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To the editor: Class,
age, race, sex or gender? I’m more than just an African American.
I’m also an investor, and I, like any other
investor, want to make money. I’ve almost doubled
my net worth under Trump’s presidency.
Shouldn’t I reward the administration that has
added to my net worth?
Robert S. Rodgers, Culver City |
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Tax Scam
Continuation from Obama
Stock Market |
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To the editor: I can only imagine the unbridled joy inside the Los
Angeles Times now that Trump has lost the election.
The L.A. Times’ campaign to defeat Trump began
in earnest last October with the multi-part series “Beating
Trump” and increased in intensity as the election grew closer.
Journalists with feigned objectivity blamed Trump and his administration for
all the bad things in the world. On many days there were multiple pieces
slamming the president and his administration.
Your objective was achieved: Trump will be
leaving the White House.
Now, with the
election behind us, it will be interesting to see if the L.A. Times can
regain the public trust with a return to more truthful, fair-minded,
fact-based, bias-free journalism, or if the
agenda-driven reporting continues.
Glynn
Morris, Playa del Rey |
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Media |
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To the editor: It is incredible that the president received so many
votes. Even if he loses, he can go down to Palm Beach, Fla., knowing he got
more votes than Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Why did Trump get so much validation? He
succeeded at putting money in the pockets of
working people. The Trump economy allowed more reward in the
marketplace. Can Biden duplicate that?
Also, millions of Americans despise the Trump
haters who are on display every hour, on the hour. Some anti-Trumpers are so
vile that they make us sympathize with the bombastic president.
Let me be very
clear: The effort to “get Trump” and topple
traditional America motivated the pro-Trump vote.
Also, the corporate
media are finished. Regular folks of all political views
no longer trust them. Older Americans have
a basis of comparison because they watched Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace.
So, tens of millions supported Trump largely
because they are angry about how he was treated.
Yes, you can make an argument that he brought some of it on himself, but
that hypothesis falls apart when the “Russian
collusion” fiasco is considered.
These facts may not console the president or
his supporters, but anti-establishment anger is growing.
Brian J. Goldenfeld, Oak Park |
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Jobs Economy - Tax Scam a continuation from
Obama
Media
Muller Report
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To the editor: Some people voted against the increasingly
leftist Democratic Party agenda more than
for Trump. Many voters declined to support Biden fearing that he will come
under the sway of California-style Democrats.
That could mean the following:
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- More
regulations that discourage work, like
excessive occupation licensing and severe restrictions on independent
contractors. |
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- An over-emphasis
on race, causing us to ignore other problems that give rise to
differences in society. Racism seems the first cause cited by liberals
when they discuss the pandemic, education or business. |
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- A lack of trust that adults can make
decisions about school choice, wanting
to be an independent contractor or
saving for retirement. |
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- Environmental
extremism that refuses to look at nuclear power or desalination. |
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- Favoring
labor unions over the greater good. I
worry about Democrats making it difficult for
charter schools to grow or requiring
prevailing wages for construction when we badly need new
housing. |
In one
of your editorials, you say that the eyes you hope to open are “reading
something else.” Consider the possibility that the eyes of your editorial
board are not fully open. As long as you believe that others’ eyes are not
open, you perpetuate the division.
No one is completely without biases, but I
believe you show clear bias for the Democratic Party in your news stories.
This from a conservative voter who did not vote for Donald Trump.
Steve Murray, Huntington Beach |
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Regulations
Race
Freedom
Unions
Minimum Wage
Education
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To the editor: In your editorial on the “enduring support” for Trump,
you recognize the many reasons for the massive turnout of Trump supporters
this election. Combined with the people who voted against the president,
they made this election the largest in our history.
Given that you recognize the disconnect, it
seems that you would want to make your paper more inclusive. So, create an
opportunity for more dialogue, and bring on people who can give you a wider
range of views. Stop the constant, leftist
haranguing that is not reaching people who voted for Trump and
other conservatives.
I suggest having fewer columnists like the ones
you currently publish, and bringing on several who have a different view.
This is going to
be hard for the left to handle, and for the right as well, but given the
probable makeup of Congress, healthy dialogue, compromise and a certain
amount of pragmatism are going to be required. It can start with you — or
not.
