To the Editor:
I hope that Edgar Tolmie read the editor’s note in response to his letter of Feb. 17, 2021 [“If things were great, would Trump be such a threat?”].

In summary, the editor’s note correctly cited record job growth under the Biden administration, the success of the American Rescue Plan in reducing child poverty, the success of the Affordable Care Act in providing health-care coverage to more Americans, and overall economic growth.

These are all accomplishments that must be acknowledged. (It should be noted that Donald Trump never introduced the plan to replace the Affordable Care Act that he long promised.)

The editor’s note also explained that, “[b]y the end of 2021, United States companies were showing 15 percent profit margins, higher than they’ve been since 1950.” There are supply-chain issues as a result of the pandemic, and, of course, consumer demand for products grew as we all attempted to return life to “normal.”

However, despite some increased costs resulting from supply-chain problems, there is ample evidence that corporations took the opportunity to raise prices beyond the increased costs, resulting in record corporate profits. It would take a very cursory internet search to see that CEO [chief executive officers] salaries and bonuses have also skyrocketed, and corporations continue to pay enormous dividends to their shareholders.

Corporations, those who set the prices for their products, are not suffering. The fact that they choose to raise their prices to more than cover their increased costs and thereby enjoy a larger profit cannot be attributed to any Biden policy. A strong argument could be made that these corporations are engaging in price gouging.

I would also like to point out that Senate Republicans boycotted a committee vote on President Joe Biden’s Federal Reserve nominees on Tuesday, Feb. 15, suggesting that these elected officials prefer to “play politics” and obstruct rather than proceed with the appointments of nominees who presumably have economic expertise and might be able to work on policies that might alleviate some of Americans’ financial stress.

Mr. Tolmie also asks, “If things were great … would Trump be such a threat to Democrat partisans in this election year?”

Donald Trump is not just a threat to “Democrat partisans.” He is a threat to all Americans and to the United States of America. The ways in which his presidency posed a threat to our democracy are too extensive to discuss in the format of a letter to the editor, so I will have to cite a few examples that come immediately to mind.

His deference to Vladimir Putin and his admiration for autocrats such as Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and others, do nothing to promote democratic ideals (and likely relate to conflicts of interest relating to Trump’s business dealings in those leaders’ countries).

Trump’s relationship with the First Amendment was, at best, tenuous, at least to the extent that the First Amendment applies to anybody except himself. In language that echoed Joseph Stalin, Trump repeatedly called the press “the enemy of the people.” He talked about reexamining libel laws.

On more than one occasion, he called peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights “thugs,” demonstrating that he did not respect their free-speech rights. We just recently learned that Trump took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, showing a reckless disregard for national security.

Moreover, Trump’s actions — and inactions — on Jan. 6, 2021 make clear that he does not respect the rule of law or the United States Constitution. His false claim that Mike Pence had the authority to invalidate the results of the 2020 election and declare Trump the winner of the presidential race (and overturn the will of 81 million voters) should strike fear in the heart of every American. The evidence is mounting as to the measures that Trump’s inner circle tried to take in order to change the outcome of the election.

Trump’s refrain of “voter fraud” has never been substantiated, but, in response, Republican legislatures are drafting and passing laws that would restrict voters’ access to the polls and that would ultimately disenfranchise many, particularly Black and brown voters, so as to create an advantage for Republican candidates. These bills are in response to the record turnout in 2020, which Republicans cannot tolerate happening again.

It is for these, and many other, reasons why Donald Trump must be seen as a threat. It is not because of inflation. It is because he has no respect for the United States Constitution or for the rule of law. He only cares about holding power.

Jill Loew

Guilderland