Billionaires get what they want when people are distracted, angry at each other | Opinion

Seeding discord

Hate and resistance is permeating America, yet most Americans agree on core issues. Why? Very rich people, organizations and foreign enemies want to reshape America. This is made easier if citizens are distracted.

Ask yourself why people who live outside the state contribute massive donations to decide elections. Even foreign donors got involved in the NY mayoral race. Why? It’s to reshape America with their beliefs, while we are the pawns in their game. They couldn’t care less about us after the election.

Why are people paid and encouraged to go and protest everything? To make citizens depressed or angry and stop caring. We give up and these people/organizations gain power.

Why fund all the above? It is not for our benefit. Even Congress is being orchestrated not by citizens’ concerns but by organizations or individuals dedicated to their goals. Congress is broken because they fear losing elections if they work with the other side. These fears are orchestrated by people who want power.

Countries are successful when citizens work together and do not react with hate/resistance over everything. When you get angry, ask who is behind the story, and what their motivation is. Ask if it’s just hate-mongering, then ask why.

Lauranne Williams, Lexington

Candidate choice

The ads against Kentucky’s U.S. Senate candidates Nate Morris and U.S. Rep. Andy Barr give good reasons to vote for them. Their ads for them, not so much.

Barr basically admits that he has removed his brain and spine so he can be President Donald Trump’s puppet. He declares his loyalty, not to God and country, but to Trump. Shame on him.

The GOP has again proven that while they claim to be pro-birth, they otherwise, promote a culture of death. They seem to believe that the only good constituent is a dead constituent, unless they have lots of money. They want to poison our air, water, and soil for profit. If you can’t afford groceries or medical care, even if you work or are disabled, then tough. They claim it’s too expensive to help people be strong and well enough to work. It is unlikely they will ever allow a vote on health insurance assistance.

Trump ran for office to stay out of jail. He’s manipulated the stock market and picked unqualified people, personally loyal to him (and don’t forget photogenic), to run important federal agencies. He’s doing this to make profit and to stay in office, so he won’t end up in jail ever.

We need better choices.

Glenna Brouse, Lexington

Not Representational

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., has spent money advertising the fact that he supports what the Trump administration is doing.

So, Andy Barr supports:

• tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a 90,000 square foot, $250M-$300M ballroom;
• sending masked, armed agents into a Chicago apartment building at 1:00 a.m. to drag people into the streets without search or arrest warrants;
• killing people on boats in the Caribbean and south Pacific without providing evidence of drug connections;
• deporting children receiving cancer treatments here;
• refusing to use appropriated and available funds to address the SNAP shortfall during the shutdown;
• letting food rot and medical supplies expire in warehouses instead of delivering them to the most vulnerable people in the world;
• refusing to extend the ACA subsidies, so people can afford health insurance;
• a trade war and tariffs, which have left soy bean farmers and bourbon distillers without markets,
• institutional racism and sexism in our military,
• deporting immigrants to third countries where they may be imprisoned for the rest of their lives;
• and more!

Barr is NOT the person I want in the U.S. Senate for Kentucky.

Marilyn S. Daniel, Versailles

Trump puppet

Recently, my local news covered the filing of U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s run for U.S. Senator. He was glowing! The extended shutdown paid vacation must agree with him. He then began groveling for President Donald Trump’s endorsement. He’s definitely a self-ascribed “Trump guy.”

Simultaneously, Trump appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to continue the process of withholding billions of dollars of SNAP benefits for 42 million American citizens. A district judge ruled that they must release those available contingency funds because “16 million children will go hungry.”

In plain language, they were fighting tooth and nail to starve fellow Americans — our neighbors, friends and families. They’re laughing all the way to the bank while “Jesus wept.” Don’t even get me started on Barr and the GOP allowing the ACA subsidies to expire, forcing millions to pay skyrocketing premiums or loose health coverage.

