I am truly grateful for Jeanette Rusk Sefcik’s commentary in the Oct. 26 Salt Lake Tribune, “Anti-government is anti-us and anti-U.S."
Jeanette gives an excellent history of the anti-government fervor that has existed in our country from the very beginning, highly augmented by Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, accelerating to the present day where fear of government seems to be at its height. She urges citizens to do some serious critical thinking about what government really means to all of us.
As part of this critical thinking, I urge my fellow citizens to read Michael Lewis’ marvelous little book, “The Fifth Risk.” The book started out as an exploration of Donald Trump’s uniquely unprepared transition team following his election. It contains, as I would expect, the exposure of the idiocy and venality of Trump and all who hang around him, but more than half of the book is about all the really good, heroic unsung heroes there are working in government trying to keep things running and improving day in and day out.
They do their jobs, for little pay, only because they love their country and want it to work better for everyone. They are the backbone of our government. They are – us.
Michael A. Kalm, Salt Lake City
