Qualities in a president
I commend Mr. Gross on his military service to our country. However, he seems to think that those of us who deplore Trump are not patriotic, and he is unnecessarily insulting in the process. Although I am not a VFW, I was a U.S. Army Officer for three years 1967-70 and my ancestry goes back to Jamestown, Yorktown, and both sides in the Civil War in America. As he complained about my sources of information, I do not get all my news from the “liberal media,” in fact I read widely in different books and magazines and have done so all my life, especially in the fields of American and world history.
What I look for in a president is first of all a moral/ethical person (Trump is not, rather he is self-serving to an extreme degree); second, a knowledge of history to avoid repeating mistakes of the past (Trump is not well read); third, a record of prior service to the country or major charities (Trump’s questionable “charity” has been fined for illegal use of funds and he avoided the draft during wartime); fourth, a knowledge of science, a field which has enabled freedoms and higher standards of living (Trump knows nothing about science and is, in fact, frightened by it); fifth, that our president should behave in a way that is admirable and sets a good example for all citizens (Trump does not).
In his responses to several letters, Mr. Gross has evaded responding to specific criticisms or obvious failures of Mr. Trump that I mentioned. He has said that the President is a patriot and has “unparalleled accomplishments” yet continues to fail to say what they are other than things relating to veterans (not that these are not very important).
What makes a president great? I suggest that any interested citizen read the recent book by historian Jon Meacham (The Soul of America) which details the obstacles faced by our best presidents and how they rose to threatening occasions in an inspiring manner. Trump is a midget in comparison with these giants of the past.
I think any of the current array of presidential candidates for 2020 in either party would be morally and otherwise superior to Mr. Trump as president in light of the criteria in paragraph two above. I am very afraid for our country as long as this man stays in office.
Bill Parker
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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