I’ve always heard “choose your friends wisely.” The association can implicate you in their wrong doings. Barr knows who he’s sucking up to and the crimes Trump and his administration will one day be charged with. He’s choosing criminals over truth. Barr, wrong for Kentucky, deadly for Americans.

Diane Cahill, Lexington

Liggins spending

In 2015, Fayette County Public Schools had a similar shortfall of about the same amount. It reminds me of the old adage – “Fool me once shame on me, fool twice shame on you.”

Demetrus Liggins, who sets financial policy as part of his job, is paid a high salary to specifically keep his finger on the pulse, but instead flies around the world to meetings. For the district to surreptitiously hire their own lobbyist as a way to try to increase the school tax to pay for part of this deficit problem is disreputable. The fact that $2.6 million of the shortfall was spent in a six-month period on travel, dinners, hotels and gifts, which is a flagrant disregard of the use of public funds.

Liggins is complicit in part for this financial shortfall of FCPS. If he is not complicit, it would be evidence of his incompetence because financial policy is his responsibility. His lack of accountability is shameful. It is important to realize that the average salary for a superintendent’s in our country is around $156,468 per year. I would not be as unhappy if K-12 in Kentucky was in the top echelon in our country, but it still would not justify those expenses.

Douglas G. Owen MD, Lexington

Poor coverage

After watching University of Kentucky Wildcat football team struggle through the early part of the season, and their coach in a weekly “Hot Seat” for his job because of no home wins and no conference wins in quite a while, they finally break through with a dominant performance over the hated University of Florida Gators, routing them 38-7 at Kroger Field Recently.

I couldn’t wait to see my Herald-Leader E-edition’s stories about the game. Woke up, went to my computer, loaded the E-edition in the browser. Go to Sports, nothing about the game. Look for the Cats Extra or whatever you call your special coverage of UK Sports… NOTHING... No word if they Won or Lost, nothing! Not even a FINAL SCORE? Not even the E-edition telling the attendance at the game... Poor, Poor coverage!

I, as well as others would like to know why coverage of the game wasn’t included in the E-edition.

Skip Stanton, Lexington

Editor’s note: A mistake led to the exclusion of the Cats Extra with the regular edition after the Florida game. That can be seen here: https://eedition.kentucky.com/shortcode/LMCLEX/edition/f4f438f4-da0a-f846-0522-3f7a9444d8fc?page=b469901c-4065-9f6c-9eef-954afb2195ad&

Veteran remembrance

On Veterans’ Day, one can’t help but think of one of the most disgusting things President Donald Trump has promoted: sending our troops into American cities to attack our citizens. Our military are trained to defend our country , not attack it.

Rene Payne, daughter of a career Air Force pilot, Stanford

Massie stands up

I disagree with Congressman Thomas Massie’s political stands, but at least he has the courage and integrity to defy his party’s leadership by choosing duty and honor over politics despite the potential consequences to his career. Congressman Thomas Massie and Congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene’s relentless push to have the Epstein files released to the public should merit their receiving the 2025 Profile in Courage Award.

Paul L. Newman Merion Station, PA

Great American Smokeout

Nov. 16-23 is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which is dedicated to helping people make a plan to quit tobacco. It’s time for our state lawmakers to also come up with a plan to put a stop to Big Tobacco.

Big Tobacco has been dominating the Commonwealth for generations. These companies aggressively market their products to people, effectively creating lifelong customers with an addiction to deadly products, and no end in sight.

We’re living with the fallout. Families across Kentucky are struggling under the burden of tobacco. Nearly every one of us has personally experienced the loss of a loved one from a tobacco-related disease. I am currently watching my Uncle fight for his life due to a tobacco-related cancer, and I don’t ever want another family to experience this pain.

There’s more our state can do to support people who want to quit and to prevent kids and teens from starting in the first place. I hope you will join me in urging lawmakers to mark this Great American Smokeout as a time to stand up to Big Tobacco by increasing funding for tobacco prevention and programs to help Kentuckians quit.

John Staton, Lexington

Edited by Liz Carey

This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 10:56 AM.