Trump’s ‘illusion of competency’
As Democracy’s Death Day and the Coronation of King Donald — so titled by Supreme Court sucklicants — approaches, KD sought to shut down the government before ascending the throne. Miraculously, 170 Republicans sprouted backbones for a minute, and kept the gov’t functioning. However, the king continues his wet dream to render the Constitution impotent under Project 2025.
According to HuffPost, authoritarianism expert, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University and scholar — conspicuously absent in Trumplandia — Ruth Ben-Ghiat writes of Trump’s “illusion of competency.” Ben-Ghiat says authoritarians like Trump lead people into believing they “would like to be relieved of the burden of choice.” Why one asks? Ben-Ghiat says, “They think he’s competent, one of the biggest scams of all.” RB-G wrote, “This is reassuring to some people,” aka — congressional Republicans who lobotomized themselves — “It is very sad because, throughout history, people have all eventually discovered that this has brought disaster. The illusion of competency is very important to Trump ...”
Our national shame is the government will shut down this March because a billionaire controls his puppet. Which billionaire you ask, o’er the incoming boys club of billionaires and four grossly unqualified nominees.
Always Trumpers — you know the answer — a man who doesn’t care about Americans — none other than Satan’s billionaire, whose head is growing on KD’s shoulder, the immigrant, a man devoid of morality. This migrant is among people whom Trump dictates as “poisoning the blood of America,” whose lone, selfish interest is his taxes should be paid by someone else — VOILA! The other president — Elon Musk.
Jim Roach
Moscow
Incendiary piece shouldn’t have been printed
The Daily News should not have published Scotty Anderson’s column, “The Left Solves its Problems with Murder.” (Dec. 21) The incendiary piece violates all notions of civil discourse, demonizes the half of Americans who identify as Democrats, and presents false information. What we need is mutual respect and understanding, not this.
Contrary to Anderson’s contention, a vast majority of Democrats do not condone murder. The White House condemned the “horrific” killing of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. Anderson alludes to Taylor Lorenz’s unfortunate welcoming of Thompson’s murder as sparking a conversation about the problems of American health care. While we do need such a discussion, Lorenz does not reflect a common Democratic view.
Anderson refers to a recent survey by Emerson College finding that 41% of adults under 30 condone Thompson’s murder. Those respondents included Republicans, Independents and Democrats, so, while the result is shocking, it’s not partisan.
Anderson uses an appalling phrase to describe older Americans more likely to condemn murder: “People who were raised at a time when parents spanked their kids.” Research on spanking shows that it is ineffective and leads to violence and antisocial behavior.
Many Democrats strongly condemned the attempted assassination of Trump immediately afterward, and Biden said, “There is no place for political violence.” The left did not “cheer” after the attempted assassination.
Anderson uses the tired trope that abortion is murder. Eighty percent of Americans who want abortion to be legal in at least some cases do not equate abortion with murder.
Leonard Garrison
Moscow
Low-information problem
Thank you, Larry Kirkland, for proving the point about the low-information problem. While you complain about high inflation, you cite a man on the street opinion, “It’s the economy, stupid.” No data points, no factual information, just an opinion.
If the economy is bad, why is it fuel prices are lower this year than the previous year? Why were so many people traveling during the holidays? Why are retail sales so high? Hint: It is because people figured they could afford the expenses. Ergo, it is not the economy. You see, facts and opinions can be vastly different. Your low opinion of the mainstream media tells me that you qualify as a low-information person.
There are other hints most people are low-information gatherers. The reductions of daily news outlets; the fact that 86% of Americans get their information from digital sources which use algorithms that feed you the information they think you will like, not counter arguments or interpretations of facts; recent polls indicating people are shutting off cable news outlets.
Your ad hominem attacks against (William) Brock and (Nick) Gier as nonbelievers is the icing on the cake. There are eight types of truth, spiritual or religious truth being only one, as Hebrews 11:1 affirms: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Brock and Grier may not be dealing with spiritual truth, but that does not mean they cannot discern other forms of truth. Again, thank you for proving what it means to be a low-information person.
Wayne Beebe
Pullman
