Letter of the Week: It's not Trump. It's the nation we've become.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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 Donald Trump cannot be blamed for the violence, intolerance or lack of empathy for the poor and sick.

Yes, he has urged violence against dissenters at his rallies, called the press the "enemy of the people" to prevent reporting, called for surveillance of Muslims and a ban on any entering the country, cited voter fraud in hopes of suppressing any who might vote against him and refused to reveal his financial dealings before and during his presidency.

So we end up with Indian nationals murdered in Kansas and murders in Portland of those defending a Muslim; a politician can assault a reporter and get elected or threaten to throw one off a balcony without charges. We end up with Kansas' Kris Kobach seeking ways to suppress minority votes nationwide.

Politicians in office are emboldened to withhold their financial dealings — making dark money, secret deals and corruption increasingly hard to discover. Money has become a god in our society, as witnessed by the rise of Prosperity Gospel in Christianity and the election of a billionaire.

It's not Trump, it is us, the nation we've become; he is our ethical and moral soul on full display.

Michael M. Geer

Sandy