To the Editor:
I’ve awaited my copy of The Enterprise with excitement and anticipation, moreso during the past few years than ever before. The reason? The Berne Town Board Madness.

I grew up in the Hilltowns and have lived in the area for all of my 45 years. At no point do I recall anything remotely controversial, or even interesting, regarding the Berne Town Board. I’ve come to realize that this is the way it should be.

Clearly this administrative chaos is an echo of the national chaos imposed by the prince of lies, Donald Trump, and his cult-like followers. The unholy mix of utter incompetence, profound ignorance, cronyism, and contempt for democratic norms is now the standard for those who identify as “Republicans.”

I have no idea what led up to this ideological about-face, but it flies in the face of traditional Republican values. I’m not affiliated with either party, but I’ve always respected the reverence for law, emphasis on community and family, and economic responsibility that are the pillars of modern republicanism.

This madness that happened in Washington, D.C. and in small communities like Berne in the past five years? Call it what you want, but please don’t call it Republican.

I recently heard an interview with a retired Central Intelligence Agency operative. The interviewer, a layman, asked the question that most of us would ask a spy: How do you get people to do your bidding? The answer? You don’t.

The ex-spy said it’s nearly impossible to get foreign assets to promote the agency’s agenda. What they do, instead, is have their assets create chaos. That is how you topple a government, how you weaken a country.

Hats off to all of the “Republicans” who support this nonsense. You’re doing the bidding of America’s enemies. You’re weakening this country from the highest levels all the way down to tiny towns like Berne, New York with this chaos. But at least it makes for entertaining fodder for periodicals like The Enterprise.

Christian Bivona

Warnerville, New York