A common theme of stories about abusive kings is their collection of taxes to fill their treasury — a treasury they then use solely at their discretion to support personal desires and interests.
Funds intended for public welfare were frequently redirected to finance military operations without the consent of the populace or representatives. Treasury resources were regularly allocated to secure loyalty from powerful nobles and officials, thereby undermining governance and justice.
Currently, our president has decided that he, and he alone, holds the purse strings for the United States Treasury. It seems to have become his own personal checking account, from which no one will be paid unless they agree with him or kowtow to his demands.
Funds approved by the duly elected representatives of the United States are being withheld or transferred based on whether taxpayers reside in an area of the country where Trump won the election. For example, the $2.1 billion he is withholding from Chicago for critical infrastructure is only a small part of the funding and grants canceled in blue states.
Dangerously, Trump is canceling nearly $8 billion in grants for energy projects in mostly Democrat-led states. At the same time, he is allowing funding to continue for comparable projects in red states that voted for him.
From a list of over 310 approved grants canceled by the Energy Department, only a small number were for red states.
One example is the funding cancellation to improve the resilience of the power grid in Hawaii against wildfires and other extreme weather events. Not cut was the $160 million awarded from the same program for Georgia Power to make the state’s electric grid more resilient. There are hundreds more, some cutting through multistate projects.
What’s particularly alarming is it puts everyone living in these areas at risk. It doesn’t matter whether they are Democrats or Republicans. Energy security and prices are a significant concern for all taxpayers.
Receiving the benefits of our taxpayer contributions purely at the pleasure of the president reeks of a monarchical mindset. Perhaps it doesn’t sound like the actions of a king to the Republican Congress. But in this country, I believe it’s called “taxation without representation.”
— Linda Finley Belan, Chicago
Constructive advice
It seems as though many Tribune readers really believe that President Donald Trump is an evil man with malicious intents. While I agree that Trump is not a nice man, I don’t agree that his objectives are mean-spirited. No president has worked as hard as Trump does, and even his critics admire his tenacity.
During my long business career, I found that many of the most effective and successful leaders were not especially nice individuals. Therefore, instead of complaining about his character faults, how about making some constructive comments about how he could take more effective action on key issues? We do have some very serious problems that must be dealt with, but just saying Trump has significant character flaws doesn’t solve these issues.
We constantly hear that our leaders should tone down their rhetoric. Perhaps letter writers could do the same?
— Dan Schuchardt, Wheaton
The legendary Lincoln
Empathy was not an alien emotion to Abraham Lincoln, and as president of a tragically divided United States, he was always sensitive to the suffering of others. Although Frederick Douglass famously called him a “slow coach” for emancipation, he also said that Lincoln encompassed the “broadest sympathies” with “no motive apart from his country.”
Rather than rant against his political enemies, Lincoln assembled them as a “team of rivals” in order to use their talents for the benefit of everyone. Instead of relying upon gut feelings in a vacuum, he deliberated with others to provide for the greater good. His countrymen recognized his sense of fair play as the godsend that it was, and that’s why, once he was assassinated, he became a legend.
— Jack Shreve, Chicago
Chicago is showing up
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the barrage of misinformation and the back-and-forth between the media and the administration’s spin doctors. Witnessing racial profiling and Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions can drain the spirit. Feeling too tired to face the current reality is the administration’s goal. “Flooding the zone” is an intentional strategy.
Perhaps historians will refer to what we are experiencing as a Period of Persecution or the No-Democracy Era. Whatever the reasons, the fecklessness of Congress, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority acquiescing to the Donald Trump administration or general apathy with the electoral process, retribution and vindictiveness rule. Blue states are ground zero for the administration’s retaliation.
Despite the tension and distress many feel, there are steps we can take to remain focused on solutions. In some communities, residents have stepped up to sell or buy tamales. Generally, for the tamalera, selling tamales is their livelihood. In many Chicago communities, window signs let ICE agents know they are not welcome. Chicagoans from all walks of life and neighborhoods have found one common tool to counter ICE’s presence: whistles. Yes, whistles are the latest weapon in the fight against profiling and bullying presence. The whistle has become the neighborhood telephone tree.
While not getting in the way of ICE actions, the blowing of whistles, the recording of interactions with smartphones and the quick gathering of neighbors at the scene have become the grassroots response to incessant attacks. Indeed, Chicago has been the cradle of people-led movements. The 1886 Haymarket riot focused on labor and worker rights, the settlement house movement led by Jane Addams and others that provided services to newly arrived immigrant families, the 1968 Democratic National Convention demonstrations against the Vietnam War, the Black Panther Party and its free breakfast program and medical clinics, Saul Alinsky’s neighborhood organizing, the Chicago Freedom Movement and Operation Breadbasket. Harold Washington’s mayoral election and the election of Barack Obama were all rooted in local action and communities coming together for the common good.
Chicago is the City of Big Shoulders. We are showing the nation that neighbors care about each other, our shared resilience prevails, and unity stretches from north to south and east to west. Our city is not simply standing up for immigrants. Chicagoans from all walks of life are defending the fundamental rights of all who call the United States their home.
— Esther Nieves, Chicago
Statute of limitations
The United States has traditionally put a limit on the length of time someone can be prosecuted for a crime. It’s called the statute of limitations. Most crimes have one.
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Someone who has been in the United States illegally for 10 or 20 years, has committed no other crimes and is a productive member of our society should no longer be considered a criminal. These people are an important part of our society and should be free to live their lives without fear of deportation and allowed to apply for American citizenship.
— Frank Pinc, Oak Park
Better late than never
The editorial (“Kristi Noem needs to halt the ICE terrorizing of Chicago neighborhoods,” Oct. 28) demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop its raids in Chicago was nice but was long overdue.
It’s a shame that this didn’t catch the Tribune Editorial Board’s attention until it happened in rich white neighborhoods. Still, better late than never.
— Andrew Boyd, Wheaton
Misdirection of public
No money for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, no money for Affordable Care Act tax credits, but all kinds of money to waste on testing nuclear weapons, of which no one can ever use again unless you are ready for total destruction of our world!
This is all to misdirect the public. Release the Jeffrey Epstein files, Mr. President!
— Frank W. Tedesso, Harwood Heights
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