In a November 2024 letter to the editor I was wrong when I said that we can hope the UP is largely insulated from Washington, DC. The Trump administration implemented a slash and burn method of making governmental cuts in spending. President Trump placed Elon Musk in his new Department of Government Efficiency. In DOGE, Musk sent out thousands of termination letters to governmental employees. Letters included the notion that people were terminated due to incompetency.

In reality, these folks are honest, hard-working Americans who had excellent performance reviews. Ottawa National Forest folks took a hit. Musk appears to take pleasure in yanking the rug out from under the feet of honest, hard-working Americans and watching them tumble.

I’ve never heard of a management course in US Universities and Colleges that teaches the slash and burn method. Rather, they teach that cuts should be deliberative and delivered as humanely as possible. The slash and burn method is psychopathic.

On a personal note, I am a member of a military service organization called Paralyzed Veterans of America. This week I received an open letter from PVA which started with, “PVA is deeply troubled by actions being taken in Washington, D.C. that are already having a detrimental impact on the services that veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases (SCI/D) like ALS and MS, rely upon.”

PVA went on to explain that Specially Adapting Housing Agent positions have been cut. These folks helped newly paralyzed veterans secure wheelchair-accessible housing. DOGE is also cutting Recreational Therapists from the VA’s Spinal Cord Injury Units. These folks helped paralyzed veterans find healthful recreational pursuits to improve quality of life. The number of Specially Adapted Housing Agents and Recreational Therapists for paralyzed veterans in the US is small. For example, my nearest VA Spinal Cord Injury Unit is in Milwaukee. It serves a large area.

PVA closed their open letter with, “we are tired of broken promises.”

PVA asked that we all write our legislators. Slash and burn is dysfunctional and reneges on governmental promises.