Trump order is dangerous

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, Trump signed an Executive Order which strips long-held civil service protections from career Federal Employees whose work involves policymaking. His action allows them to be dismissed without recourse, similar to the political appointees of each administration.

Employees such as scientists, attorneys, regulators, public health experts, and others in senior roles would lose rights to due process and in some cases, union representation. If he is re-elected, it would be probable that similar protections would be removed from lower level Federal workers.

I worked for more than 32 years with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Based upon this experience it is my strongly held opinion that this Executive Order is a very dangerous action because it potentially opens the Federal Government to a good deal of corruption.

I was a Decision Review Officer when I retired. I had the authority to render a disability determination which over a period of years could easily obligate the Federal Government to pay an individual veteran and dependents as much as three million dollars or more. And it was not usual for a Representative or Senator to put pressure on the Department to make favorable decisions.

It was the legal protections which are blamed for making it difficult to fire a Federal Employee which made it possible for lower level workers such as me to apply the law rather than protect my job by giving favors to people in positions of authority.

Therefore, Trump must not be re-elected.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau