Letter to the Editor 9-18-20

Dear Editor,
On south #81 in Concordia, what looks to be a re-purposed satellite dish is fastened to a defunct gas station. Painted on the dish are two messages: “Vote for Trump” and “Save America.”
As a retired farmer, I ask, “Why would farmers vote for Trump?” His endless trade wars have reduced commodity prices and pushed farmers closer and closer to bankruptcy.
Donald John Trump is fixated on punishing China over issues unrelated to agriculture; meanwhile, China, our principal corn and soybean customer, has turned to Brazil for these crops. Farmers in Brazil are profiting handsomely because of D. J. T., as they clear more rain forest to grow more soybeans.
Why vote for Donald J. Trump when his response to receiving briefings about the lethality of COVID was to host a Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago and go golfing? He did not inform the American people about what they needed to do to save the lives of loved ones. Instead, he ridiculed the wearing of masks and social distancing, waving his hands in the air and saying one day the virus “will just go away.” Tell that to the families of the nearly 200,000 persons who have died.
As an Army veteran and member of the American Legion, I am offended by Trump's calling our Nation's war dead “suckers and losers.” I guess his bone spurs made him a “winner” (in his own eyes anyway), because they kept him on the dance floors of New York nightclubs.
Last year, Concordia High School honored Terry Householter. An outstanding athlete, Terry went on to serve his country and die in Vietnam. I was on the Board of the Cloud County Historical Museum, when his family donated Terry's Purple Heart medal and the military descriptions of this heroism (“wounds leading to death”) to the Museum. I urge anyone who loves this country to go to the Museum and take the time to look closely at these items. They indicate that Donald J. Trump is unworthy to get another four years as Commander-in-Chief of our Nations' armed forces.
To vote for Donald J. Trump, you have to ignore the long list of convicted felons from his first term. That list is almost as long as that of the people who went to jail for serving Richard M. Nixon. And, are you willing to close your eyes to the number of cases pending, just because Trump can afford sufficient lawyers to keep blocking them?
The second “plea” on the re-purposed satellite dish at the gas station is “Save America.” I am all for that, but am convinced that Donald J. Trump is not the one who will or can do it. He's in some mysterious bondage to Vladimir Putin, the mob boss running Russia. Some day, when all the damning information on Trump is revealed, we'll be shocked to learn how thoroughly this president has betrayed our country.
Voters have an alternative in Joe Biden for president. Mr. Biden will lead from experience on health care, on economic recovery (after the Great Recession), and on family values. If we want to get out of the ditch, we must take the keys away from Donald J. Trump.
Sincerely,
Joe Detrixhe