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A golden age, faith, family, hard work and patriotism are just a few of the words Lukas Severson uses in his Point of View to spin the actions taken by the Trump administration. A golden age? Pretty empty rhetoric when taken in context to the actions of our president.

Our country’s greatness lies in its diversity of cultures — the great melting pot of ordinary people striving both individually and collectively to improve our lives and the lives of others. Our country certainly has individuals who have done great things. However, those accomplishments cannot compare to the achievements of our nation coming together to:

• ensure desperate people have enough money to survive during a great depression.

• defeat a fascist Germany and imperial Japan.

• establish and finance a Marshall Plan rebuilding the countries devastated by world war — ensuring freedom and economic success for their citizens as well as our own.

• ensure that our elderly will have a minimum level of financial support and medical care after dedicating their working lives contributing to our national wealth.

• create and fund the GI Bill providing room, board and an education for veterans who delivered the greatest expansion of industry and wealth in our nation’s history.
• ensure that our poorest citizens living in the wealthiest country in the world have enough to eat.

• ensure that all people regardless of race, sex, religion can get a free and appropriate education.

• ensure that all citizens can legally marry the person they love.

• ensure that all citizens can vote safely, without restrictions, in free and fair elections.

This list is nowhere near complete — but there can be no debate — collectively our country can and has achieved great things. That is why it is so alarming and concerning that our president has selfishly:

• forsaken an ally unjustly invaded by a Russian dictator.

• treated our longtime allies and neighbors — Europeans, Canadians and Mexicans — as nothing more than property to be exploited and used for selfish greed.

• allowed an unelected billionaire to do untold damage to our national institutions behind closed doors — institutions that we the people worked collectively to provide and depend upon.

• shown little regard for the unnecessary damage being done to our economy through illegal executive orders, hastily announced and renounced tariffs

• damaged what was a successful economy resulting on the stock market falling into correction putting ordinary Americans at risk to save for a comfortable retirement, pay for our kids’ education, afford groceries and keep a roof over our families’ heads.

• shown no understanding, application or appreciation for the family values Mr. Severson believes essential for our country.

• sacrificed our fragile environment — that our future generations will inherit, for short term financial gain.

• shown so little regard for the guarantee of a free and appropriate public education for all citizens.

It is time to wake up America and pay attention to your instinct and act. Your instinct is correct — this is not a Golden Age.

Jeff Miller
Albert Lea