Editor, The Smithfield Times:

This is in response to Edmond Easter’s Dec. 10 “In sarcastic appreciation” letter, in which he thanks Donald Trump for:

1. The robbery of the American people of their hard-earned tax monies that he passed to millionaires and billionaires through his so-called tax breaks.

Millions of workers benefited from these tax cuts through bonuses and higher wages. My employer gave me a $1,000 bonus, or as Nancy Pelosi called it, “crumbs.” My federal taxes went down, while my pay increased.

2. The tariffs that other countries were going to pay. Somehow the hard-working American people ended up paying again. Mr. Easter said, “The tariffs forced us to bail out the American farmers, at least twice, to the tune of several billion dollars.

While there was short-term pain from these tariffs, they forced China to make trade concessions. According to Reuters, the U.S. and China signed a trade deal that cut some U.S. tariffs, and in exchange, China agreed to increase purchases of American products and services by at least $200 billion over the next two years, including an additional $40 billion a year in U.S agriculture products.

3. More than $3 trillion in debt and $1 trillion in annual deficit.

According to NPR, Congress has authorized roughly $3 trillion in coronavirus relief. Many state and local governments are also facing budget crises due to the pandemic.

4. The tearing apart of families seeking safe refuge in America.

The Government Accounting Office found that illegal immigrants generate more in costs than revenues to federal, state and local governments combined. The majority of these families have been reunited. However, “In the current litigation, for example, out of the parents of 485 children whom Plaintiffs’ counsel has been able to contact, they’ve yet to identify a single family that wants their child reunited with them in their country of origin,” said DHS press secretary Chase Jennings.

I will address more of Mr. Easter’s points in another letter.

 

Joe Naneville

Windsor