Dear Editor:

Several long weeks ago, a slim plurality of the American electorate decided to lease a twice-repo’d used car that was on its way to the junkyard:  a heavily-repainted 1946 Oldsmobile with no warranty, no brakes, no seat belts, dim headlights, leaky radiator, broken odometer, no muffler, and dangerous tailpipe exhaust.  

It has not been inspected for decades and is uninsurable.  It steers erratically and is impossible to keep in a lane.  It can only be registered with fraudulent documents.  The previous owner, V. Putin, insisted on a four-year cash loan, with Elon Musk as co-signer.

Although its accident history has been scrubbed, the Justice Department reports that Putin used it in January, 2021, to cause a major collision at the U.S. Capitol, killing several law enforcement officers and injuring hundreds of others.

The price tag of this risky transaction was $380,000,000, excluding ‘dark’ money.  Hidden costs and fees include erosion of democracy; governmental corruption, incompetence, and chaos; and America’s standing in the world.

Many of those who chipped in for this clunker will soon be experiencing buyer’s remorse.

Bill Hammond

Boothbay