LETTER: Trump is correct about the Panama Canal

I know the media love to hate President Donald Trump, but here we go again with him being right (“Trump threatens Panama,” Monday Review-Journal).

U.S. taxpayers built the Panama Canal. What an engineering gift to the world. President Jimmy Carter relinquished control to Panama. Taxpayers get fleeced.

U.S. taxpayers and favorable tariffs helped rebuild Europe after World Ward II. That was fine, and a good example of American generosity. But those favorable tariffs are still in effect today, giving Europe an economic advantage at our expense. The taxpayers get fleeced.

U.S. taxpayers have funded NATO since its inception in 1949. Many members shirked their funding obligations of 2 percent of GDP until Mr. Trump pushed back. The taxpayers were being fleeced.

Kudos to Mr. Trump for treating taxpayer money as though it’s his own. It’s refreshing, and I defy you to name one other politician who has shown such concern for our hard-earned money.

I suspect Mr. Trump will successfully renegotiate the Carter Canal treaty to carve out transit fee reductions and exceptions for U.S. carriers. The taxpayers win.