You Can't Just Make Stuff Up.

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC  20500

9 March 2017

 Dear President  Trump,  

When I was in high school I got involved in my freshman year in the high school debate team.  Now I am a 50 year old man but the lessons that I learned on the debate team still stick with me.  It was one of the ost valuable experiences I ever had. 

One of the things I learned early on is that, if you are going to make an argument, you owe it to those who will argue against you to present evidence to support your points.   No matter how much you may dislike the other team, if you wish to win over the judge, you need to provide evidence to prove your points against them.  If you do not do so, you cannot win those particular points, and, most likely, if you do not win those particular points, you lose the debate.   

I realize that, since coming to office, you have made several accusations, among them that President Obama tapped your phone lines, that the crowds at your inauguration were larger than reported, and that no one in your campaign spoke with the Russians during the campaign.  I also realize that there seem to be many people in the United States who are willing to accept what you say without requiring that you show evidence. These people, however, are not in the majority.  In fact, they are nowhere close. 

 According to the non-partisan Gallup Approval Rating Poll, you are, as of today, at a 41% approval rating.  If you look at the average approval ratings of the last 9 presidents in the March following their inaugurations, the next closest to you is Bill Clinton, who still averaged 10 points higher than you.  In fact, Barak Obama, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower all averaged over 30 points higher in March than you are.  I do not say this to make you feel bad but to underscore the importance of gaining the trust of the American people.  You will only be able to do that by being straight with us, and that means not making assertions without providing evidence to back them up. 

Sir, the American people are not stupid.  Please show us the respect we are due.

 

Regards,

 

William Boerman-Cornell

On Respecting Women

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington D.C. 20500

March 8, 2017 

Dear President Trump,

Do you know what today is?  Of course you do…..International Women’s Day!   A day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women past, present, and future.

Today would also have been my father’s 86^th birthday were he still alive today.  He had five daughters besides his one son.  My father never once made us feel that we were anything less than amazing by virtue of being daughters rather than sons. Yet sadly, millions upon millions of people worldwide seem to think it is acceptable to treat women poorly with low pay, abuse, and disrespect.  Isn’t that terrible? 

According to the United Nations, a study in 2012 found that 92 per cent of women reported having experienced some form of sexual violence in public spaces in their lifetime, and 88 per cent of women reported having experienced some form of verbal sexual harassment (including unwelcome comments of a sexual nature, whistling, leering or making obscene gestures) in their lifetime.  

Can you fathom that? About 9 out of every 10 women on Earth has felt denigrated, maligned, unsafe in the presence of others.  I’m sure you would agree that that is not tolerable.  You would not want to add to those numbers. 

I’m sure you also want to show that you too honor, respect, and support women’s causes in our nation and world.  Feel free to tweet positive, supportive messages using  #WomensDay or #DiadelaMujer or # JourneedesFemmes—those last two would probably really impress international audiences. 

Furthermore, I think you should consider using the POTUS handle instead of your personal one.  Wouldn’t that really, really send a tremendous message to all other nations that you, the President, recognize the equality and importance of women in a world that does not always treat women as equal and important? 

And then, after this once-a-year day is past, you will want to think of other ways to honor all women with your words and actions every ordinary day. 

Sincerely, 

A. Boerman-Cornell

More Advice for President Trump from Middle School

Once again, our middle school daughter offers President Trump advice based on what she is learning in middle school. 

 

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC  20500

7 March 2017 

Dear President Donald Trump,  

I heard a few days ago that you, on Twitter, accused former President Barack Obama of “tapping my wires at the Trump Tower.” I found that accusation both interesting and perplexing. It led me to a few thoughts and words of advice.  

First of all, I personally, whenever someone does something mean to me, I like to talk to them about it face-to-face, not text them, email them, run to social media, or even call them. Maybe you, President Trump, should consider doing the same. If someone tells you that President Obama was tapping your wires, maybe you should ask him politely about it, instead of accusing him on Twitter based on what someone else said to you.  If you have real evidence, it would still be a great idea to have a conversation with him.   

Also, sometimes, it is good to sit down and think things through. If you don’t have evidence that he tapped your wires, then it might not be the best idea to jump to conclusions immediately and accuse him about it on Twitter. Even if you do have evidence to back up yourself up, thinking twice before acting would be a wise course of action to take. I have found that when I take a moment to contemplate my actions before carrying them through, I end up acting more responsibly. Perhaps that is true for you, too.

Regards,

    

F.

Enough with the Twitter, Already

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave

Washington DC  20500 
6 March 2017

Dear President Trump, 

I just wanted to write a short letter to give you some friendly advice this week, It's something that has served me well in life: If you are passionate about something and want to accomplish it, you should focus wholeheartedly on it. 

I pretty much agree with less than 5% of what you have been doing so far, and for my personal political opinions it would be better for me to keep quiet, but I believe that you deserve the respect of my honest advice, and I feel sorry that so many people are still treating you and your presidency as a joke. You are our president, and I hope that people will treat you with the respect that they deserve as well.  

I think one of the reasons that people don't take you seriously is the way your twitter allows people access to your thoughts-- or at least the ones you choose to share. For instance, this morning from 6:49am to 7:02am, you accused former President Barack Obama of wiretapping you. Without extensively getting into the responsibility of a leader to carefully measure accusations and ensure that proof is available to back up those accusations, I will move onto the next tweet you sent, at 8:19am, in which you discussed your opinion on why Arnold Schwarzenegger was fired from your former television show.  

When you switch focus this quickly, it gives the American people the impression that you cannot focus on one thing for an extended period of time. Please try to focus wholeheartedly on the things that you care about, and that the American people care about. If that is hard to do, it might be wisest to just stay off your Twitter account.     

Sincerely,

 

K.

