To the editor:

I bet that everyone who reads this knows someone who’s been hurt by Trump’s and Musk’s random acts of violence.

— My son is a medical researcher. His salary isn’t funded by the government but the clinical trials he oversees are funded by the National Institute of Health. Now the NIH is forbidden to write contracts. The clinical trials for cancer research, vaccines, and many other diseases won’t be funded.

— My son’s wife is also a medical researcher at the University of Washington. She’s lost 60% of her salary that was covered by research grants. She’s had to lay off all her staff.

— I have a friend who’s in a nursing home after having a serious stroke. Her care is funded by Medicaid and Medicaid funding is under threat.

— I have another friend who has a disabled adult daughter who totally relies on SSI, the Supplementary Social Security Program that provides assistance to people with disabilities.

— Another friend’s grandchild has special needs. He needs speech therapy and help in the classroom. Those services are threatened.

— Another friend has family in Ukraine. Needless to say, she’s worried sick.

— Another friend used to work for the Park Service. Many of her friends have lost their jobs.

— Another friend knows a family who worked for USAID in South Africa. The family has two children, one an infant. They were told that they had a week to pack one bag each and get on a military transport plane back to the U.S. They weren’t allowed to take their dog.

— I know that several local hotels and restaurants have lost the legally-documented immigrants they relied on.

— Many fewer Canadians are visiting the Adirondacks. The loss of those tourist dollars will have a big impact on North Country businesses.

The awful stories and serious worries continue to pile up.

— What about everyone who ever gets on a plane? Now that the FAA has been hit with major layoffs, air travel has gotten riskier.

— What about everyone who relies on the Affordable Care Act? It’s under threat. The ACA protects people who have “pre-existing conditions.” If the ACA is repealed, millions will lose access to health care insurance. When the subsidies for ACA end in late 2025, premiums will skyrocket.

— What about our local hospital? Nearly half the Adirondack Medical Center’s patient services revenue comes from Medicare and Medicaid.

— What about everyone who relies on Medicare and Social Security? I do, and I’m scared.

— And most of all, I’m scared for my children and my grandchildren. The threat of climate change and the threats to our democracy are extreme. What kind of country will my grandchildren live in?

So, what about the price of eggs? They’ve gone up, haven’t they? Have any prices come down? Has anything gotten better? Not that I can see.

Susan Hahn

Ray Brook