Asleep at the wheel?

Are we Americans dangerously and perilously asleep at the wheel? Apparently so because we continue to allow President Trump to lie to our faces on a regular basis.

Misrepresentation of the facts is lying. Espousing an “alternate reality” is lying. Unfounded and grossly inaccurate exaggerations is lying. Glibly rearranging the facts to suit your own narrative or ego-driven reality is lying.

Are we Americans dangerously and perilously asleep at the wheel? Apparently so because President Trump still sits in the Oval Office while others accused of sexual harassment (Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly, Matt Lauer, John Conyers, Al Franken, etc.) have been fired, suspended, or forced to resign. And sadly, the people of Alabama only narrowly rejected sending an accused child molester to the U.S. Senate.

But even more troubling is the fact that President Trump regularly attacks the news media, whether television or print, as fake news. He regularly attacks this vital pillar of our democracy with this defamatory label in an attempt to undermined the one institution that will call out and expose his moral bankruptcy and his political ineptitude.

Are we Americans asleep at the wheel…have we no sense of moral outrage with a president who continuously berates others with rude and demeaning tweets; who champions a tax bill that rewards the wealthy and large corporations at the expense of the middle class and the less fortunate in our society; and who repeatedly uses his pen and the executive privilege as a means to advance the causes of special interest groups, powerful lobbies, and rich Republican donors.

The Germans were asleep at the wheel and Hitler (also profoundly ego-driven) came to power and pursued his vision of destruction. We had better wake up and tend to our precious democracy, or a similar fate could await us.

Raymond E. Komar and Kathleen Komar

Meridian

Taxing animal products a good idea 

With Congressional Republicans rushing to place a new tax bill on President’s Trump’s desk before Christmas, here comes the respected British publication The Guardian suggesting a new source of tax revenue – meat. Yes, a tax on meat, to beat the health and climate crises.

The concept is hardly radical. We already pay taxes on tobacco, alcohol, sugary sodas, plastic bags, and other consumables that afflict the public health and other social costs.

The revenue would reimburse Medicare, Medicaid and other government health care programs for treating victims of chronic diseases that have been linked conclusively with consumption of animal products. It would contribute to the costs of restoring air and water quality and wildlife habitats that have been devastated by production of these items.

Benjamin Franklin noted that nothing is certain except death and taxes. However, death can be deferred substantially by taxing the very products that make us sick.

Malcolm Williams

Meridian