U.S. billionaires can help pay for wall

I believe that President Donald Trump and most Americans would agree that a wall needs to be built. However to build the wall, the cost could be as much as $4 or $5 billion dollars, or more. So the question is how do we get the billions to erect the wall?

First, explain to Mr. Trump the following new ideas for the wall to be built: My first suggestion would be for Mr. Trump to get an approximate cost of building the wall and its construction, and then set up a meeting with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to explain his plans. In the United States, we have over 500 billionaires or more, including Mr. Trump, who claims to have several billion.

The idea and plan is for Mr. Trump, Mr. Gates, Mr. Buffett and dozens of the other billionaires to invest their own money in shares of the wall. After all, the U.S. is where they made most or all of their fortune. This huge investment of shares in our homeland security should take care of the wall.

Remember what President John Kennedy said: Don’t ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

HOWARD R. HERRINGTON

Stanton Heights

Corrupt partnership

Twenty years ago, Newt Gingrich instituted the politics of personal destruction and government shutdowns. It reached its zenith in Donald Trump.

The Republican Party has entered into a destructive marriage with Mr. Trump. Its reputation for intellectual honesty, fiscal conservancy and belief in small government is now on life support. It contributed to the demise by embracing a narcissistic sexual harasser, pathological liar and geopolitical moron. By willingly entering into this corrupt partnership, Republicans adopted as their own: corruption, lack of morality, comprehensive ignorance, intellectual dishonesty, politics of racial division, bigotry and disdain for democratic institutions and norms. The rot afflicting the GOP is now comprehensive — moral, intellectual, political and reputational.

Congressional leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell embraced a delusional Mr. Trump and sacrificed their party’s integrity as well their own. This Faustian bargain was the means by which Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell were able to achieve their avowed goals. Mr. Ryan passed his tax cuts for the richest 1 percent and raised the national debt to stratospheric heights that would have been antithetical to the Republican Party before they gave the party to Mr. Trump.

Fearful that his lies to the middle class had been exposed, Mr. Ryan left Congress. Mr. McConnell bargained away his integrity by supporting Mr. Trump’s government shutdown and refusing to allow a vote on a bill to open the government that he and a majority of the Senate passed two weeks ago. It was a bill Mr. Trump agreed to sign until his advisers at Fox News objected. Mr. McConnell loyally fell prostrate at Mr. Trump’s feet and cowered before Rupert Murdock’s Fox News, openly admitting the Senate will only act when Fox tells Mr. Trump and Mr. Trump tells him.

Hopefully Mr. Trump’s politics of division and bigotry will soon be buried in the dung heap of history along with his sycophants in Congress. The nation needs to again stand for the values that made us the leader of the free world and overcome the shame of attacking our own democratic institutions. We must rebuild our allies’ trust and belief that we keep our promises. It has been shameful having the world watch the president of the United States genuflect at the feet of tyrants like Valdimir Putin, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The midterm election proved the voters have regained the desire for competency, honesty and morality in our leaders. Hopefully we will never again be fooled by a foulmouthed corrupt grifter. WILLIAM MANIFESTO

Bell Acres

Open borders

I think we should have open borders just like the European nations. It hasn’t caused them any issues. Employment is high, the economy is doing well and there are no extreme radicals; it’s a paradise. Also, there is no gun ownership because the government protects you.

This battle has gone on too long. Open the borders to everyone, no matter what and make sure they have clothing, medical coverage, education, housing and jobs because that’s what my ancestors got. Forget the cost U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have a plan to pay for it. PAUL O’BRIEN JR. Bellevue