To the Editor:

As an American child on a playground it is often heard, ‘You can’t tell me what to do! It is a free country!’ We Americans know our rights and we cherish our freedoms: our Revolutionary War was fought to obtain independence, the Civil War was fought to end slavery, and World War II was fought to save the world from Fascism. We stand tall for our rights, inscribed into our constitution, granting us free speech, free press, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly among many others. I am writing this today to tell you that these rights are at risk.

If you have been on social media or watching the news at all recently you will be seeing information about Project 2025. Why is everyone so up in arms about this? Hasn’t Donald Trump stated that he does not know about this? A local group of people that we have dubbed “Concerned Mainers” have decided to come together to inform as many people as we can about this plan.

Project 2025 is a document that has been developed by the conservative think tank, ‘The Heritage Foundation’. Here are the facts of this plan. This is the ninth in a sequel of plans, with the first of these titled ‘Mandate for Leadership: Policy Management in a Conservative Administration’, given to Ronald Regan in 1981. Initially these policies were based around restructuring the federal government, protecting the United States against the Soviet Union, reversing the New Deal, decreasing the power of unions and decreasing taxes for the wealthy. Since that time, the focus has shifted to include changing societal values, including undermining women’s rights and diversity. This vision is aligned with that of radical Christian Nationalism.

The 2025 Presidential Transition Project has stated that Project 2025 is its agenda. The project will build on four pillars that will pave the way for a conservative administration: policy, personnel, training and a 180 day playbook (Project 2025, Presidential Transition Project). This document outlines recommended changes beginning on Day one of a second Trump administration.

Although Trump denies knowledge of the plan, there is plenty of documentation of his involvement. In 2022, he stated in a speech at the Annual Leadership Conference of the Heritage Foundation, ‘This is a great group,and they are going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America’.

Now that we have a better foundation for understanding the plan’s origins, what does the plan say? There are 920 pages of recommendations, and I have read the first 580 pages to date, and they include changes to much of our government and social structure. Concerned Mainers will be writing columns each week to give details about the plan. Broadly these changes include increasing the power of the executive branch of government, and thereby altering the balance of powers that the framers envisioned. The currently apolitical FBI and judiciary will become a tool of the executive branch.

We have already seen that women have lost their right to choice in 22 states, and this plan calls for a nationwide ban on abortion. The Department of Education will be dismantled, along with public education. Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and National Public Radio (NPR) are also planned. Eliminate the aptly named Head Start Program, which has been proven effective for low income children from 3-5.

Defunding the National Weather Service and NOAA (National Atmospheric and Atmospheric Administration) removing protections for endangered wildlife are among the proposals.

Please stay informed. The entire plan is available at www.project2025.org. We will be presenting ‘Why it is important to vote in the next election’ in the next installment.

Maureen L. Harpell RN, MSN, FNP

Bridgton