Rosie Hartzler lives in Windham.
I was very disturbed by James Deyermond’s op-ed, “After the State of the Union, Maine is facing a choice” (March 3). Deyermond states that “Americans have seen progress on issues … inflation has eased, gas prices have come down … wages stretching further.” He asserts that this progress is a result of policies that emphasize growth, accountability and fiscal responsibility.
I am confused as to how we measure growth. The headline in the Business section of the Portland Press Herald on March 7 read, “US economy lost 92,000 jobs in February.” Chief economist Heather Long was quoted in this article: “ The job market is struggling in the face of so many headwinds.”
In spite of President Trump’s assertions about the booming economy, I contend that Trump’s tariffs are making America less affordable for everyone, and hurting farmers and businesses that import and export products.
Interesting that Mr. Deyermond did not mention anything in his op-ed about the Republican- backed “big, beautiful bill” passed this past summer. A consequence of this bill will be that an estimated 31,000-40,000 Mainers are projected to lose their health care, and experts say Maine’s health systems, which receive a large percentage of their revenue from Medicare and Medicaid, will take a significant hit as a result.
Then there is the area of accountability. The op-ed seemed to indicate that if Trump’s standards of accountability would be instituted, then issues swirling around the “improper Medicaid payments (here in Maine) ” that recent federal audits revealed would not have even happened.
Just to be clear — improper payments do not equal fraud. I suspect that this probe into Medicaid payments will turn out to be another one of Trump’s vindictive, politically motivated attacks on Gov. Mills.
Maybe the most blatant example of how the Trump regime has not been accountable is his unilateral decision to engage in what has been termed a “war of choice” with Iran. There has never been a plausible rationale presented to the American people for why Trump is engaging in this war. Trump determined that he alone had the power to take the country into a war at an estimated price tag of $ 1 billion per day, to be paid by the American taxpayer.
Sounds like taxation without representation!
Then in terms of accountability, there is the ongoing coverup of Trump’s involvement with and potential collaboration with Jeffrey Epstein. I predict that when the evidence is fully presented that this is going to become one of the biggest scandals that America has ever witnessed.
Finally, the op-ed indicated that current policies of Trump’s regime demonstrate fiscal responsibility. There are the multiple examples of how Trump is blatantly using the office of the president to enrich his family ‘s worth. The New York Times put it pretty succinctly: ” One year ago, Donald Trump took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he has focused on using the presidency to enrich himself.”
News organizations project that “Mr. Trump has used the office of the presidency to make at least $1.4 billion.”
Mr. Deyermond, this is outright corruption. I am dismayed that the chair of the Maine Republican Party would propose that the state of Maine embrace the principles of growth, accountability and fiscal responsibility as exemplified by the Trump regime.
You state that accountability is the foundation of trust. I cannot agree more. Yet, trust
is not something I assign to the current Trump regime.