Letter to the Editor: Wilson: Is ‘Trump endorsed’ a good thing?
Every day for months, I have seen an ad that reads “Mike Rounds: Trump Endorsed.” So Sen. Rounds is proud of that?
After years of carefully avoiding any criticism of Donald Trump, Sen. Rounds finally has questioned Trump’s order to import foreign beef. After all, that will further stress South Dakota’s drought-stricken beef producers. But otherwise, Rounds has never challenged the president on any important issue, never questioned his orders and his edicts, even when they violated the Constitution.
This is the President who, without consulting Congress, took our country on what he called a “brief excursion,” the seemingly endless war against Iran that has killed 18 U.S. service members, wounded 750 more, killed more than 3,000 Iranians, including bombing a wedding party this week, cut off 20% of the world’s oil supply, and depleted our military defense capabilities.
The Donald Trump who willy-nilly imposes tariffs, even against friendly nations like Canada. The tariffs, along with his war, have raised the price of fuel and groceries and most everything Americans buy.
This is the man who knocked down a wing of the White House to build his Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom, forked over millions to an unqualified contractor for a botched job on the reflecting pool, demanded that his name be emblazoned on the art center that honors President Kennedy, is circulating a gold dollar coin with his face on it, and plans to build a triumphal arch to honor himself.
This is the president who has enriched himself by $2.2 billion since returning to office last year, more than half of that from a crypto-currency scheme in which investors lost money.
The president, who in sharp departure from the policy of all previous presidents, has in his second term referred 36 issues to the so-called “emergency docket” of his hand-picked Supreme Court, giving him unprecedented power to fire federal employees, deport immigrants who have legal status, make voting more difficult, and attack civil rights that have long been taken for granted.
The Donald Trump under whom the national debt has doubled since he first took office, and has grown by 10 percent since January of last year.
The president who overthrew the Venezuelan government to take that country’s oil, and is putting a man accused by the U.S. and other countries of embezzlement and money laundering in charge of extracting it.
The man who routinely insults anybody who crosses his path and calls them names that we would ground our children for using, and who attacks even Republican senators if they dare to question him. From a strictly political point of view, it is understandable why office holders maintain silence when they should stand up. But don’t we elect our senators to represent us, and not the whims of a would-be king?
And yet, Sen. Rounds is proud to be endorsed by Trump! But besides Rounds’ 35-year political career and his loyalty to Trump, what else does he have to run on? Ask yourself, what has Mike Rounds done for you? In his 12 years in the U.S. Senate, what major legislation has he passed that serves the interests of ordinary South Dakotans?
Fortunately, voters have the choice to vote for an Independent candidate who will not be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.
Jerry Wilson
Vermillion
