George Soros was there and handed us each $1 and sent us off to protest.
It beats trying to explain that Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and antifa are all the same person.
— Sheldon I. Saitlin, Boca Raton, Florida
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].