Between Elon Musk’s coup and Trump’s executive orders, we are living in alternate reality | Opinion
Musk’s coup
To U.S. Rep. Andy Barr: I’m one of your constituents and visited your Lexington office on Feb. 6. I met with your staff to express my alarm about Elon Musk’s coup against our government and asked what you intend to do to stop it. Your staffer said you “support an inquiry and audit sort of thing” but haven’t addressed “government takeover, security concerns, anything about that.” I asked if you were aware that Musk has taken over the National Treasury. He replied, “What we’ve been told, and what we’ve heard is that they received a read-only access.” Musk’s tech bros were able to read our information? Do you not see a problem with an unelected foreign national having this level of access?
“Well, Elon Musk is a ‘special government employee,’” your staffer said.
I asked if Musk and his team had been vetted or received security clearances. Your staffer didn’t know but would pass along my concerns.
Rep. Barr, as your constituent whose private information is now compromised, I expect you to act NOW. Stop Elon Musk. End this coup!
Leah D. Schade, Lexington
Calling out Coleman
The Attorneys General of 19 states sued to stop Elon Musk from accessing your name, social security numbers, addresses, birthdays, and bank account information and from accessing the $3 trillion Treasury Department payment systems used for unemployment compensation, SNAP food subsidies, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.
A federal judge temporarily blocked Musk from accessing the data saying it would risk “irreparable harm” to the people of the United States because of “...the risk of disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking.”
Kentucky’s Attorney General Russell Coleman did not join the suit. Evidently, he thinks it’s okay to give the world’s richest man access to $3 trillion of your tax money and your private information. He has not questioned why Musk needs access to the Treasury’s payment systems and taxpayer personal data or questioned what is going to be done with it.
Will Republicans in Congress vote to protect your personal data? U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) is sponsoring a bill, “The Taxpayer Data Protection Act.” Will U.S. Reps. James Comer, Andy Barr, Brett Guthrie, Thomas Massie and Hal Rogers (all R-Ky.) vote to protect your data?
Margaret Groves, Frankfort
Freezing USAID
A 90-day pause to U.S. foreign assistance has created chaos around the world and placed millions of lives in danger. Smart, strategic foreign assistance is a valuable foreign policy tool and helps advance U.S. values and interests around the world. To back away now diminishes our reputation as a reliable partner and jeopardizes our health and safety here at home.
U.S. foreign assistance programs save lives, plain and simple. Since the pause was implemented, soup kitchens serving hundreds of thousands of people have closed. People throughout the continent of Africa have been unable to access the medicine that keeps them alive. A U.S.-funded program that surveils terrorist organizations was forced to shut down. For every day the U.S. stopped funding for antiretroviral drugs, 40 newborn babies contracted HIV.
U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul; U.S. Reps. Brett Guthrie, Thomas Massie, James Comer, Andy Barr, Hal Rogers, all R-Ky. and Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky.: It is imperative that these programs continue their important, often life-saving work. I hope I can count on your support.
Jemal Wade Hines for the ONE Campaign, Morgantown, KY
Governmental delirium
When a government official has to say that we are not planning a military invasion of Canada, we have reached a new level of delirium. Is there no adult in the room? Canada, Gaza, Greenland, Panama, South Africa! What is next, Great Britain?
President Donald Trump is showing that he is not playing with a full deck. It looks like he is trying to make Trump 2.0 a bigger clown show that Trump 1.0. He has pretty much solidified his standing as the dumbest president ever, which also solidifies his standing as the worst president ever.
His grasp of basic economics is amazingly poor. The Wharton School should revoke his diploma, if he ever received one.
Now he is going to take a lot of money away from farmers. He may just finish off the Florida orange juice industry. It seems to be a never-ending calamity, negatively impacting the people who voted for him.
Will Wilson, Lexington
Define “Merit”
Some of the things that come out of President Donald Trump’s mouth boggle the mind. He blamed the air collision over the Potomac River on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). His remedy for this problem was his policy that in the future government hires would be based on “merit.” Makes you wonder what Trump’s definition of “merit” is considering his picks for his cabinet.
Rene Payne
Alternate reality
I’m old enough to remember when there was such a thing as “so stupid, I am not going to dignify it with a response.” Of course, in those days, stupid would slink away if ignored. Today, the Tea Party and MAGA have normalized stupid to the point where we have to respond on an hourly basis — President Donald Trump, nor the GOP, nor half the American electorate, are going anywhere anytime soon. How long can a political party or a country survive in an alternative reality bound by neither truth nor shame? I don’t know, but I am not optimistic, and the historical precedents are not promising.
