I can understand why conservatives are concerned about government efficiency. Liberals are too. But what boggles my mind is how conservatives can be proud to support an elected leader who is a serial liar, convicted sexual predator, convicted felon, convicted scammer (c.f. Trump University), wife cheater, and narcissist and would-be king whose main litmus test for his appointments is loyalty rather than competence (c.f. Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Kash Patel).
The next time there is an environmental disaster near your home, don’t look for the EPA to help. The next time you get scammed by a financial institution, don’t look to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help. The next time a pandemic occurs, don’t look to the Center for Disease Control to help. The next time one of your children needs help with financial aid for college, don’t look to the U.S. Department of Education to help. The next time there is a climate disaster, don’t look to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help. And please don’t complain when you can’t reach the IRS to ask a tax question or the Social Security Administration to find out why your benefit check or 1099 form is delayed. All of those government operations are being emasculated by Mr. Trump.
Jay Devore
Professor Emeritus of Statistics
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo