Letter: We must elect better leaders than Donald and Mike

I have been asked to find a candidate who will end America’s endless wars and return to prosperity. Certainly. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Neither believes “NATO is obsolete” but will continue the rallying of NATO, which has allowed Ukraine to reduce Russian ground fighting capability by 2/3. Neither will ridicule American POWs, demean Gold Star families, avoid combat amputees, or label active duty and KIA’s “losers” or “suckers”. Both will budget for the VA for deserved veterans’ benefits. Neither will cut billionaires’ taxes and create super-record deficits, creating inflationary pressure.

Both will continue the strong and steady and disciplined fiscal and monetary policies (insisting the federal reserve remains free of political influence) which have given America the lowest inflation of free nations. Neither will advocate for “termination of all rules, regulations and articles including the Constitution”.

Both will keep the county sheriff out of the women’s medical examining room. Both will support comprehensive and bipartisan and humane border legislation rather than urge its defeat to save as a political cudgel. Neither will exacerbate subsurface bigotry by carrying on demonstrable lies of consuming cats and dogs by legal non-white immigrants.

Neither has been convicted of 34 felonies for having intercourse with two prostitutes while her/his spouse was home with her/his newborn then buying the prostitutes’ silence and cheating on an election by disguising the payouts as business rather than campaign expenses.

Both will advocate sensible and constitutional firearms
regulations rather than advocating K-12 schools be patrolled by armed staff and law enforcement officers and without the manipulative scare tactic that “they’re gonna take your guns”.

In Indiana Mike Braun, candidate for governor, embraces the opposite, demonstrated on his campaign literature and rhetoric. Jennifer McCormick, former state superintendent of schools and and his opponent, embraces these positives.

While it may be nice having the next governor from my Dubois County, Mike Braun has nonetheless weakly sold his soul to
Donald Trump. The same man who proclaimed recently “I hate Taylor Swift”.

We can and must elect better leaders than Donald and Mike.

John E. Birk
Patoka Township, Dubois County