Dan Berry, Stamping Ground
Republican tax cut
President Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s first priority is a tax cut for the wealthy and corporations, an extension of their 2017 tax cut. The estimated cost for the 2017 cut was $1.9 trillion. Eighty-five percent of the cut has gone to the wealthy and corporations. Some individual, household, and estate taxes will expire in 2025. Making these temporary taxes permanent would cost $400 billion a year starting in 2027. The estimated cost of the extension is $4 to $5 trillion over 10 years.
As a result, debt and inflation will probably continue to increase, and prices are not going down. Interest payments on the debt are 10 percent of the present federal budget. Trump has asked the debt limit to be increased. Republicans have indicated interest in cutting the federal budget as much as $2 trillion. Trump supports tariffs because they are a revenue stream. Businesses buying imported products will pay those fees which are passed on to consumers. The estimated cost to American families is expected to be $2,600 annually.
There is every reason to believe social safety net programs will be adversely impacted. These represent 8 percent of the federal budget. Recipients should be concerned with future participation.
Danny Shearer, Lexington
McConnell values
In Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort said, “There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it.” No line in literature better summarizes U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s leadership. Values and principles were never as important to him as increasing party power. Let’s remember his leadership in that light.
McConnell recognized President Donald Trump was responsible for Jan. 6th but decided not to hold him accountable. He’d vote for Trump if he was standard bearer for the party. Aren’t principles and values of the U.S. President far less relevant than party power?
McConnell was informed by the intelligence community that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 Presidential elections. McConnell protested, why would he do anything that might hinder the success of his candidate? Aren’t principles and values, even national security concerns, less important than party power.
The consensus of federal Judges helped to ensure a more unbiased judicial branch. It prevented interpretation of the law through a political lens. However, replacing the consensus of judges with party ideologs favored political party objectives over unbiased decision making.
Principles and values were always less relevant than party power to McConnell. It isn’t about winning, it’s how one wins that matters.
Peter Wedlund, Lexington
Executive orders
With each executive order President Donald Trump makes America worse. He is working tirelessly to make America a pariah.
His actions promote neither democracy nor Christianity. They are crafted to hurt as many as possible. He thinks he’s perfect, so problems are someone else’s fault. He wants to outlaw anti-Christian acts and speech. Sounds good? Which denomination will be the basis for this law? No more dissing another denomination. What about other faiths? He doesn’t care. Oh, and don’t forget, he probably thinks he’s God.
He wants to forcibly take territory from other countries without regard for the people living there. Notice he wants to eject the Gazans. They’re supposed to leave with nothing. He wants to let Israel’s leaders off for genocide, etc. He has no respect for the rule of law. The law is what he says it is. It will be USA versus Earth at the rate he’s going. Under Trump we can’t pretend to be a Christian nation. Read the Beatitudes and weep.
If we ignore what he is doing to foreigners and federal workers, it will be us next. May the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit help us.
Glenna Brouse, Lexington
SAVE Act
The SAVE Act is completely unnecessary. Federal law already clearly states that it is illegal for non-US citizens to vote, register to vote, or cast a ballot in federal elections. Election officials already use state and federal data to verify a voter’s eligibility.
According to the U.S. State Department, only half of American citizens have a passport, and in Kentucky, less than a third of citizens have one to use as documentation. Rural areas are disproportionally disenfranchised by this law.
Finally, most women in this country could not produce a birth certificate as documentation because they changed their surname when they married. The requirements of the SAVE Act infringe on the voting rights of millions, regardless of party affiliation.
As written, the SAVE Act seeks to discourage and disqualify U.S. citizens from voting. I have worked the polls; I KNOW that the processes in place ALREADY secure the elections. This proposed legislation is wasteful political theater designed to score points with the current administration and the media and is an example of how the current administration will turn on the very people who empowered it.
Tell your Congress members to vote NO on the SAVE Act. It saves nothing and will keep eligible citizens from voting.
-Kay Cox, Lawrenceburg
Brotherhood spirit
This year’s Super Bowl crowned the Philadelphia Eagles, representing the “City of Brotherly Love,” with a remarkable victory. More than just a game, it showcased unity and teamwork.
In Islam, brotherhood and love for others are foundational principles. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Sahih Bukhari). Islam translates this love into practical acts of service and compassion.
Muslims are urged to care for others through charity (sadaqah), helping the poor, and supporting those in need. We are taught to visit the sick, feed the hungry, and protect our neighbors’ well-being, regardless of their faith. The Holy Qur’an states, “And help one another in righteousness and piety.” (5:3).
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community embodies these teachings through initiatives like food drives, blood donations, and community service events. The community urges people to set aside their differences and come together to serve humanity through compassion and selflessness. It is through these acts that we reflect the true essence of Islam: unity, peace, and love for all.
Faizan Ahmed, Lexington
Edited by Liz Carey
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 10:30 AM.