Public servants demand scrutiny

I am so sick of Republicans and their hypocritical rhetoric. They are making such a big deal of Donald Trump’s tax returns being released, when he is the only presidential candidate not to make public his or her tax returns for many years.

The president, vice president, Cabinet, Justice Department, all of Congress — all of government, federal, state and local — are public servants. That means they are open to public scrutiny at all times, hence why the rules that had previously been conformed to pre-Trump are important.

In the post-Trump era, elected officials openly display bad actions and think nothing of it. They are following the Trump playbook and throwing caution to the wind. It’s OK to denigrate people, to be openly homophobic, to lie, etc.

This was on display as Kevin McCarthy finally won over the Never-Kevins to win election for House speaker. This is a man who, on Jan. 7, 2021, stood on the floor of Congress and said “Donald Trump is responsible for this,” and then almost immediately was on his knees at Mar-a-Lago kissing the ring of the man he had publicly disavowed.

The country deserves better than this. And the only way it gets better is if we unite and vote for sane candidates. Thankfully, Trump’s luster was dulled by the midterm elections. He is no longer relevant. Maybe that will make it easier for Attorney General Merrick Garland to finally indict the man.