This letter to the editor, by Joyce Santo, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on September 5, 2024.

Donald Trump is like the Wizard of Oz from the classic 1939 film. The Wizard rules Oz using elaborate tricks and lies. Near the end of the film the truth is revealed, and we see a flawed, ordinary man trying to convince people “to pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” in order to keep his deception of many years a secret.

Donald Trump is desperately trying to convince voters to ignore a darker secret. Project 2025 is a machine designed to put him back in power and keep him and his MAGA allies there for a long, long time. He will know how that awful machine operates because over 140 of his administration members helped build it. Every voter should get as much information as possible about Project 2025, but here is a small sample of the damage it would do.

Donald Trump would have virtually unlimited power to use his office for revenge and retribution, ruling as a dictator from day one. He would ban abortion nationwide and punish women and healthcare workers. Protections for pre-existing healthcare conditions would end. Social Security and Medicare would be cut, in part to provide more tax cuts to billionaires. Fifteen million undocumented workers would be deported, costing an estimated $1 trillion, while devastating agriculture and many other industries.

In the fictional Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends learn to solve their problems through quick thinking, hard work, and cooperation. Project 2025 reflects the grim reality of today’s Republican party and offers a stark view of what America would become should it ever be implemented. 

American progressives have pulled back the curtain and exposed Project 2025 to the light of day. Electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will ensure policies that take America to a brighter future for all, especially if voters are wise enough to also fill the House and Senate with progressive leaders.