Rough Draft Letter

     I’d like to respond to Rep. Stefanik’s assessment of the president’s address to Congress as unifying and optimistic. I realize she belongs to his party and has to say nice things, besides, she doesn’t want to be a Twitter target. I’ll agree it was more upbeat than the carnage speech at the inauguration.

     I’d be interested to know what she found unifying, though. At the beginning, he devoted 51 words to the threats to JCC’s, vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and the murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas. The president did not mention his name. I’m sure it’s difficult to pronounce. Being president of everyone in this country obliges him to make the effort.

     At his recent press conference he was asked about recent anti-Semitism. He was dismissive of the Jewish reporter and ordered him to sit down. Later he suggested the acts were done by his political opponents. The afternoon of  the address he suggested to Pennsylvania’s AG that the attacks may be perpetuated by Jewish people to make “others look bad.”

     Numerous studies show immigrants, legal or illegal, commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. Despite that, Trump is calling for a new agency at DHS to collect data on crimes by undocumented immigrants. Immigrants are more apt to be victims. Address problems that actually exist and the money to the CDC to study gun deaths.
Final Draft

     I'd like to respond to Rep. Stefanik's assessment of the president's address to Congress as unifying and optimistic. I realize he's the leader of her party and she has to say nice things. That, and she doesn't want to become a Twitter target. I will agree it was more upbeat than the carnage speech at the inauguration.

     I'd be interested to know what she found unifying. At the beginning, he devoted all of 51 words to the threats to Jewish community centers, desecration of Jewish cemeteries and the murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas. The president did not mention his name. I realize it's difficult to pronounce. Being president of everyone in this country obliges him to make the effort. At his recent press conference he was asked about the rise in anti-Semitism. He was dismissive of the Jewish reporter who inquired and ordered him to sit down. To another questioner, he suggested the acts were carried out by his political opponents. The afternoon of his address, speaking to the Pennsylvania attorney general, he put forth the notion the attacks might be the actions of Jewish people in a "false flag" operation.

     Numerous studies show immigrants, legal or illegal, commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. Despite that, Mr. Trump is calling for a new agency, VOICE, at DHS to collect data on crimes by undocumented immigrants when they are actually more apt to be victims. They don't need scapegoating from the president.

     Looking at where things stand on ACA and tax reform, I wouldn't say Mr. Trump is even unifying Republicans. Outside of them, I believe many are coalescing around the idea that four years of this presidency is not a viable proposition.