Freedom seems to be missing from president’s vocabulary – Detroit Free Press

Free Press readers 9:40 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2017

President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport to spend part of the weekend at Mar-a-Lago resort on Friday in West Palm Beach, Florida.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The person occupying the Office of the President has shown his distasteful attitude towards immigrants. To save millions of tax dollars over the next four years, all he has to do is close the National Monument of the Statue of Liberty and send it back to France. The quotation that is part of the monument can no longer be applied to those who want to come to America.

This country was founded by people from all different countries because the U.S. was a country that had freedoms unlike any other nation. With this so-called President, freedom is not a word he plans on using. You see, this nation is now the Government of Trump. His is the last and only word that means anything. It seems that he does not even plan to work with Congress to run the country and he has already told the nation what he thinks of the Federal Judges who took an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. This is truly a sad situation the majority of people of America have inherited.

Tom Nanasy

Riverview

Dont pull kids out

of school to protest

Taking a child out of school to use as a pawn to protest is paramount to child neglect. Willingly denying a childs education, for even a day, hurts only them! Education is the best foil against injustice. The optics of doing that are terrible too, regardless of the reason.

Gary McDonald

Rochester Hills

Repealing state income tax would be a disaster

Reading of the efforts of the state House Republicans to repeal the state income tax, I was amazed on how shortsighted these legislators are when it comes to fiscal policy. Its all about appearance and getting re-elected.

Theyre going to blow a giant hole in the budget with no thought of how to replace the shortfall. Amazing. People in Flint still are afraid to drink their water. Schools are crumbling and our students are failing to keep up with neighboring states. Roads are a disaster, as is infrastructure as a whole. Instead of making this political grandstanding move for the good of the people why not really give some tax relief?

Back in 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder hit everyone with a massive tax break to businesses. Its never really created any jobs. The majority of jobs that have been created since have come from the auto industry revival. But business profits have flourished, so maybe its time to take some of that tax burden off the backs of everyday citizens and let businesses once again pay their fair share. And while theyre at it, lets give back to seniors that pension money that was promised to them and was stolen in the form of a pension tax.

Mike Frank

Chesterfield

U.S. should keep word in climate change fight

President Trump had made many promises to the American people throughout his campaign, including an influx of jobs. However, he did not consider how these economic changes would impact the environment. While a recent article in the Free Press quoted Trump as saying says auto jobs are pouring back into U.S., there are efforts under way to relax fuel efficiency targets for American vehicles which could help automakers, but hinder efforts towards reducing global carbon emissions.

Reducing fuel efficiency would likely put us at a disadvantage in the global market. Decreasing fuel efficiency standards could be considered a step in Trumps rejection of the Paris Climate Agreement, which includes over 200 other countries. Americans have the strength to thrive economically without damaging global climate change efforts, but our Senators must fight moves from our new commander in chief to rollback efforts to mitigate climate change, and keep our nation honorable.

Sarah Lynch

Whitmore Lake

Keep the door to

safety open in the U.S.

According to an Amnesty International report issued this past week, Syria extra-judicially hanged about 13,000 people at its Saydnaya prison between 2011 and the end of 2015 after unspeakably terrible torture. President Assad dismissed the allegation as fake news. Is it any wonder that millions have fled his country?

Numerous experts in all fields have said that the Trump administration ban, which he said would be rewritten, not only does not make America safer, it actually aids ISIS in recruitment. Further, there is no evidence that anyone whos entered the U.S. through the UN/US refugee program has caused any U.S. deaths. We are sad and angry at the wrong-headed, stiff-necked decision by the Trump administration to try to close the door to safety here.

Its also beyond imagining that the Trump administration would dishonor the words of the Statue of Liberty this week by deporting a Mexican mother of two who had been living in the U.S. peacefully and productively for over 20 years. She had been regularly and voluntarily checking in with authorities concerning her conviction for faking a Social Security number in order to get employment. How can this possibly make our country safer?

Ken and Geraldine

Grunow

Detroit

What lawmakers dont get about ACA repeal

The town halls hosted by Republicans to inquire about peoples feelings on Obamacare were shocking. It wasnt the crowds that were shocking. Why not yell and scream given that repeal will leave them with financial burdens, medical difficulties and possible death?

The shock was to see that the host politician hadnt learned much since the days when the ACA would be repealed 60 times, and when the death panel fantasy was asserted. They need to check the Congressional Budget Office regarding the 20 million people who would lose health insurance if Obamacare is repealed in reality.

Sherman Folland

Romeo

Cost of fuel standards is investment in jobs

In a recent guest column, titled Trump should roll back Obama fuel economy rules, Republican strategist Trent Wisecup says complying with these standards will cost automakers $200 billion. That cost is tens of billions in orders to the thousands of U.S. automotive suppliers who employ hundreds of thousands of Americans across the nation. That cost is billions going toward domestic innovation and advanced manufacturing and tens of billions toward enhanced upgrades to U.S. factories. That cost is enabling the industry to continue to produce globally competitive products right here in the U.S. This is not a cost. This is an investment that is securing American autoworkers and supplier jobs not only today, but tomorrow. Whats more, in addition to increasing investment, the rules save consumers money well in excess of the cost of new technology. The fuel economy standards are helping power todays manufacturing recovery, and we must stay the course if we are to sustain it.

Zoe Lipman

Washington, D.C.

A zinger from a Trump press conference

Thursday during his press conference, President Donald Trump described his administration as a well oiled machine.

Yes, a well oiled jackhammer.

Myrna Lueck

Ypsilanti

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Freedom seems to be missing from president's vocabulary - Detroit Free Press