No massive abuse or waste in federal gov’t
It seems that many of the people with the strongest opinions about the problems with government are unhampered by any actual knowledge or experience.
It is simply false to say, as one letter writer stated, that the government runs on DEI or is filled with fraud, waste and abuse. The vast majority of government employees are people who come to work every day committed to doing their jobs and serving the public. I say this based on over 40 years of experience in the federal government.
Administration after administration has come into office with promises of rooting out massive fraud, waste and abuse. None have succeeded for the simple reason that there was no massive fraud, waste and abuse. Rather than finding actual problems, the current administration has chosen to randomly gut federal programs no matter how important they are to the nation.
LARRY AUERBACH, ATLANTA
Country is in crisis. Who will speak up?
Our country is in a crisis. Not potentially or possibly. Now!
Presidential pardons for violent criminals send the message that violent crimes in support of this president’s wishes are okay. Groups of laptop-toting cyber sleuths, unvetted or with any security clearance, have unfettered access to highly sensitive personal and company data. Are they selling this stuff to the Russians and the Chinese? We have no idea.
What are our corporate leaders saying? Our president and our Congress have abdicated their constitutional responsibilities. Musk, unelected, is destroying the livelihoods of our fellow citizens, shattering the hopes of millions around the world, and making us think it is in our best interest. Ours or his? Then makes jokes about it.
Who is speaking up for us? Is there no courage or dignity left?
MARK SALTSMAN, MILTON
Unjustified mass firings are by design
Even Republicans are now complaining about Musk’s tactics and calling (tepidly) for “less chaos” and “more dignity.” But it’s not about chaos or even dignity. It’s about unfairness and cruelty.
Most of the victims of this cruelty are not high-ranking political appointees. They’re nonpolitical workers who simply took jobs with good pay, hours and benefits, like we all aim for. They should be treated fairly according to their job performance when it comes to being fired or laid off. Instead, they are randomly fired without explanation or any semblance of due process. Unjustified mass firings and layoffs are upending real people’s lives.
Where does this culture of unfairness and cruelty originate? Not with Musk or Trump, but Russell Vought, who co-authored Project 2025, and gave a pretty clear expression of it. He said, “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want to put them in trauma.”
So, it’s cruelty by design. It must stop.
JENNY SUTTON, WOODSTOCK
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