National Book Day: Reading Recommendations for President Trump

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC 20500

3 March 2017 

Dear President Trump, 

Today is world book day.  I thought I might recommend some books for you to consider reading.  I know you are busy, but just ten minutes of reading each night will help you sleep better and may provide some wisdom that could help you in the difficult and complex choices that you face. 

1.       Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird – this book has a lot to say about working hard for justice, even in a world that makes it hard to do so.  It is also a good example of why it is important to stand up for the rights of those whose voices are marginalized.

2.      The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Although this one will take a while to read, it is a gripping story about the entrancing danger ofbeing corrupted by having too much power, and how even small and apparently weak people can defeat evil.

3.      Pam Munoz Ryan’s recent book Echo tells three interesting and interwoven stories of kids, one in Nazi Germany, one in New York during the Depression, and one in California during World War Two.  The three stories connect together in the end in a fabulous ending.  Along the way, the book explores themes including the idea that every person has value, regardless of their religious beliefs, economic status, or cultural background.

4.      I don’t know if you have read any Harry Potter, but I think you would like this series. Harry and his friends fight against Voldemort, an evil wizard who thinks only pureblood wizards and witches have any worth, and wants to kill off all those of mixed blood.  Harry Potter and his friends work together to overthrow the evil wizard before he can kill even more people.

5.      Senator John Lewis’s graphic novel series, March, is a really cool inside look at the civil rights movement.  This is an important part of history.  I know you don’t always see eye to eye with Senator Lewis, but this book might help you be able to understand where he is coming from a bit more – and it is a really good series of books.

6.      You also might check out The Bible.  The story is actually very interesting.  There is a lot in there about love and forgiveness.  It really gets good about halfway through when Jesus shows up.  He tries to teach the world about a new way of operating, which includes loving everyone, especially those who might be more needy than you, or those who come from different cultures. The Bible also seems to be pretty big on taking care of God’s creation. 

If you don’t have copies of these books, you can get them at your local library (which for you I guess would be the Library of Congress).  I hope you enjoy them. 

Regards,

 

Bill Boerman-Cornell

Presidential Humor Lessons

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC 20500

2 March 2017 

Dear President Trump, 

When I moved from elementary school to middle school, I switched schools.  That meant that I was the new kid and as a result, I got picked on and insulted and mocked a lot.  It took me a while, but I finally figured out that if I made fun of myself, I got to control the conversation, and the bullies couldn’t make fun of me if I had already done so myself. 

As has frequently been pointed out in the press, you have a remarkably thin skin when it comes to people making fun of you.  I certainly understand this.  Such taunts hurt.  You have expressed anger at the cast of Saturday Night Live for their parodies of you, you have been angered at various late night hosts when they make fun of you, and you have proven a remarkably easy person to taunt.   

I am concerned about this because in your anger and vindictiveness, you sometimes seem to make leadership decisions that are motivated more by a desire for revenge than by a desire to make decisions that will benefit the American people.  It also sometimes makes you look foolish. 

If you don’t mind taking some advice from a nerd who figured out how to make humor work for him, I would suggest that your best bet might be to learn to make fun of yourself some times.  Doing so takes the wind out of the sails of those who would mock you and gives you the chance to be seen by the American public as someone who is confident enough to have a sense of humor about himself. 

It may also mean that you do not act out of a desire to hold a grudge when the situation calls for a civil tongue and a wise and thoughtful approach.  

Regards, 

Bill Boerman-Cornell

Better Ideas for a Bad Budget Proposal

President Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC 20500

1 March 2017 

Dear President Trump, 

According to an article published in The Atlantic yesterday (28  February) , you are proposing a budget which would increase defense spending by 54 billion and offer a major tax cut primarily benefiting the wealthy. 

Since it is partly my tax money you are proposing to spend, I would like of offer the following suggestions as you finalize your budget. 

1.       You were elected by people who have been complaining for decades about wasteful and unnecessary government spending.  We are not currently at war with anyone.  We are fighting ISIS, a bunch of thugs and bullies who engage in ground level guerrilla warfare. Additional bombers and big ticket items will be good for the shareholders of military contractors, but in a fight which is waged primarily with intelligence and surgical strikes, and in which there is no large massive army or people to drop bombs on, this moves seems at best foolish and at worst immoral.  And it certainly goes against the wishes of your base who have cried out for more fiscal responsibility in the federal government.

2.      Your budget proposal offers a significant tax cut for the wealthy, a population which is not at risk of poverty or even hardship and which does nto need a tax cut.  In fact, in light of your own refusal to release your tax returns, my guess is that most of the people who would benefit from your tax cut already pay embarrassingly far less than their fair share.

3.      I am a white middle class male over fifty.  The article in The Atlantic says that your budget will primarily protect people like me, while making life harder for young people, urban people, and those who are economically disadvantaged.  It cites calculations by The Urban Institute that reveal that the government currently spends 6 dollars on seniors for every one dollar for kids.  I guess I ought to be happy that you are giving me the gift of more spending – except that I have children and I teach college students who are just beginning to make their way in the world.  I agree with you that we need to continue to fund social security as a safety net.  It is one of the things that make this country a good place to live in.  But we have a far greater responsibility to give young people a shot at a better life –especially those that do not have white privilege and wealth on their side. 

Perhaps the tone of these arguments seems harsh.  I do not want to be combative, but honestly, because it is my tax money you are spending (and, since this will increase the deficit, the tax money of my children as well, I urge you to do these three things.  First, keep defense spending at the level it is currently at.  Second, eliminate your proposed tax cut for the wealthy.  Third, redesign your budget proposal so that it benefits all future generations who will need help rather than the older wealthier white generation currently living in luxury. 

Regards, 

Bill Boerman-Cornell