The Make America Great Again Republicans are not interested in the actual work of governing. They refuse to bring forward legislation or even pass a budget.

The country needs people to work together. So many of our problems are made worse by the unyielding opposition of the Trump Republicans. Consider the border situation.

South and Central America are going through a really rough time economically and environmentally. No surprise there is a drought and the normal weather has been disrupted. People are facing death and coming here looking for work and a better life.

There is nothing we can do except invest in their economy and give them food aid to keep them where they are. If we do nothing to help them they will keep coming.

We can look at the problem logically. Here are all these people willing to take any job offered. Here are employers looking for workers. A sane immigration policy will put these two groups together and make a path to citizenship. The Trump Republicans do not want a sane immigration policy. The Senate put forward a bill and House Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to bring it to a vote. in the House. It would pass because the Democrats would support it. Trump has openly said he wants chaos.

This is not healthy for our country. Remember “We the people” choose for ourselves this style of government. It only works when people are willing to compromise.

We are in danger of losing the excellent system we have. Right now if a municipality is doing something I don’t like, I can go to the board meeting and complain. If the president is doing something I don’t like I can write a letter. I have power within this system and I am not afraid to use it.

That is true freedom. It was fought for by our soldiers but it was also fought for by civil servants and everybody who contributes to make the system run. Remember, “one revolution and a million committee meetings.”

The system Trump wants to impose is radically different. He has said in all seriousness he will be a dictator on Day One. He has promised to replace civil servants with party loyalists.

Think of what a high functioning bureaucracy we have right now. To be a clerk in the Social Security office you need to pass a test to show you can do the job. Millions of Social Security checks go out in the mail every month without a hitch. That and millions of other aspects of our lives are silently, efficiently run by the bureaucracy.

Think of what will happen if those thousands of civil servants are replaced with MAGA loyalists. Right now we have people whose loyalty is to the country. Who passed a test to do their job and work the same under a Republican president or a Democratic one. Trump wants to replace them with people loyal to him.

Think of what we expect the government to do for us. We expect it to keep order and protect us from pollution, from shabby workmanship, from unsafe food as well as international threats. None of this is talked about by Trump. He consistently speaks of revenge. He also speaks of his friendship with leader Vladimir Putin.

In the 1980s and 1990s I fought for more social programs. I wanted universal healthcare. I was told we can’t afford that because we must put our money into the military to fight the cold war. Russia, our great enemy, was arming and we must match it.

Now Russia has dropped the mask of communism. The idea is that everything belongs to everyone equally. If they are no longer a threat, why are they openly trying to take over other countries? Do the people who were most opposed to Communism then the ones who are most in favor of Russia’s Empire building now?

This seems very hypocritical to me.

We are dealing with a brutal dictatorship in Russia focused on conquering old territory. Ukraine is a distinct culture that has been under Russian rule for centuries. They have their own language and culture. They deserve to choose their own path. Supporting them now is an investment in our future.

Marie Tomlinson is a Fredonia resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com