To the Editor:

I am afraid, I am very afraid, for my children and grandchildren and for my country. Trump has not the slightest understanding of what it means to be the chief executive of this republic.

Our nation is not his wholly owned corporation. For security, and balanced orderly governance, our hundred millions of citizens, whether conservative or liberal, depend on sound judgment, experience, intelligence that comprehends complex national and international relationships, and a temperament that refrains from impulsive, dangerous, public utterances on social media.

Our country is not Trump's board room. It is not a playground on which he should threaten one corporation with another. The world is not a playing field for which he can recklessly propose game plans that overturn balances of power and restraint found necessary by previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic.

Shivers went down my back as I listened to Trump's most recent Twitter pronouncement that put the world on notice he intends expanding, not just modernizing, our nuclear arsenal. This is an invitation to a resumed arms race. Recall that while campaigning, Trump actually indicated he was comfortable with the prospect of an arms race.

This man is a loose cannon. His habits are those of head honcho in a "reality" TV show for which he dictates the terms and rules. He has surrounded himself with counselors and chosen cabinet members who, with few exceptions, cannot be relied upon to counter his world view, nor domestic policies. I am very afraid.

Polly Brody

218-B Heritage Village, Southbury         December 27, 2016