We are participating in a remake of the “Voyage of the Titanic.” Under the guidance of our misguided captain, President Trump, the Titanic, the United States of America, is steaming, full speed, towards more than one potential “iceberg.” The captain is being ably assisted by first mate Musk, with the ship’s dog, Vance, there to nip at the heels of our trusted allies of long standing. Meanwhile, the engineers and navigators, the Senate and House Republicans, have forgotten their training and responsibility, oath to uphold the Constitution and manage the budget. What is the iceberg towards which we are heading? It will take several forms.

First iceberg, Trump has decided, without consultation with anyone other than the dictator and mass murderer Putin, that peace between Ukraine and Russia must occur at any price. Trump has made concessions to Putin without reciprocal agreements or guarantees. In order to reach this agreement Trump has not only ignored our longtime and faithful allies but has resorted to petty language and actions that have betrayed the great people of Ukraine and their elected president Zelensky. Trump’s decision to cut off intelligence information and approved weapons supplies is a betrayal of the first order. Fair elections are by definition completely unheard of in Russia. If Trump succeeds in ramming a peace treaty through it is unlikely to be fair or last long.

Second iceberg, government efficiency and cost saving. Government employees have been the whipping boy of right wing politicians for a longtime. Having worked for the last three years as a senior administrator in the USDA Farm Service Agency in Vermont I can certainly see that a program to examine the effectiveness and delivery of services to the general public is never a bad thing. However, to take a meat cleaver approach, with no plan, is a terrible idea. Without effectively assessing what is working and what isn’t, how do you make things better or save money? I had around 40 staff people I oversaw, working for Vermont’s farmers. They were hardworking and dedicated, especially with the flooding we had for the last three years. Most of the staff are farmers or come from farm families. Trump is assisted by his first mate Musk who seems unable to say anything constructive about employees without denigrating them. What happens when the services the public expects are no longer available in a timely fashion. Farmers are already feeling the impact with programs cancelled.

Third iceberg, the economy. Having promised to drive down prices of groceries on day one, his actions will lead to higher prices and more inflation. His on-again, off-again tariffs will not result in a surge of companies moving to America to set up factories; it takes years for that to happen. Like Trump’s claims about drilling for oil, I doubt that by the end of his four years many or any new wells will be drilled. And that is without worrying about climate change, which is real and a great threat.

Fourth iceberg, the fractious and small majority state of the Republican majorities. At this point it seems that the elected Republicans are turning a blind eye to their budgetary responsibilities, enshrined in the Constitution. At what point will they remember their job and realize how much power they have abdicated. I hope it’s soon.

Fifth iceberg, the destruction of USAID, a program that for less than 1% of our budget garnered huge respect and approval around the world, feeding the starving, providing medical treatments, education and other benefits. Thousands, if not millions will die. American farmers have lost a significant market for the grains they grow.

Back to the Titanic analogy, the rich on the upper decks will survive, they are close to the lifeboats, in this example the tax cuts. There are not enough lifeboats and the rest of the American population is locked in steerage. What is really sad is that so much destruction will be done by this President that it will set America and the world back for years and on a very dangerous course.

As a descendant of family that survived the Titanic disaster I have hope that Trump will not be able to achieve much of what he’s set out to do. However, he will not be making America great anytime soon, and cowering to Putin is probably the worst thing he’s done, though hard to pick.

John Roberts

West Cornwall