Readers’ comments: February 14, 2025

Kudos, Courier
Dear editor:
I just wanted to write you to let you know how much my wife and I have enjoyed receiving the Courier each week. We recently purchased a home in Claremont and will be moving to this home later this year.
As a high school English and history teacher who has also taught journalism for 20 years, I appreciate the importance of community journalism, and your newspaper does it really well. You give community members voice on your letters page, you celebrate community members and organizations, and you ask tough questions of those who are accountable to the public. I’ve especially appreciated your in depth coverage of the Eaton fire. Even though Altadena is a bit of a distance from Claremont, I can imagine many of your readers may know someone in that area, and even if they don’t they can empathize with Altadena residents during this time.
Chris Davis
Glendale

Thanks for the ‘Coping’ tips
Dear editor:
What a fabulous — and very helpful — list [“Going There: Coping in the age of all-consuming existential dread,” January 31] of ways to deal with the “all-consuming existential dread” that so many of us are experiencing right now. Thank you! I’ve posted the list where I can see it regularly and have already done several things you suggested. It helps!
I so appreciate your willingness to put hard and personal stuff out there. It helps me and others recognize that we’re not alone and that others are finding ways to deal with it all, too.
Keep up the good work!
Susan Hunter Hancock
Claremont

Peaceful Bluesky is not the answer: defend the republic
Dear editor:
I get the frustration expressed by Mick Rhodes [“Going There: Doctor’s orders: avoid the social media rage machine,” February 7], and I empathize with the desire to get away from the insanity on social media. However, the column brought to mind Benjamin Franklin’s response to a lady asking him, “What kind of government had the delegates created for us?” His reply: “A republic, if you can keep it.” If we decide escaping to Bluesky is the answer, who will be left to defend the republic our forefathers fought and died for?
What would the Greatest Generation think of their country now? They fought to protect and defend it so that we could enjoy the freedoms our democracy provides. Think about the enlightened German people of the 1920s; they followed a leader in the 1930s that led them to total destruction, and he spelled out what he had planned in his book. We are in the same situation now. Trump and Project 2025 told us what he was going to do. Now we have a billionaire running amok with a chain saw to our institutions and laying waste to agencies that promote democracy and our standing in the world. We need to trim the waste, but so far, it’s all a horrific effort to eliminate government agencies at the price of world leadership.
Will the savings be an excuse for vast tax cuts to benefit our new oligarch, inspired leaders? A great leader, Winston Churchill, once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Use Bluesky to calm down after you spend an hour making “truth to the masses” comments on other social media sites. Zuckerburg said FB was moving to a “community-driven” fact-checking system, the same as “X” and the other sites. Everyone: we are the “community” Zuckerburg is talking about! We have to “defend the republic.”
Ron Jones
Claremont

Trump’s, Musk’s leadership will bring prosperity
Dear editor:
Just as a recession in the private sector weeds out inefficiency and strengthens businesses in the long run, or as a wildfire clears deadwood to revitalize a forest, the bold efforts of President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to purge corruption and waste in our federal government may seem painful now but will ultimately lead to a stronger, more stable America.
For decades, Washington has been plagued by bloated bureaucracies, reckless spending, and a system designed to protect special interests rather than the American taxpayer. President Trump understands that tough choices must be made to rein in government overreach, balance our budget, and put our economy back on a sustainable path. His administration’s commitment to cutting unnecessary programs, eliminating fraud, and demanding accountability is exactly what this country needs.
Elon Musk’s leadership at DOGE is a game-changer. His innovative, results-driven mindset is forcing Washington to operate with the same efficiency and accountability expected in the private sector. Bureaucrats who have grown comfortable with wasteful spending are being exposed, and agencies that have long resisted reform are being forced to adapt.
While the process of reform is never easy, the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term discomfort. By streamlining government, cutting waste, and holding officials accountable, we are paving the way for a balanced budget, a stronger economy, and a federal government that truly serves the people.
Pain today, prosperity tomorrow: Trump and Musk are making it happen.
Kris M. Meyer
Claremont