To the editor:

As a 24-year-old Naval petty officer serving as a DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) courier in the Pentagon, I was often required to be into brief contact with some of the individuals in appointed positions from the private sector. In dealing with an individual on a casual basis on one occasion shortly before my discharge, I recall a conversation in which this person, David Packard, the deputy secretary of defense, was bemoaning the fact that he would have to forfeit some very sizable ($100,000 or more) gains in the stock market from the preceding day due to a conflict of interest. My thought at the time was, “so what?” since this obviously would not be a game changer with regard to his life after government service…..he would still be quite wealthy.

Today, we have a situation in which our (President Trump) and his entire family openly ignore the emoluments clause, and say to the American people, “so what?”, as they line their pockets. Is it that difficult for us to see the difference between what integrity and a complete lack of conscience look like?

Finally, a 2026 news flash…..Today, around the world thousands of people, mostly children will starve due to a lack of food or other necessities, much of which rotted in warehouses or went undelivered due to our current administrations actions in dismantling USAID, ……But putting America first……Welfare payments are coming for farmers in February. Isn’t socialism great??

Dennis Phelps

Westbrook