Opinion: Dismantling government isn’t Trump’s goal; making rich people richer is

To the editor: Your Jan. 20 editorial, “A year in, Trump distracts while his appointees sledgehammer the government,” might have noted that the president’s public dismantling of government is far from his goal, but actually another distraction from the joined-at-the-hip goal he shares with the Republican Party: pushing more wealth to the top.

For 37 years and counting, the party has fanned the flames of fear and resentment while quietly shredding our middle class for the benefit of those who need help the least.

President Trump’s recent tax bill victory, marketed as a godsend to our middle class while actually hammering that group, is proof positive of GOP intentions. Who could have ever thought that undermining American homeownership could be sold as a middle-class economic benefit?

This travesty can only be brought to a close by its victims’ recognition of the damage done to them and their families and a change in their voting preferences.

Eric Carey, Arlington, Va.

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To the editor: I couldn’t disagree more with your editorial.

Year One of the Trump era has been a great one, with the exception of the failure to completely remove the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. And for that I blame Congress.

I can’t wait to read the Los Angeles Times’ editorials over the next seven years of the Trump era.

Robert M. Beberfall, Ontario

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To the editor: The Times Editorial Board summarizes the incredible number of statements, stands, tweets and reversals that have so negatively reflected on Trump in his first, frequently embarrassing and often scary first year.

As a lifetime progressive Democrat, I have grown much more tolerant. Now, I would be quite satisfied with a George W. Bush or Mitt Romney presidency — or with most any of the Republicans Trump defeated in the GOP primary — in the White House instead of Trump. Even for two terms.

Jordan Austin, Port Hueneme

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