To the Journal editor:

The Ojibway people who originally occupied this area had what they called grandfather teachings. These were character traits that tribal elders tried to instill in younger tribal members for the good of the entire tribe.

There were seven grandfather teachings: Wisdom, humility, honesty, respect, bravery, love and truth. I have asked myself how many of these traits have been displayed by Donald Trump. The answer is none.

I have added some additional qualities that are possessed by people I respect and admire. My list includes compassion, empathy and a sense of humor. Trump also gets a zero for these attributes. The things he values most are a short list: Public adulation, wealth and a fondness for bootlicking subordinates.

He is interpreting his narrow election victory (less than 50 percent of the popular vote) as a mandate to dismantle the federal government, and my fear is that he will seek to remain in power at the end of his current term, as some of his dictator friends have done.

How have we gone so wrong as to elect a person with his traits (and lack of traits) as our president? Unfortunately, I believe that many of Trump’s supporters are people who feel they are entitled to things they do not have and/or feel they should have respect they have not earned.

I believe the best way forward is for each of us to pay close attention to what is happening in Washington and compare the president’s actions to what he promised to do during his campaign for the presidency.

In the course if that exercise, we should discount his administration’s standard excuse: If anything is not going well, it is the Biden administration’s fault.

If you ask for a job and promise to fix problems, you should be judged by your own performance. Blaming someone else for your own failures is unacceptable.