Greg
Winters, Malibu |
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Inferiority |
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To the editor: The tenor of much of the reporting in majority-Democratic
areas and at left-leaning publications is that Trump supporters are racist,
ignorant, morally suspect, fascist, generally uneducated and likely to
ignore facts.
So, let’s look at
some facts.
The U.S. has reduced
its carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade, without strict
adherence to international agreements or
draconian limits placed on fossil fuels.
How exactly does that lead one to conclude that supporters of market-based
solutions are in fact climate change deniers?
Many scientists have determined that
lockdowns alone are not an effective
large-scale tool for preventing pathogen spread, and that they cause immense
harm to people’s physical and economic well-being. So, how does questioning
the wisdom of lockdowns end up being classified as science denial?
In times past, classifying people based on
their skin color, where they live and who they vote for would have been
considered racist and morally repugnant. Today these characteristics are
used by many “socially progressive” people to determine who is and who is
not a racist. How exactly does this make
sense?
It is not up
to Trump supporters to change how they view science or facts. It is up to
the L.A. Times to stop cherrypicking the science
and facts it prefers as tools to be used in judgment of others,
and to recognize that doing so is a political exercise, not a journalistic
exercise. It is time for news organizations to return to journalism.
I studied politics, economics and business, and
have been a high school government, economics and U.S. history teacher for
many years. I am an independent voter who doesn’t attempt to sway my
students’ beliefs; rather, I help them to develop their own ideas. The most
important aspect of this development is to know, understand and respect
opposing points of view.
How can you possibly convince your opponents if
you don’t actually understand or respect what they are saying?
Joe Blackman, Sierra Madre |
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ENVIRONMENT how has Trump done?
Lockdowns - the Science-
What has Trump done about Racism ?
Media
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To the editor: One of your print headlines says, “GOP claws back an O.C.
seat.” (“Republicans
push back the 2018 ‘blue wave’ in Orange County,” Nov. 11)
Did you also say that the Democrats are
“clawing back” the White House?
The GOP won at least one seat in Orange County and will probably win
another, which is a reasonable outcome in a conservative county during these
turbulent times.
Your incendiary word choice demonstrates your
ongoing distaste for and bias against
not only Trump, but also the entire Republican Party. No wonder your readers
disregard most of your political analyses and opinions.
In another
example, your coverage of Proposition 16, which would allow affirmative
action once again in many state programs, gives the impression that voters
misunderstood the initiative. In fact, voters entirely understood the
meaning of Proposition 16, which is why it was soundly defeated.
Californians prefer to keep the fair and level
playing field established by Proposition 209. Again, this was a reasonable
outcome.
Susan
Schechter, Calabasas |
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Media |
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To the editor: My vote for Trump
had nothing to do with any dislike for President Obama.
I am surprised that so many people called voters like me
racist.
While I sometimes cringed at Trump’s words, I
always understood what he actually meant.
I believed him when he talked about his wishes for this country. I agreed
with him about other countries paying their fair
share, securing our border
and creating jobs.
Contrary to many people’s opinions, this
president has a sense of humor. However, his words
were often taken out of context.
This president never disappointed me; in fact,
he did much good while he was in office.
Elaine Vanoff, West Hollywood |
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Tariffs
Borders
Jobs
Trump did good? |
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To the editor: I’m a lifelong, mainstream liberal Democrat. But I grew
up in a small, poor, all-white, working- class town. The place was once
heavily Democratic, but now it is Trump Country.
Why? The problem isn’t the Democratic Party.
It’s the left wing of the party, which
has managed to turn off many Americans.
I do not
need to be told that the people I grew up with are not well-educated and
sometimes hold backward views, but they are among the best people I’ve ever
known.
They won’t respond to unreasonable positions (open
borders, defunding of the police) or to smug
condescension (“basket of deplorables”).
Until the Democratic Party realizes this and
reins in its left wing, it will continue to underperform in elections.
John Lynn, Edwardsville, Ill.
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Borders
Biden did not advocate DEFUNDING
Inferiority |
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To the editor: As a Christian minister, I spent almost 35 years in
Europe, but moved to California eight years ago. I registered as an
independent voter, wanting my identity to be linked to my evangelical
Christian faith and not to some political
party.
