We are lying to ourselves about Trump

I am distressed by the rhetoric in the aftermath of the Mueller report revelation.

The stance of not initiating impeachment proceedings, the essay reflections in The New York Times that downplay the actions of our president as simply chaotic or bullying behavior, are falsely defining what is without doubt a destructive force in the White House.

People, the United States owes trillions of dollars, and much of it to China. I tire of the now false phrase that the U.S. is the richest country in the world because we are not. How does the economy recover from such bottomless spending?

This lack of stewardship, the undoing of environmental protections, and a crumbling of relationships with nations to whom we owe many of our successes, is the abomination of the administration of Donald Trump. And he is a traitor — why is that so hard to swallow? — because he has aligned himself with dictators who are frightening in their precise actions to keep us falling downward on our rudderless track.

If we step back from our flimsy theories of chaos, we might be able to hone in on the truth: we are declining, and we will continue to decline by letting leaders of self-interest rule. If we don't act, then we are no better than them, for we are lying to ourselves by saying these things that have happened are not immoral and illegal and should not face consequences.

Corinne J. Stanley

Iowa City