Another Trump Blunder

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/opinion/letters/trump-coronavirus.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Governors Argue Order by Trump Imperils Budgets” (front page, Aug. 11):

President Trump proposes to burden revenue-strapped states with a requirement to pay money they haven’t got to fund the extension of supplemental unemployment benefits. To meet the requirement, states would likely have to divert funding away from essential programs like education, trash removal and infrastructure maintenance. These cuts would no doubt result in — you guessed it — even more unemployment as state and municipal workers are laid off.

I used to think that Mr. Trump worked hard at making bad situations worse. It is now evident that he has a natural gift for it.

Gary MongioviNew YorkThe writer is a professor of economics at the Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University.

To the Editor:

Re “Michelle Obama Says She Is Dealing With ‘Low-Grade Depression’” (nytimes.com, Aug. 6):

Michelle Obama has performed a tremendous public service by using the word “depression” to describe her mood state. She validates what so many Americans are feeling as a result of the racial crisis, the pandemic and the resulting quarantine and financial devastation. Her words are especially validating for women, who suffer from depression twice as often as men, and for women of color, who may be struggling with front-line jobs and poverty.

Mrs. Obama’s comments and the strong support she received also highlight yet another change we need to make to American public health policy as soon as possible: greater access to mental health services. It is axiomatic among health care professionals that children’s mental health is directly related to the mental health of their parents, especially their mothers.

Our families are in crisis in every domain. How long will we have to wait for adequate responses from the federal government?

Carol LandauProvidence, R.I.The writer is a clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior and medicine at Brown University and the author of “Mood Prep 101: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Depression and Anxiety in College-Bound Teens.”

To the Editor:

Re “The Political Headwinds for Forceful Women” (news article, Aug. 10):

While the article is correct about our society’s retrograde discomfort with women who seek power, the suggestion that no one told John F. Kennedy that he was too ambitious is untrue.

As a young senator of modest accomplishments, J.F.K. was constantly derided as overly ambitious when he sought the vice presidency in 1956 and the presidency in 1960, including by Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman and other Democratic Party leaders.

Richard Rovere wrote in The New Yorker in 1960: “Early in his career … the number of his detractors probably equaled — and perhaps even surpassed — that of his admirers. His ambition was thought to be untempered by humor or charity.”

I agree that too many people today are made uneasy by politically hard-charging women, and that there is sexism behind many of the complaints. But the historical record shows that John F. Kennedy (and other men) have been subjected to similar criticisms as well.

David GreenbergNew YorkThe writer is a professor of history at Rutgers University.

To the Editor:

It appears that Cleveland is to be the venue for the first of the debates between the two likely candidates for president. Some of us here in Cleveland are concerned that the event will increase the city’s coronavirus exposure, despite the promised “risk-mitigation procedures,” and attract protesters, thus providing an excuse for the president to deploy federal enforcers.

Since these are exceptional times, why must a debate be held in a large venue? A debate really requires only two debaters; a moderator to ask the questions, keep the time and enforce the rules; and a set of cameras to broadcast it to the nation. The adage to “keep it simple” is appropriate now more than ever.

Barbara Forsyth-BowleyCleveland

To the Editor:

Re “Graying Audiences Are a Lifeline, Not a Risk,” by Anthony Tommasini (Critic’s Notebook, Arts & Leisure, Aug. 9):

So glad that someone does not think that old people are a problem for classical music. What you see in the audiences may be a lot of gray heads, but also the same gray heads a lot of times.

In normal times, I am at a classical music, live theater or dance performance at least once a week. I enjoyed all these things 30 years ago, but I had neither the time nor the money to do so every week. And when I move on to heavenly choirs, I am sure that there will be more recently retired music lovers to fill my vacant seat.

Gray heads are a renewable resource.

Anne KileyWhittier, Calif.