Editor,
The demolition of the White House East Wing is probably the least important of the Trump administration’s shameful acts, but it is in some sense unique because of its concreteness. The White House is a physical representation of American Democracy and it belongs to the American public.
The demolition was carried out without any pretense of respect for expertise or procedure, based on presidential whim, paralleling the ongoing demolition of the NIH, CDC, state department and other critical functions of the federal government. When every day brings news of more destruction, the demolition of the East Wing stands out as the only literal pile of rubble left in place of a national resource.
Americans have been taught that the three branches of federal government will protect us from autocracy and ensure the rule of law, yet we are witnessing the complete failure of that promise with no visible consequence to the perpetrators. A society with a minimal level of law and order imposes a penalty if someone knocks down a house that doesn’t belong to them.
I struggle to understand why we are unable to impose any such consequences on the illegal acts of the executive branch, from the disregard for due process, to the usurpation of the legislative branches power over budget, to the demolition of the East Wing of a house that does not belong to Donald Trump.
For the millions of Americans who are in mourning for our democracy, maybe this latest and most visible example can be a spark to light a fire of resistance.
Allison Ryan
Belmont
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(10) comments
Thanks for your letter, Ms. Ryan. I was wondering when Democrat talking points against the Big Beautiful Ballroom was going to show up and you didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately for you and others, Democrat talking points are easily debunked by something called the Internet. Anyone can search or ask AI for a “history of White House renovations” and read a dateline of the many renovations. I guess all those Presidents didn’t have a problem with renovating or demolishing parts of the White House that didn’t belong to them. And speaking of concreteness or stoneness or marbleness or bronzeness or graniteness or Eliot Ness, where was your outrage when leftist radicals were knocking down and destroying statues they didn’t like. Or renaming anything and everything that didn’t fit their version of wokeness. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
BTW, you may need to switch to a new Democrat talking point focus because I hear all of Biden’s autopen signatures were deemed null and void. Don’t be surprised if you begin receiving a multitude of emails asking for donations to legal funds for those who received autopen pardons. Perhaps Mr. Fauci and multiple members of the Biden family and members of the sham January 6th committee... To follow your train of thought, not only is our (yes, our) great President Trump demolishing part of the White House but Trump is also demolishing the most corrupt and worst presidential administration in history – Biden/Autopen. Have a Trump-tastic day!
$300 million going to union contractors - I was waiting for you trying to defend the indefensible.
Hypocrisy is so much fun?
easygerd - $300 million is a drop in the bucket compared with the billions being p#@*d into the sand in California and not having anything to show for. The $300 million is a gift from Trump benefactors including our Silicon Valley moguls and it becomes part of our White House. What is the hypocrisy? No bicycle racks?
Quote: "The $300 million is a gift from Trump benefactors including our Silicon Valley moguls and it becomes part of our White House"
That my friend is a perfect description of how the swamp works. A politician is 'benefactoring' certain people and their companies (through tax cutes and subsidies) and they give him money (purely as a "gift" of course) - and we the taxpayers get the $3 Trillion dollar bill via the National Debt.
In EVERY other country in the world this is called Corruption. In America TBot and Dirk try to explain to us that this super-right-wing form of corruption is so much better than California's center-to-right-wing form of corruption.
Keep up the good work - Putin is sending his thanks for making Russia and their Oligarchs look more normal.
Hey einsteinGerd – TBot here. Challenge accepted. None of the $300 million is coming from taxpayers. Now if you can get state and local officials to use their own money or donations to fund bike lanes or the other unfilled 50% of the 100% capacity transportation, or any other wasteful taxpayer funded project, go for it. I will wish them the best. To borrow from FFGig (who we haven’t heard from in a while, I hope he's okay), “End of discussion. Next.” BTW, if you want hypocrisy, let’s see how many Democrats who are attempting to demonize our (yes, our) great President Trump for the Big Beautiful Ballroom will use it. Or will they do the honorable thing and avoid using it? As President Trump always says, “Let’s see what happens.”
Hey Terence - please ask easygerd if he takes any deductions on his tax returns. After all, if he does, he would short change other tax payers.
quote: "None of the $300 million is coming from taxpayers."
Thanks for confirming the Oligarchy - we understand how The Swamp operates.
The 38 Trillion in national debt is already costing the taxpayer. The benefactors of those additional 3 Trillion over the next few years are the right-wing tech bros, the fossil fuelers, the oligarchs or whoever swears fealty to the Swamp.
Putin sends his thanks, he is "so tired of winning".
Now about those bike lanes ... they are already paid for through Measure A/W sales tax, they are paid for through ADA measures, they are paid for through cap and trade measures ... and yet San Mateo Democrats keep moving that money from people with physical limitations to the same oligarchs Trump likes so much. Our right-wing Silicon Valley tech bros got their "Lamborghini Lanes" for free. Actually better than free - as they can use various 'carpool' schemes to reduce their company's income and therefore tax payments, while the public is footing the bill ... twice.
The local oligarchy was also working overtime to conspire with female Democrat Nicole Fernandez to remove Safe-Routes-To-School bike lanes that the residents liked and schools wanted. She undid "equity" to push 'corporate interest', also quite swampy.
Mr. Y, you argue that because the White House covered up Biden's failing health, that justifies tearing down the white house without permits or any public review process? There is no logical connection in that reasoning. Regardless of what you think of prior remodels and former public art, at least former administrations underwent a public process with community input from all sides. The definition of autocracy is the absence of public process.
KDM - you and your cohorts need to get a life. Why not contact your recalcitrant senators and tell them to quit cow towing to Schumer and get the government open again? The renovation of the WH is irrelevant compared with the issues we are facing as a nation. Besides, I have visited the WH and the wing that was demolished was a poor looking "lean to". Do you honestly believe that Truman went through the permitting process when he totally revamped the interior of the WH? Truman knew better than to deal with the corrupt and bureaucratic DC city mafia and had his cronies take care of the construction. No outcry in those days, at all.
Thanks for your reply, KDM, but you’re trying to put words in my mouth and (likely purposefully) misinterpreting my below comment in a feeble attempt to push your narrative. Nowhere do I tie Biden’s mental issues with tearing down the East Wing of the White House. If Biden did tear down anything, I imagine Biden might require a new design with no stairs because, you know… Since you bring up permits and public review processes, where were the permits and public review processes when radical leftists were tearing down statues and when they were renaming anything and everything they didn’t like? Did they receive permits or hold public processes to do so? Locally in SF, weren’t three school board members recalled successfully for renaming schools instead of opening schools? Meanwhile, I hear the National Park Service is beginning to restore and reinstall statues that were toppled. BTW, if Trump were an autocrat, he would likely have deported his opposition to Ukraine to be conscripted into their war.
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