Donald Trump is all about not having favoritism in his administration, and he plans to take the helm, keeping that promise. While Trump might not look at his recent order to have Ambassadors vacate their posts as anything that would end up being compared to favoritism, it is, and you can probably see why.
It's good for Barron, why not ambassadors' kids?
Melania and Barron are staying behind in Manhattan so Barron can finish out his school year, something seen as very important to both Melania and the President-elect. Yet, the ambassadors and their families stationed around the world are expected to yank their kids out of school immediately and find housing at a moment's notice.
This was a comparison seen in a letter to the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
Cost?
If it's the cost that's the issue of keeping the ambassadors and their families in place until the school year ends, then there is a cost for keeping Melania and Barron in New York City in comparison. In fact, keeping Trump Tower secure has caused a lot of problems for New Yorkers when it comes to traffic.
The massive security put in place has also caused the businesses in the area some distress due to the wide perimeters set around the area to keep out traffic. Folks have a tough time getting to those businesses. So the actual cost of having Melania and Barron in the Big Apple is astronomical when you take all these factors into consideration.
Letter cannot be ignored
The letter is titled, "Give ambassadors a grace period," and it was written by Carl Howard of Lafayette. It appeared in the "Letters to the Editor" section of the news. It was written as very thoughtful and considerate to Donald Trump, as the writer never once verbally attacked the president. Mr. Howard just made a case (and quite a reasonable one, for that matter).
One of the examples Carl Howard offered up in this letter is what Stafford Fitzgerald Haney and his family are going through right now. Haney is an ambassador to Costa Rica and his wife is battling breast cancer. They have four school-aged children who they will need to uproot. His wife is sick and this isn't a time for someone to pull up stakes and house hunt.
Good reason for ousting ambassadors
According to CNN News, Donald Trump wants Obama's political ambassadors to vacate their premises by inauguration day, which is approaching fast. The future president has refused even a short grace period for the ambassadors and their families. This is all part of Trump's plans to wipe the slate clean of the cronyism in national politics.
Most politically appointed ambassadors are friends or have some type of close ties with the president (such as being major donors). Trump sees no place in his world for this cronyism and he wants to start as soon as he walks through the White House doors. While this is totally commendable, there are some other considerations to keep in mind, which are cited in this letter.
Just a grace period
What Mr. Howard is asking of Donald Trump is to show the same "grace and understanding that we, the American people, have shown to our new First Lady and their child." If there ever was a case to be made to allow the ambassadors extra time, Mr. Howard made it. It would have to be hard for Donald Trump to read this letter and not see this point of view. It makes such a strong case that it might also be hard for him not to act on it. The letter allows Donald Trump to put himself in the place of these ambassadors and their families.
