To the editor: Many people voted for Donald Trump because they thought he would shake up the system and bring down the institutions they saw as elitist and out of touch. While many of us may resent elites who seem to have the system rigged in their favor, columnist Virginia Heffernan makes an essential point: Tearing down the system and putting in charge people who are unqualified or disinterested is not the answer.

This is not “creative destruction” — it’s just destruction.

Some people’s willingness to believe anything Trump says and to see him as their savior is just a lazy response to the work of sifting through information and educating oneself — work that a vibrant democracy requires.

Chris Fite, Spring Valley, Calif.


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To the editor: The part I love about Trump’s lack of discipline and integrity is that he has provided Americans with a valuable lesson regarding the power of civic engagement.

The GOP is now the party of Trump. That reality has inspired many of us, in Heffernan’s words, to “suit up.” We are a team, and our game plan is to vote out members of the political party protecting Trump.

Unlike Robert S. Mueller III, the president is incapable of keeping his mouth shut and fingers from tweeting. He represents the dark side of white male privilege; he flaunts his power, demands allegiance and retaliates when his authority is questioned.


The majority’s will is ignored, but we outnumber those who count themselves as members of the president’s beloved “base,” and many of us are already on the field working to change the current dysfunctional rules of the game.

Mary Rider, Idyllwild

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To the editor: Congratulations to Heffernan for discovering virtues such as military service, family values and honor among “white male traditionalists.” She might well have added the concept of duty, which was once as much a part of a privileged upbringing as learning which fork to use for dessert.


As it happens, we still have a living example of a privileged, dutiful man who brought his traditional values to the nation’s highest office. His name is George H.W. Bush.

Thirty years ago, liberals scorned Bush as a resume-padding careerist and an empty suit. What they missed was the sense of duty and honor that informed his decision to run for president as well as his earlier decision to fly combat missions in World War II.

One doesn’t volunteer to dodge bullets over the Pacific Ocean for the sake of adding a bullet point to a resume.

Michael Smith, Cynthiana, Ky.


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