This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
President-elect Donald Trump has not yet been inaugurated but he's already proven to be reckless and self-serving. He lauds our primary adversary, Vladimir Putin, but attacks our intelligence community and the press, two institutions that are essential for a strong democracy. He won't release his tax returns, come clean on potential conflicts of interest — particularly those with Russia — nor place his assets in a blind trust.
At least ten of his 19 Cabinet and other nominees will serve themselves and the wealthy elite while creating hardship for the rest of us. Trump's choice for attorney general is a racist with a long history of trampling civil rights and promoting voter suppression. Trump's choices for secretary of state and heads of the EPA, Department of Interior and Department of Energy are self-serving, fossil-fuel lackeys. Like Trump, they deny climate change, even though the Pentagon identifies climate change as a major threat to our security.
Meanwhile, instead of resisting this assault on our rights, freedoms and an economy that works for all of us, Republicans, including Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, endorse Trump's nominees and propose legislation that will benefit the top 2 percent while bringing turmoil and hardship to our lives.
Andrew Kramer
Ivins