Execute a general? Shun disabled veterans? With Trump, there’s no bottom. | Opinion

How low will Trump go?

Donald Trump, living life like a limbo contest at a drunken frat party; the lower he goes, the louder his pals cheer. Call for the execution of a decorated military leader? Low. Toss out the name and picture of a court clerk to the mob for the purpose of intimidation? Lower still. Telling staff to keep disabled veterans away from his parades and events because it makes him look bad? Rock bottom.

But why stop with these examples? Choose from many other of his posts, comments, asides and ramblings when you play the home version of “How low can he go.” Because with Trump, there’s no telling.

Ross DeAeth, Lexington

Unyielding support

What in the name of God does former President Donald Trump have to do to make his supporters have second thoughts about him? Shoot and kill somebody on 5th Avenue? His supporters would immediately come to his defense if he did that without knowing the what, why, when, where, and how, of the situation.

The man can’t help himself. He is the most self-destructive person on the planet right now. His need for attention and the need to be in the spotlight is killing him. The things he has admitted to these past few days reaffirms what everybody’s already thinking. That Trump is crazy as hell. I mean, the man is way out there, living in his own alternative universe where everything is what he says it is. Everything he says in front of a camera will be played in court and used as evidence against him. If I were Trump’s lawyer, he would have to pay me double.

Yolanda Averette, Lexington

Debt problems

In a recent op-ed, “It isn’t hopeless. We can fix our debt, deficit problems,” former U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) had a number of conceptual and technical errors about the U.S. monetary system. They describe investments in Treasuries as debt owed to foreigners and describe Social Security as a system of payments that could go insolvent. There are other errors, like the ones above, that ignore how the Federal Reserve manages the banking system. One is that the government must spend (or lend) before dollars can be either taxed or saved.

For more on the spending/taxing sequence, the tie between interest rates and inflation, and other insights, start with Warren Mosler and Stephanie Kelton. Mosler wrote the MMT White Paper and is (one of) the theoreticians of Modern Monetary System. Kelton wrote The Deficit Myth.

The monetary system as conceived in the Constitution and managed by Congress should be used as a public utility for public purpose. Understanding the nature, practices, and constraints of our system is the only way to discern the veracity of claims and proposals from politicians like Portman and Conrad.

Todd Kelly, Lexington

Song criticism

Most of us have heard the criticisms of Kentucky’s state song, “My Old Kentucky Home.” Sure enough, we know this song was used in “black-face” minstrel shows about 180 years ago and also sung in racially insensitive movies 80 to 90 years ago.

I’m not a historian but I suspect Stephen Foster did not write this song for those purposes and it seems to me most Kentuckians do not see the song that way, either. So, those abuses do not define “My Old Kentucky Home” for us.

We see that the song is the story of the fictional Uncle Tom in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” He endures the cruelties of slavery in the hope of meaningfully practicing the non-violence of Jesus.

His ability to find meaning in his life is very hard to understand. Whether or not, he accomplishes his purpose is a matter of generations of debate.

Maybe that is the point of the story and the song. Non-violence practices in the face of over-whelming power are counterintuitive. It’s hard for us to understand the fictional character, Uncle Tom, but deep down inside we know that we have to keep trying until we get it.

Tom Louderback, Louisville

Racial aggression

While talking with Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins, who is black, white school board member Thomas E. Jones made a remark about officials monkeying around with the budget. He was called out for racial microaggression. Jones acknowledged his wrong. He apologized for it, agreed to undergo equity training and asked for forgiveness.

Calling Black People monkeys is stamped in our nation’s history, and our school officials are on alert for such microaggressions—those small actions that oppress. If Jones had said to Superintendent Liggins, “You are going to monkey this budget up,” then school officials would have a sharper incident that Jones harbors racists tendencies.

Nevertheless, I hope administrators don’t get so carried away fighting microaggressions that they create a new repression, where board members fear careless comments could get in the way of fixing Lexington’s lowest performing schools, addressing concerns about central office staff spending, or solving teacher shortages. You get the picture.

Jim Kurz, Lexington

Dsyfunctional Congress

Congress has become completely dysfunctional. The partisan battles over the budget and debt ceiling have damaged our country’s reputation internationally. The concern over spending and the budget is legitimate. The lack of communication, bipartisan cooperation, or compromise impede any real progress in the House of Representatives. There is a solution which has been overlooked like an elephant in the room. Removing the Trump tax cuts for corporations and the very wealthy would infuse money into the government coffers paying down the debt and funding appropriations (including the IRS).

Nearly every person in the country must file and pay taxes or face penalties. Why should this segment be exempt? The myth of the “trickle down economics” has been around since the Reagan administration, but has only benefited the wealthy. The disparity between the incomes of average Americans and the very wealthy is larger than ever. If Congress would put the good of the nation over partisanship, this tax cut would be reversed. The wealthy should fulfill their part in funding our country.

Cheryl Keenan, Lexington

Elitist paratransit

LexTran’s new rules for Wheels paratransit patrons are appallingly ABLIST, ELITIST, and inefficient. Shopping parcels and laundry are limited to only what the patron (or an assistant if they have one) can carry. Drivers will no longer be able to assist. Tell me how this works for people using wheel chairs, walkers, or other mobility aids, folks who have weight limitations on what they can lift/carry, or who have debilitating arthritis.

If a person can only manage one or two grocery bags per trip, this means more trips clogging the already packed Wheels scheduling. Talk about stupid! Time for disabled persons is just as precious as for anyone else. Due to existing problems since RaptDEV took over last October, a round trip to the grocery can already take up to six hours including wait and bizarre ride times.

A trip to a food pantry generously means quite a few bags — a lifeline for people whose rent and utilities strip their budget. LexTran’s new rule is disgustingly elitist. It will prevent those who are disabled and in need of food assistance from getting food they need.

None of this is acceptable.

Betsy Packard, Lexington

Compiled by Liz Carey