Loose Leaf Notes

Is pardoning violent rioters who desecrated the Capital and assaulted and injured police the way to make America great?  What about denying an election loss, refusing a peaceful transfer of power and scheming to overturn the election in order to retain power?

What about Trump’s intention to “expand our territories?” Are we in the colonial times?  Is starting a tariff war with our neighbors and largest trading partners the way to make America great? What about buying Greenland and not ruling out taking it by force with our military, is that great?

Is Trump’s latest grift to enrich himself with cryptocurrency (after trashing it in 2019) making America Great when unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behavior. Who needs money laundering? Who wants to buy an election? Trump did so by promising the billionaires big tax cuts, and they all gave him millions and were front and center at his inauguration. But I bet Billionaire Mark Cuban wasn’t there. Cuban says about Trump and Melania’s meme coins, “I’m a crypto fan. This is not crypto any more than Bernie Madoff was just buying and selling shares of stock.”

Is rescinding Biden-era executive orders for lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Americans, losing insurance for pre-existing conditions, gutting our social security while giving tax credits to the rich, or dropping out of the Paris climate agreement and World Health Organization making America Great?

Do you agree with Trump that the government should dictate my personal and medical choices, that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have an abortion – and for their doctors, too,” or that our opponents should be jailed for having different views? Is that great?

Trump is now saying that inflation is not a big deal and that the biggest concern among Americans is people coming in from “mental institutions.”  I think he doesn’t know what the term “asylum” seeker means.  Is it great to declare a national emergency at the border when crossings are at their lowest in five years? Is it okay to round up people using the military even though there is an Act forbidding the use of federal military to enforce domestic laws?  What about revoking birthright citizenship when that right is written in the Constitution? Is that going to make America great?

Will signing an executive order to lift sanctions issued by Biden officials against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and resuming shipments of 2000 pound bombs paused by Biden to Netanyahu make America great?

Trump recently said he’s not confident he can keep the ceasefire in Gaza, telling reporters it is “not our war.” He says that Gaza “has to be rebuilt” and “some beautiful things” could be done with the land because it is “on the sea” and has “the best weather.” It’s all transactional and about development to him. Drill baby drill. Get rid of the windmills. Climate change is a hoax. NATO, which has been pooling resources to protect democracies from invasion of dictatorships since WWII is obsolete in Trump’s great vision.

Is firing 1,000s of federal employees to put in loyalists that will do whatever he wants, right or wrong, great for our country? Is it great to dismantle the separation of powers and give this president immunity to act above the law?  What about Trump’s pettiness, his slanderous and dehumanizing attacks and bullying of anyone does not obey and flatter him? Is that what we want to teach our children? Does that make America great?  -Colleen Redman 1/22/2025