1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Stop Polishing the Ego; Start Feeding the People I am a voting constituent writing to express utter revulsion at the current transformation of our nation’s capital into a glorified Trump-branded resort. Our tax dollars are funneled into an array of vanity projects that suggest we are living in a monarchy rather than a struggling republic. From the "American flag blue" paint job on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the construction of a "triumphal arch" that serves no purpose other than self-congratulation, the priorities here are dangerously warped. While crews dump dirt from the demolished East Wing onto public golf courses, obstructing the view of the Washington Monument, actual Americans are struggling to see a future where they can afford basic groceries or a single doctor’s visit. The branding is particularly egregious. Slapping the Trump name on the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace is not beautification; it is a hostile takeover of public history. Even more disturbing are the massive banners of the President’s face draped over the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture. It’s hard to swallow the "glory of America" when that glory looks like a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign for one man’s ego. We are currently spending $30 million on statues for a National Garden of American Heroes while families are deciding between insulin and rent. It is profoundly inappropriate to prioritize gilded Oval Offices and Mar-a-Lago-style pool renovations while the citizens you represent are suffering from food insecurity and a lack of accessible healthcare. I urge you to stop funding this architectural ego-trip. We don't need more gold leaf or "triumphal" monuments; we need a government that cares more about the faces of the hungry than the face on a federal building banner.