A few years after,
Trump emerged on the political scene. Knowing a little bit about the
character flaws of Trump and the harmful political views of Hillary Clinton,
I could not bring myself to vote for either of them in the 2016 election.
From that election to the present, I have been
stunned at the bias, lack of common sense and civility, false accusations,
name-calling and twisting of words that have come from the mouths of
politicians and those of media personalities. Having tuned into media
outlets, from left to right, I am reminded of five defining words: bullying,
shaming, intimidation, hostility and vitriol.
Frankly, all I wanted were
facts, not opinions.
Faced with the disturbing character of Trump
and the damaging policies of Biden, what was I going to do about this
election? With great hesitation and caution, I cast my ballot for Trump. He
defends religious liberty and the lives
of unborn children.
Sincerely, my life
of faith and evangelical hope are not driven by politics, nor do they depend
on an election but on God and His gospel. As it says in the book of
Proverbs, God can turn the heart of any politician like a stream of water if
he wills.
For this reason, I am on the right side of
history.
Cecil
Stalnaker, Santa Clarita |
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Media
Religion
Abortion |
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To the editor: It is nice to hear Joe Biden call for unity in America
and for people to stop treating their opponents as enemies while his
supporters are dancing with joy in front of storefronts that were boarded up
in case his side lost.
Let’s start
the call for unity with Michelle Obama. Last week she ripped into Trump’s
72.7 million voters as people
who voted for hate, division and lies. She is a great example of the
disdain that 72.7 million people have put up with from elitists like her.
Hollywood, Silicon Valley and most of Biden’s
party have mocked Trump’s 72.7 million voters as racists, misogynists, white
supremacists and more — this, while some Trump supporters have been
violently attacked for wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.
It will take more than Biden briefly asking for
respect between Republicans and Democrats for his side to listen to
different opinions.
Deborah McMicking, Santa Barbara |
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Violent Democrats ?
Inferiority |
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All of the above FACTS, ISSUES, OPINIONS and
FEELINGS are mostly dealt with
here
During the Cold War, a “red telephone” was said to
have kept American leaders in constant contact with their Soviet counterparts.
We know now there was never a red phone, just a hotline, but that’s beside the
point: What’s important is that even at the height of tensions, Moscow and
Washington understood the need to keep open direct lines of communication lest
they stumble into disaster.
Consider today’s letters page my “red telephone,”
an attempt to facilitate communication between the two sides of our profoundly
polarized nation. Right now, perhaps more than any time since Donald J. Trump
took history’s most fateful escalator ride in 2015, pro-Trump and anti-Trump
readers seem to share only an abiding mutual mistrust.
In my decade editing this page, there has never
been a period when quarreling readers have seemed so implacably at odds with
each other, as if they get their facts and values from different universes.
As one small attempt to bridge the divide, we are
providing today a page full of letters from Trump supporters.
Encouraging
communication by publishing arguments from just one side may seem
counterintuitive, but consider this: Our newspaper serves a population that
voted overwhelmingly for Biden (more than 70% in Los Angeles County), and the
vast majority of our letters come from liberal readers. Consequently, much of
what you’ve been reading in this space since 2016 has been anti-Trump.
The Los Angeles Times opinion team, of which I am a
part, has published many strong criticisms of this president.
During his presidency the editorial board wrote two series, “Our
Dishonest President” and “Beating
Trump,” whose titles alone are sufficient to describe what positions they
took. The board called
for Trump’s conviction and removal from office following his impeachment
earlier this year. And the board endorsed
Joe Biden for president in September, before the debates.
Today’s a day to give the other side a hearing.
Liberal politics dominate Los Angeles, but this
isn’t to say we can write off contrarian views. Trump’s supporters are a
significant minority of both the region’s population and our readership. As of
this writing, more than 5.4 million votes for Trump have been counted in
California, 1.1 million in Los Angeles County and 667,000 in Orange County,
where the president took about 44% of the vote and the Republicans appear have
reclaimed two House seats.
The number of Trump
voters in L.A. County alone would exceed the entire populations of eight U.S.
states.
Trumpism is not going away on Jan. 20. For the
foreseeable future, in a Biden presidency and beyond, his supporters and the
rest of us will share a country; in Los Angeles, they will share a newspaper
and, yes, the same letters page.
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