Editor, Gazette-Journal:

During the Obama administration, a treaty with Iran was painstakingly negotiated and signed. This deal blocked Iran’s pathway to build a nuclear weapon.

In 2018, Trump tore up that deal and with it the guardrails that had kept Iran from accessing enriched uranium. Not unexpectedly, Iran accelerated its nuclear program.

In June of 2025, with Netanyahu egging him on, Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. The attack was declared a total success and that “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities (had) been completely and totally obliterated.”

Not a year later, again with Netanyahu at his side, Trump declared Iran an immediate threat and gave the go-ahead to join Israel in attacking Iran. Netanyahu played Trump, downplaying any chance of failure, and Trump, long ago having rid his administration of anyone who would dare push back, started an ill-conceived, ill-planned war.

So, because no one would contradict the president, no one would say no to him, we are months into a war that has upended the world’s economy and is costing the U.S. $890 million every day. Fourteen American service members have been killed along with countless innocent Iranians. Gas prices are high here but other countries are facing major shortages. Our allies were not consulted or even considered while our enemies, China and Russia, are benefitting from this war.

As if those costs weren’t high enough, we’re being asked to foot $1 billion for a ballroom while Trump just gave a $6.9 million no-bid contract to paint the reflecting pool blue. We don’t have money for health care or education or SNAP benefits but we have money for an ill-planned war that benefits no one but our enemies? Time for regime change. Not in Iran, in the U.S.

Charlotte Hollings
Lancaster, Va.