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As Father’s Day approaches, I wanted to address some concerns to my fellow fathers in Congress and the Trump administration. Firstly, Happy Father’s Day. Many of you are fathers and no doubt understand the profound influence your example has on your children. I have seen this raising my own children sometimes regretting the imperfect example I have set.
Elected officials carry a similar burden. Messages conveyed through your actions have an incalculable impact on the lives of children throughout our country.
This brings me to my deep concerns about our current political situation. There seems to be an atmosphere of vulgarity, mendacity, and casual disregard for the rule of law permeating much of the news coming out of Washington these days. Cruelly deporting people without due process, cutting support for the poor and vulnerable, pardoning violent criminals, leveraging political office for personal gain; the list goes on.
The decisions behind these actions suggest intentional moral and ethical lapses in judgment. I ask, are these really the values we wish to pass on to our children?
I do not claim to be a perfect father, but I think we can do better as a nation. Our children deserve it.
Todd O’Brien
Orono
