Bruce Dalleo is a resident of Wilmington.
In November 2024, I voted with great confidence that America’s future was secure, believing deeply in the quote by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of history bends toward justice.”
What is there to say about the time we live in? It is a serious question; I have serious concern.
What is there to say about our president’s behavior? I expect a president to show dignity and respect for the office he holds; I hold him to the standard of honorable and moral actions. It is clear to me that he views seizing power as his highest motivation.
What is there to say about his treatment of the meek of the Earth? It brings me deep sorrow that he treats immigrants as dangerous and unwelcome residents and, occasionally, as members of a subhuman species. His conduct is cruel and capricious and brutal.
What is there to say about his manner of interacting as the leader of the free world? We live in a somber time, watching as the president slashes through decades of the United States upholding democratic values worldwide. He has destroyed our reputation as a reliable friend to democracies around the world. He demonstrates contempt for our allies and praises dictators.
What is there to say about his view of his constitutional duty? He regards the power of the presidency as his cudgel to thrash his personal rivals; he disregards the basic tenet of a balance of power among the three branches of government. He speaks of ignoring constitutional order when it interferes with his plans.
What is there to say about his opinion of the federal employees who conduct the government of the United States? He holds them in contempt and denigrates them. He appears to intend to destroy the federal government, to remake it in his sense of order. His actions are jeopardizing many well-established programs that Americans depend on: Social Security, health care, the social safety net for struggling working families.
What is there to say about his knowledge about and his custodial care for the country’s economy? He has a fetish for tariffs, and his on-again, off-again conduct on tariffs has set the world’s economy jittery. He has already destroyed trillions of dollars of savings for regular Americans.
What is there to say about his decimation of the cultural life of these United States? There are institutions of our cultural life that are dear to me. I’ve worked in museums, and I fear that his aim to have cultural entities submit to his domination is threatening the independence of thought in America. He has attacked museums, libraries and PBS, with the intent of withdrawing funding. His harassment of universities is monstrous. He set the IRS on pestering universities, so his minions can destroy academic freedom and regulate the American educational system.
What is there to say about the United States? I fear for its future.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
