As a professor of special education who has advocated for vulnerable children with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses in South Jersey, it's clear to me that the Trump administration is systematically endangering the health and welfare of these children. A few examples should make this clear:
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has severely curtailed investigations of civil rights complaints that her department views as burdensome. Because hundreds of these complaints have been dismissed, many of the children involved will suffer grievous disadvantages that may haunt them for decades.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has systematically tried to eviscerate or eliminate air and safety regulations needed to protect the health of all children, especially infants, preschoolers and students with asthma, severe allergies or heart problems.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has refused to defend the Affordable Care Act against a lawsuit from Republican governors. The suit, if successful, could again allow insurance companies to deny coverage to or raise premiums for those with pre-existing conditions, such as cognitive impairment or obsessive-compulsive disorder. This threatens to catapult many families out of the individual insurance market, and some may not be eligible to replace their children's coverage with CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program) or Medicaid.
To reverse this brutal trajectory, citizens need to vote to support the health and welfare of vulnerable children, join like-minded organizations like New Jersey Citizen Action, and encourage friends, families and neighbors who care deeply about children to register and vote. The health, welfare and lives of these children are in every voter's hands.
Howard Margolis, Voorhees Township
Note: The writer is professor emeritus of reading disabilities and special education at the City University of New York.
Fire Mueller to preserve American jobs
Woe betide to Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump administration's and campaign's dealings with Russia.
This special counsel is not investigating a crime, but is looking for one.
President Donald Trump's opposition is using law enforcement in a political struggle, which is unacceptable in Western society. This opposition wants to ruin Trump's plans to revise immigration and trade policies.
There are some who have profited from our "globalization" polices, but globalization hurt a lot of American workers and the strength of the country as a whole.
One day, Trump will have this treachery put to an end. The Democrats are useless. They just want money from the government. The fight to preserve the strength of the nation must be held within the Republican Party. Trump must purge the GOP of the enemies of the people.
The American worker is not to be kicked around anymore. For the last 30 years America was led by people who gave away our power and wealth. This was insane. But, enough political philosophy. It's time for Trump to fire Mueller and his team, and shut down the investigation.
Firing Mueller would anger Trump's opponents. And, that's good. They should feel provoked.
Trump must have the power to achieve full employment. Employers must pay more for labor. The American worker must do well for America to be prosperous.
Trump must fire Mueller and bring the fight within the Republican Party into the open.
Lee Lucas, Gibbstown
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