I wrote this response to a letter from U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett in which he stated:
“President Trump is the duly-elected 47th President of the United States. While you may not agree with his policies or approach, he was elected by the American people to deliver on his promises he made.
“Regardless of the administration in office, my primary focus will always be to serve the people of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. I am willing to work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, to ensure mid-Michigan is put first.”
He seems to forget that he is no longer just a member of the Michigan legislature but has a broader duty to the country.
Tom –
You have a gross misunderstanding of what your job is and where your loyalty should be. Your job is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution Of the United States.
The founding fathers put the legislative branch of the government in Article 1 for a reason. They are to create legislation that is in the best interest of the country and have the power of the purse. You were elected to represent the interests of our district. But your primary responsibility is do so in consideration of what is in the best interest of the country as a whole. All legislation is a collective effort of our representatives and represents the collective will of the country. Congress, not the President, is responsible allocating funds and creating mechanisms to ensure that funds are spent according to their wishes.
Article 2 created the executive branch second to administer the will the legislative branch. It does not give the President line item veto authority to undermine the will of the legislature. How can you possibly say that you are representing me if you refuse to stand up to the President when he ignores and refuses to enact the legislation you pass?
Article 3 created the judicial branch. Its sole purpose is to interpret the laws you pass to ensure that they are constitutional and that executive branch is acting within the law. And when the court finds the law is lacking or vague, it is the responsibility of the legislature to make corrections. But the system of checks and balances only works if all three branches accept the limits the Constitution places on them.
You are absolutely correct that President Donald Trump is the duly elected president of the United States, and that I may disagree with his policies or approach. But this does not mean that either of us should stand by and watch him deliver on his campaign promises by ignoring the Constitution and breaking the law. And it does not mean that the Legislature should not do its job by failing to bring forward legislation that is widely supported because a candidate for president doesn’t want to deliver a “win” to the other side.
While Congress has allocated $182 billion in aid for Ukraine, only $82 billion has been spent. And most of that was spent in the United States to build and replace old stock that was sent to Ukraine. Then-candidate Trump was responsible for directing Congress to withhold necessary military aid to Ukraine in the summer of 2024 for political reasons. This led to the loss of Avdiivka and thousands of Ukrainian soldiers dying.
And he recently did the same thing as president by withholding critical aid and intelligence that cost more lives while Ukraine was retreating from Kursk. He claims he is doing this to achieve peace. But at what price?
Ronald Regan said that there is always a quick way to peace. It’s called surrender. But what comes next? Russian media is having a field day and talking about reclaiming all of their former bases in eastern Europe all the way to Berlin (Russia Media Monitor on YouTube). They are even talking about the possibility of the United States forming an alliance with Russia in a future war with Europe! Zelensky is not the one creating the possibility of World War III. It is President Trump.
You were once a soldier and claim to support veterans. How does cutting 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs support veterans? Congress created the agency for a reason and only Congress should be allowed to end it.
You claim to be in favor of reducing the national debt. How does cutting 6,000 jobs at the IRS in the middle of tax season help? It is the only agency that takes in more revenue than it costs.
You claim to support seniors like me. How does cutting 7,000 jobs and closing 10 regional offices help seniors, especially those in rural areas?
You claim to support law and order. How does deporting illegal aliens to a foreign country without due process support law and order? I am a retired police officer and like you am deeply disturbed by crimes of violence, especially gang violence. But we are being naive if we can’t see that living in a society without due process can eventually claim any of us.
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Martin Niemöller
My ancestors were “Under the Oaks at Jackson” when the Republican Party held its first convention in 1854. The singular issue that brought them together was the expansion of slavery in the western territories. While some were abolitionists, they were, by and large, individual farmers and entrepreneurs looking for economic opportunities who did not want to have to compete with southern slave owners who were in effect an oligarchy in the south.
It was Republican Ulysses Grant who enforced the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and defeated the KKK. And it was Republican Theodore Roosevelt who went after the oligarchs of his day by enforcing the Sherman Anti-trust Act. And it was Republican Richard Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency. These are the true values of the Republican Party and what Trump is doing is an abomination.
Our democratic republic only functions if we follow the Constitution and open ourselves to meaningful public debate. If we fail, we will only have ourselves to blame for the tyranny that is certain to come.
Roy Turbett
Williamston
Resident of the 7th Congressional District
