To the Editor:

Draw a Venn diagram. Circle one is morality. Circle two is ethics. Number three is law. As most people know morality is basically voluntary. Morality is the substance of individual and group conscience. Ethics is basically guidelines for certain groups of people who adhere to them voluntarily. Most groups establish some penalty for failure to comply. Neither of the first two behavioral guidelines listed above permeates all behavior in America. The law does. We are a nation founded on laws. 

The president of the United States has apparently ignored morality, ethics and the law for his entire lifetime. By virtue of his family’s wealth he has thumbed his nose at morality, ethics and the law with little total financial loss. Acquisition of money seems to be his only priority. 

This mode of operation has worked so long as he has been able to isolate “weaker” individuals and businesses. However, he has now entered into a legal agreement/disagreement with most Americans. Some will take his side because of party affiliation. Some want earthly power for their religious beliefs. The reality is, though, that most Americans want to see Donald Trump have to operate within the same legal framework as the rest of us. He is no more special than anyone else.

Since Trump should provide moral and ethical leadership befitting the Office of the President of the United States but refuses/fails to do so, we may have to tolerate that for a while. We should not have to abide his overt mocking of the legal system that makes America a beacon of democracy, civility, hope and freedom for the rest of the world.

If he is above the law, why do the rest of us have to obey? We have to agree to obey or we might as well shred the Constitution of the United States of America. We will either continue to be a beacon or we will extinguish the flame that Lady Liberty holds for all the world to admire.

Deep down, do you want a president who wants to be above the law?

Dave Waldrop

Webster