How can a grown man, who gets away with pretty much everything he’s ever done in his life, complain about everyone picking on him? I remember when I was younger, there were some children like this. Most of them grew up. There must, then, be a few that have DNA or maybe an upbringing that doesn’t allow it.

So, what can we say about tearing down part of the White House, rendering the constitution irrelevant, eliminating spending on education, terminating studies into disease, reducing use of inoculations, limiting books that students can read, deporting immigrants without due process, blowing up boats with people aboard in international waters, etc.? It’s almost as if we have a government throwing tantrums. Acting as bullies to get their way.

But, of course, it’s not their fault. Right? Everyone always wanted a ballroom in the White House. Education should be up to the states, but we still want the full tax base for this to go to the federal government. Studies of diseases do not work, but don’t provide results that say otherwise. Parents should have the ability to decide if they want to vaccinate their children, no matter what outbreaks may be caused by it. Yet mothers have no business determining, jointly with their doctors, the healthcare they need before, during, and after pregnancy. Due process is just a lengthy way to determine legality; we don’t need this drawn-out enterprise. International law does not apply to us.

What do you agree with? What do you say about this causing our fall from leadership in the world? Is the government right in helping certain people and not all our people? For instance, the mandating of vaccinations to make sure we are not affected by a pandemic versus the allowance of a few to opt out of them possibly causing it. The cuts in funding for disease studies, that try to eliminate all types of cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, etc. Voting down the extension of subsidies for citizens that are on the ACA program, that anyone can apply for, therefore affects all of us. Oh, did you want a ballroom added to the people’s house? If not, no one else did either over the years.

Just a quick note. Why would someone who has promised to stop wars want the Department of War added to the name Department of Defense?

Do you wonder what kind of financial ties President Trump has with Saudi Arabia? Read the article at “www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/11/14/how-trumps-finances-got-tangled-up-with-saudi-arabia/” for a more in-depth look. Why does our President have so much against the six people that reminded our troops about their obligations when receiving orders? Would you remember the full oath you took as military personnel in the heat of the moment? Would you have even understood the consequences if you had decided to follow unlawful orders? Is our military more worried about not obeying all orders? If they were unlawful and not obeyed, what would be the consequences for them?

Another note. Republicans have mentioned that the “cancel culture” was a democratic thing. They now seem to be practicing something similar. Losing jobs, terrorizing families, losing benefits, etc. as retaliation for the exercise of freedom of speech. Oops.

Finally, before you get too excited, make sure you use caution when you see something like an increase of 4.3% in the GDP in the third quarter of 2025. When the price of our goods increases, GDP increases, and we spend more on domestic products. This does not mean we get more. This could also be due to tax cuts for higher income individuals and large corporations, oh, and tariffs. What this generally means is that we will probably continue to see an increase in total GDP, but this will not necessarily be good for our country.

Do you feel our President and the Republican party are doing everything possible to help you in your daily life? Are they focused on your needs? Do you feel that once we start winning big, and money begins to fill our coffers, that you will finally see a reduction in taxes, a lowering of costs, or a rise in income? Is it good to be so greatly affected by someone, anyone, that you allow them to do anything they want if they say it is, or will be, in your best interests? Will this admiration be reflected in your life? We all rely on each other, or should, so this reflection ought only be a cooperation amongst each other.

This also means that you, as an individual, should be treated as an equal. Not in the sense of reputation, just in the humanity of all of us. But don’t hold your breath. You might want to ask someone like Rep. Lauren Boebert about this. She has almost always felt that our President was doing the right thing. One time, however, she rebuked him by voting to release the Epstein files. This is an act that she thought her constituency wanted. In fact, our President campaigned on this release. Recently, Boebert introduced a clean water project for the people of Colorado. It sailed through the House and then the Senate. However, when it hit the President’s desk, it was vetoed. Not something you would expect from a person cooperating with us on our needs. Yet, most of us understood that it was expected. Let’s hope that there are positive changes in 2026.

Reed Harris is a longtime Rochelle resident and community volunteer.