LETTER TO THE - EDITOR
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Who is the president?
Dear Editor, As a voter for almost 50 years, I am dismayed to see an unelected billionaire freely rampaging through the U.S. government and directing reckless and illegal actions that amount to a government takeover— what anywhere else would be called a coup.
From disbanding entire agencies that feed the hungry and poor like USAIDwhich also robs income from our local farmers supplying commodities to this agency--to entirely random firings of government employees, researchers and scientists that will devastate our national parks, public lands, cancer research, veterans, seniors and the poorest of our struggling neighbors, Musk is shredding vital portions of our government merely to justify trillions of dollars in tax cuts for himself and other billionaires. Tesla paid $0 in federal taxes last year on $2.3 billion in earnings. But apparently it’s us — the government worker, the veteran, the retiree, the farmer with crop subsidies — that is the parasite on the U.S.
Musk’s dangerous game-playing has become personal now that he has taken over the government’s payment systems. Will I get my Social Security check next month? Will Medicare pay for my upcoming knee replacement, or will the ketamine-addled richest man in the world turn off these programs that I have paid into my entire working life at his personal whim?
And Musk isn’t satisfied with sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong in Washington. He’s now dumping millions into advertising dollars to shore up an extremist candidate for our state’s own Supreme Court in the April 1 election. Musk: Mind your own business and stay out of Wisconsin!
Only Congress has the power to decide how and where our tax dollars are spent yet our congressman, Tom Tiffany, refuses to require Musk to come before Congress to testify and explain what he is doing and why. We should all demand Tiffany call for such an accounting! Let’s make sure the South African fox in our henhouse is not pulling the grift of the century in front of our eyes.
Musk’s unchecked hellbender romp begs the question: Who is our president here: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?
J.M. Emery Thorp, WI
Letter Writer Responds
Mr. Gutenberger, I am replying to your letter to me that was published in the Feb. 26, 2025 edition of The Record-Review.
I strongly object to your lame attempt to associate me with political violence. I unequivocally condemn political violence!
It is remarkable that you are convinced that by reading just one letter, you are able to discern what motivates me. You somehow know that my mind has been manipulated by Republicans. You are confident that I am only driven by fear and anger. Well, bless your heart!
Allow me to make clear to you that I am not a fanatical Republican supporter. While I am not convinced that there are any honest Democrat politicians, I am convinced that there are many corrupt Republican politicians. I am driven by results, not by personalities.
You wrote in regard to the Covid 19 fiasco, “I’ll take the vaccine and you can get your ivermectin”. Your statement does not reflect the policies of the Biden administration you supported. Do you not recall that the government forced many of us to take the experimental vaccine? Do you not recall that in the case of ivermectin, the government, for once, successfully made a drug unavailable? You wrote, “Amnesty is guaranteed in the Constitution, and is subject to abuse.” I don’t understand why you wrote this line, but you are half-right in this case. Amnesty is not “guaranteed” in the Constitution, but it is subject to abuse (as demonstrated by Joe Biden in the final days and minutes of his administration).
You are correct in stating that illegal immigration is high on my list. During the Biden administration, massive illegal immigration was a feature, not a bug. The Trump administration has reduced illegal immigration greatly in only a few weeks, unequivocally demonstrating the corruption of the Biden administration, who repeatedly told us that the border was secure.
I don’t accept your Google data that states that 95% of immigrants show up for their scheduled court date. Common sense dictates that people who have all demonstrated that they do not respect our laws are not likely to be 95% compliant with court dates orders. In addition, the Biden illegal immigration deluge overwhelmed the capacity of the court system. Illegal immigrants arriving during the Biden administration have been given court dates eight to 10 years in the future due the massive backlog of cases. The “show up” rate will be impossible to calculate for the next 10 years. At any rate, President Trump will have returned them to their home countries long before their scheduled court dates.
I will allow the farmer to debate you on the issue of illegal immigrant farm labor. He is more intelligent than I am, and he has lived with the results of this policy. I am only a retired manufacturing executive. I am more than willing to debate the negative effects of illegal immigration on the American manufacturing sector, if you wish.
You cited the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform package that failed in Congress last year. That legislation was a Uniparty political dirty trick that would have codified high levels of poorly managed immigration, and prevented President Trump from successfully securing the border, as he has done. Perhaps after Elon Musk has demonstrated to Congress how to finally eliminate government financial waste, fraud, and abuse (after they have failed to make any progress for decades), he can show them how to build a just and efficient immigration system. Then they can craft legislation to implement his reforms.
I have a great deal of respect for President Trump, but I reject your ridiculous conclusion that I have surrendered my mind to him. I don’t agree with him on every policy, and his demeanor often makes me cringe. However, he is the leader I prayed for through several decades of bitter political disappointment. I asked for a man with experience in running private business. I asked for a man who was not beholden to a political party. I asked for a true patriot, who was not doing it for monetary gain. I asked for a man who would respect the proud traditions of our country. I asked for a man who would always put America first. I would not have predicted that Donald Trump would be that man. I am very surprised that this flawed human being, severely tested and tormented by his enemies, has risen to this high level of achievement. It is a classic fable for the ages!
Speaking of fables, that reminds me of the fable of a man living in a glass house who was warned not to cast stones at his neighbors. It is rich, indeed, Mr. Gutenberger, to be criticized for supporting the brilliant President Trump by a person who supported the cognitively impaired President Biden.
Bruce Bohr Marathon
