I am 80 years old and have experienced 13 federal administrations under both Republican and Democratic presidents. Although several disappointed us with isolated lapses in ethical behavior, none exhibited the level of disdain for the rule of law, transparency, civility and fundamental decency that we have experienced these past two years.

In the beginning, apologists for this president shrugged off his behavior as “Donald Trump just being Donald Trump.” But after two years of his disdain for facts, truth and just plain human decency, one has to ask: What has happened to the principles that have been bedrock values of conservatives and the Republican Party?

Why haven’t they stood as a body and said, “Mr. President, enough is enough”? “Enough” means “We will not allow you to separate children from their parents as a cynical tactic to discourage people from legally applying for refugee status, and we will not allow you to shut down the government while denying our public employees from feeding their families and paying their bills.”

Why is it that our own Sen. Susan Collins is only one of a few Republicans with the moral backbone to call our president out? She is risking her political career by doing so; though I am someone who rarely votes Republican, she has my admiration and vote in 2020. As for the rest of the Republican Party, where is your moral compass and courage?

Paul Somoza

Newcastle