Letters to the Editor: President Nero is golfing as Americans die from COVID-19

To the editor: Legend has it that in the year 64, Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned. This image of a ruler pursuing his own leisure has come to represent the neglect and failure of leaders in times of dire need. (“Delayed start to transition of power hurts coronavirus-fighting effort, Biden team says,” Nov. 15)

Sound familiar?

The sight of President Trump on the golf course as COVID-19 cases and deaths explode; his abandonment of any serious involvement with the White House coronavirus task force; his lack of empathy for the sick and the healthcare workers treating them; his destructive attitude about masks and social distancing; his whining about this slight or that; his failure to develop a plan to mitigate the epidemic; his fantasies about the epidemic turning a corner or miraculously disappearing; and now, his refusal to facilitate the transition to President-elect Joe Biden and his elite COVID-19 working group, are all consistent with Nero’s fabled behavior.

Marshall Lichtman, M.D., Playa Vista

..

To the editor: Trump’s minions have accepted the risk of catching and transmitting COVID-19 by attending his rallies and refusing to wear masks. It is what it is.

However, Trump’s outright blocking of Biden’s transition team from participating in the planning for vaccine distribution, most of which will take place next year, is outright criminal.

I choose to wear a mask and avoid large gatherings, and this twisted behavior by the president is putting my life at even greater risk during the pandemic.

Enough is enough. It is time for our elected officials to do their job, end this charade and protect the American people.

Steve Schklair, Altadena

..

To the editor: As more people die, Trump plays golf. I say it’s time to do what they did in the old westerns: Give Trump three days to “get out of town.”

After that, the House should vote to impeach him a second time, making him the only president in history to be impeached twice. That would be a fitting distinction for this selfish man.

Michael Schaller, Temple City

..

To the editor: Reading the Los Angeles Times, I get the distinct feeling that the American people are being held hostage by the Trump administration, with the demand being that he’ll let us go if we admit that the election was rigged and give him a second term.

In the meantime, the Republicans in Congress are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and can’t or won’t recognize that the election is over and Biden won.

The longer this persists, the more Americans will die from this virus. It should be obvious to anyone who cares that people are dying and we need action now.

When Biden takes office in January (and he will), he needs to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, Trump is putting up roadblocks to satisfy his own ego.

Robert Rosen, Granada Hills