Blatant incompetence and a complete disregard for America’s safety — how could so-called senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration not check who was in the chat when discussing war plans? And why were they using a nongovernment, commercially available application like Signal instead of the numerous secure methods of communication readily available to them? The reporter from the Atlantic showed more concern for our national secrets than our Senate-confirmed so-called “experts.”
This is just another example of the misplaced confidence of the Trump administration. Consider Elon Musk’s unfocused fiscal chainsaw, Trump’s constant flip-flopping on tariffs and the thinly veiled bribes from corporations that believe they will never receive fair treatment from this government without making payoffs. Even with the daily examples of ineptitude in the last 60 days, it’s absolutely outrageous that this security breach could happen.
This administration is constantly trying to impress us that it knows best and has all the answers, but its actions show just the opposite. Administration officials are absolutely clueless, sloppy and incompetent.
— Joe Szczepaniak, Wheaton
War is not a game
I am sickened by the emoji used by those in top government positions (and then some) in the unclassified text thread about war plans and execution of those plans. War involves death and destruction. It should be dealt with somberly. This isn’t a game.
— Pamela K. Winters, Crystal Lake
Mission was a success
Democrats and their friends in the liberal press are going bonkers over the chat thread that contained sensitive defense information and included the editor of The Atlantic monthly magazine. Admittedly, this was a very serious matter that could have resulted in a disaster and should be corrected immediately. However, the more critical question is: What is more important, outcomes or process and planning?
For instance, let’s suppose someone in the Bears office inadvertently leaked a copy of the Bears game plan against the Green Bay Packers to someone in the Packers organization, and yet the Bears won the game. Do you think Bears fans would be furious? Undoubtedly not.
In the situation at hand, the Yemen mission was successful. So, let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again and move on.
— Dan Schuchardt, Glen Elllyn
How to move forward
Regarding the now-infamous leaking of the Department of Defense text conversation, I offer these suggestions on moving forward as responsible adults.
- Declare offsetting fouls. U.S. intelligence documents leaked during President Joe Biden’s administration revealed Israeli strike plans against Iran. President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice carelessly allowed a third party to eavesdrop on a highly confidential text string.
- Determine exactly how the third party entered the text string.
- Move forward like adults, following the dictum, “Loose lips sink ships.”
Fortunately, neither of these two events caused loss of life. And incidents such as these must never happen again.
— Patrick Tyrrell, Wadsworth
Seriousness of leak
On the Tribune’s front page for March 26, the top headline states that Republicans downplayed the security leak concerning Houthi war plans. However, the headline of an editorial on the same day calls the leak “a dangerous error” and that it should be treated as such.
In my opinion, by not calling the situation dangerous on the front page, the Tribune vastly understated the seriousness of the leak.
— Joel Wittert, Crete
Hegseth should resign
A secretary of defense who can’t recognize “war plans” when he sees them has no business holding that office. Secretary Pete Hegseth is either lying or ignorant. He should step down immediately.
— Kenneth Leone, Deerfield
Making cuts blindly
I always enjoy reading the various opinions of the letter writers in Voice of the People. I try to have an open mind as I read and contemplate the thoughts of my fellow Americans. On March 25, Mike Rice of Chicago stated his thoughts in his letter “Government is bloated.” I completely agree with Rice that the Department of Government Efficiency has been tasked with eliminating government waste and fraud, which on the surface would make our government more efficient and cost-effective. While the task is admirable and needed, the method is comparable to blindfolding a youngster and asking him or her to pin the tail on the donkey.
With all their so-called expertise in running companies, neither Elon Musk nor President Donald Trump understands the legal and efficient way to make department cuts. Most organizations do a human resource assessment that reviews the individual’s role, that person’s effectiveness in that role and that individual’s annual performance reviews, followed by a discussion with that person’s manager/supervisor. If after that process is completed, that individual is deemed expendable, then the company has every right to eliminate the position. Unfortunately, that process was not even considered by DOGE, and cuts were made as blindly as that young child attempting to pin the tail on the donkey.
It’s comical, yet very concerning, that our government is now being run by a band of egomaniacs who think they are smarter than everyone else. And the band leader is a man who has filed for bankruptcy how many times?
None of this should be a surprise to any American, especially those who didn’t think it was important enough to vote last November.
— Mark Zavagnin, La Grange Park
How democracy works
I would like to respond to Mike Rice’s letter regarding the Department of Government Efficiency. I don’t believe anyone is against saving money or creating more efficiencies. What we are against is what’s actually being done. Cost cutting needs to be done thoughtfully. Businesses don’t close offices or slash divisions without a careful study of the ramifications. Answers are needed to questions such as: What are the essential functions of this office and how can they be absorbed? Do the remaining employees have the right combination of experience and training to provide these services?
Finally, I’d like to mention that the purpose of a business is to make money for the stockholders, whereas the purpose of a government is to provide for its citizens. The return on investment of educating our young, taking care of our sick and providing citizens needed services such as transportation, is not easily quantified. But it’s the citizens who pay for these services through our taxes. It’s our decision how to spend that money.
That’s how a democracy works.
— Marie Thompson, Roselle
A blow to libraries
Among other federal agencies to be more or less eliminated by President Donald Trump’s March 14 executive order, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) must get rid of “non-statutory components and functions,” according to the order. What exactly does that mean for libraries?
In Illinois, it could mean a loss of more than $5 million in funding. The library where I work in DuPage County uses the money we receive from the State Library, which in turn receives its money from IMLS, in a variety of ways that make services better for patrons. In addition to providing materials, programs and classes for their communities, public libraries are often much more than that. They are a safe space to spend time that doesn’t cost anything, as well as a space to learn about and apply for benefits, to find resources regarding a child’s development, to do something as mundane as make copies or print a shipping label.
It is important that this funding continue, and to recognize that this money, which is less than 1% of the annual federal budget, is being put to good use.
— Louise Dimick, Chicago
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
