Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Trump's America: Cutting taxes is cutting lives
Last week, Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding the powers of Elon Musk’s so-called Department Of Government Efficiency.
Like so many right-wing leaders before him, Trump believes that governments are too big, too ‘bloated’, with excessive taxes fuelling unnecessary spending and with too many federal employees who ‘aren’t doing their job’.
Musk has already tried to cut back wholesale on the budgets and workforces of various federal agencies, including those overseeing public health and aerospace safety.
This at a time of an alarming spike in aviation accidents blamed on staff shortages and Texas suffering an outbreak of measles.
This is what can happen to a country if you keep cutting taxes and shrinking the state in the quixotic quest for ‘efficiency’.
Workers are laid off, jobs don’t get done, the government crumbles, plagues break out and planes fall from the sky.
We’ve seen it here on a mercifully smaller scale – austerity has left the NHS on its knees and our public infrastructure in tatters.
And yet still some people baulk at the idea of even the slightest increase in taxes. Well, we need a state – unless we want to watch our country fall to bits.
And that state has to be paid for by taxes. I pay the highest rate of income tax and am more than happy to do so. I also recently paid inheritance tax.
I am glad to pay my fair share of tax to fund the services we need. And however rich you are, you should be glad to pay your fair share, too. Charlie Parrett, Stoke
So, the rich get richer, the poor get abandoned?
‘Raise a glass to the millionaires and billionaires who aren’t being asked to pay a penny extra.’
When a government needs money, should it take it from those who have little or nothing or should it ask for a greater contribution from those who
have plenty?
After the slashing of the foreign aid budget to increase defence spending we hear that our government is likely to cut spending on benefits and cut jobs in the civil service in order to comply with its self-imposed fiscal rules.
Among the hardship that these cuts will cause it is heartening that, yet again, one group is being protected. Yes, we can all raise a glass to the millionaires and the billionaires who are not being asked to pay one extra penny in the country’s hour of need.
When Labour were campaigning at the election they promised ‘change’ but are we just getting Tory policies with a bit more competence and slightly less corruption? Chris, Stockport
Trump’s ‘America First’ means the world loses
‘Make America Great Again means beggaring, bullying and humiliating your global neighbours’
With ‘allies’ like Trump and his cronies, who needs enemies?
Clearly Make America Great Again means beggaring, bullying and humiliating your global neighbours until you get what you want, regardless of the consequences.
Cosying up with murderous thugs such as Vladimir Putin and twisting the truth about Volodymyr Zelensky are seen as legitimate tactics to feed Trump’s greed and grotesque narcissism.
Nigel Farage, with his unwavering admiration of Trump, is itching to foist this degraded morality and politics on us – I trust and hope the British people are made of stronger stuff. Guy, Richmond
British Trump detractors – should focus on the UK instead
‘Why are the UK public so obsessed with the US and Trump bashing? Should we not sort our own problems first?’
Tuesday’s MetroTalk had a touch of deja vu about it – the 13 letters printed repeated the now all too familiar
Trump-hating remarks.
Several said Trump lacked statesmanship and called for his UK state visit to be cancelled and were echoes of voices from eight years ago, in his first term.
President Trump has never been a politician nor a statesman, nor does he try to imitate one.
He’s a hardened businessman so acts like one – speaking his mind and being direct in meetings.
US voters elected a businessman to take charge of the business of running the country. The UK monarchy hosts many heads of state and has hosted worse men than president Trump – Robert Mugabe springs to mind.
The suggestions that Europe should remove all US bases from its territories and turn their united backs on the US are fanatical ideas.
Why are the UK public and Metro readers so obsessed with the US and Trump bashing?
Should we not be more concerned with sorting the current, dire problems in our own backyard? Jude, Sussex
Trump’s allegiance to Putin
‘Trump is attempting to create a dictatorship in the US’
Trump stopping military aid to Ukraine shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
The US only entered World War I in 1917 and World War II in 1941.
The difference between now and then, though, is that Franklin D Roosevelt didn’t cosy up to Adolf Hitler.
Trump is attempting to create a dictatorship in the US and his allegiance to Putin is much akin to Benito Mussolini’s support of Hitler. Phil Sephton, St Helens
The real cost of Trump’s deal with Putin
‘If the US is allowed to plunder Ukraine for its wealth, let them bear the cost.’
Why have we not been told what Putin and Trump have agreed to do to end the war in Ukraine?
It’s strange that nobody has been able to persuade Putin to do this before, so what has changed?
Obviously, they are both keen to end the conflict as it is costing them dearly, but how do they do it without Putin losing credibility and facing a backlash from his own people?
Trump will force Ukraine to give away part of its country to Russia in return for a huge slice of Ukraine’s mineral wealth to compensate the US for all the money it has cost them supporting Ukraine.
In order to force this on the Ukrainian people, Trump and vice president JD Vance have publicly ridiculed president Zelensky and now, by withdrawing their military support, are effectively blackmailing him into submission.
Putin will claim he has won his ‘special military operation’, Trump will claim credit for ending the war and putting ‘America First’, while Europe loses out completely and foots the bill. And what will happen when the war is over? What guarantees will there be to stop Russia invading Ukraine again or even another former Russian country?
After all, Russia will still hate the West, perhaps even more so.
Why should Europe be expected to plough any more money into protecting and rebuilding Ukraine when they have spent so much already?
If the US is allowed to plunder Ukraine for its wealth, let them bear the cost. George Jacobs, Orpington
But, like it or not, the UK needs America
‘The UK needs the US as an ally.’
Surely if Trump’s state visit to the UK does occur, we must accept it politely and swallow our pride.
Our King and Queen will have more hardship with welcoming Trump as their guest. The UK needs the US as an ally.
We need to work on patching up our grievances and put our feelings aside.
Incidentally, Churchill tried twice to meet Hitler in Germany in 1932 but was stood up on both occasions. Ros, Gloucestershire
Does Trump need a history lesson?
‘Pearl Harbour?’
Dear Mr President, could you recommend a history book that covers the period in 1941-42, when the US capitulated and sued Japan for peace after the Empire’s unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbour? John, Manchester
Now is the time to stand up for Ukraine
‘We must support Ukraine and its fight for freedom’
For the first time in my 83 years on this Earth I have been moved to make my feelings heard.
It’s time for the British people to stand up and speak out against the bullying we have all witnessed in the media.
We must support the Ukrainian people and help our government raise funds to help the fight for Ukraine’s freedom and future.
It’s time for the British people to stand in support of our government, whatever party one supports.
It seems like the world is in a worse state now than it was in 1939! Peter Morris, via email
It would be criminal to let petty crime go unpunished
‘Not every kid stealing food from a shop is a hungry child’
Lorraine (MetroTalk, Wed) suggests the person who saw a kid shoplifting lunch should have shown some compassion and offered to buy it for him.
Welcome to woke Britain!
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Shoplifting is a crime. Not every kid stealing food from a shop is a hungry child.
Unless law and order reigns, meaning arrests for shoplifting, where do we go?
I would imagine letting petty crime go unpunished could lead to more daring criminality. Let’s get back control before it is too late. Ant Gee, Hertfordshire
Blue badge rules are letting disabled people down
‘I have to lie across the front seats to get out of the car – but don’t fit the requirements’
Sandy Burr (Metro, Tue) was turned down for a blue badge despite having a toe amputated.
I have had a hip and knee replacement and have to lie across the front seats to get out of the car but also don’t fit the criteria. Den, Dartford
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