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Mr. Bute is the one altering the facts to fit his political narrative in his letter to the editor on Apr 2. With just a little fact checking he would have seen that the Clinton Administration cut about 420,000 federal employees. The reason he probably did not know this fact, is because it was done carefully, over a period of time, with the careful and deliberative help of department staff that were familiar with the programs and mission of that department. This administration is going through each department in a very short time, a few days, and just cutting people (with an email in the middle of the night — is that how we value our workers?). They are not even making sure that the best and brightest people are kept, or that the right programs are being kept. How can anyone that is not familiar with a department know what to cut in just a few days?

They have already proven that they have made many mistakes, and have had to hire workers back. The future will show just how short-sighted this chainsaw approach is going to hurt this country.

Every administration has worked to get the government to be the size that gets the job and programs done with efficiency, with as little waste and fraud as possible. The size of government, before this current term, as a percentage of the population, is the lowest it has been in modern history. Let’s cut where it is needed, but lets do it with careful consideration and not undermine the reason that Congress created the department and what it charged it to do. Citizens should have an input, not just one man making all the decisions based on what he wants.

The plunge in the market has shown that people are very nervous about what is happening, not just today, but for the future. The grandiose statements Trump makes, the chaos he creates, the ever changing tariffs, the demeaning statements about our Allies, the coziness to dictators, the talk of taking over of Panama, Greenland and Canada etc. — gee, why would anyone worry?

Bradford Wedge
Albert Lea