To the editor:

Inauguration day is supposed to be a joyful event. Unfortunately, Monday was anything but joyful, but certainly historic. First and foremost, it was a monumental disrespect to the memory of Martin Luther King. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution specifies that the term of each elected president of the United States begins at noon on Jan. 20 of the year following the election.

In my opinion, the inauguration should have been held on Jan. 21, due to the conflict with MLK Day. Some of our leaders use the Constitution and the Bible selectively when it serves their purposes. Some even claim to be Christians but do not swear their oath to our country on the Bible. In lieu of the blatant disregard for the Constitution and Bible, postponing the inauguration one day would have been the appropriate and right thing to do in this situation.

On April 14, 1961, in a speech at Stanford University, King described the United States as “two Americas, one with prosperity and opportunity, and the other with poverty and despair.” In 2025, the two Americas have been further distinguished. One America believes that the fundamental truths of honesty, integrity, ethics, compassion, empathy, responsibility, kindness, respect, accountability, tolerance and a strong sense of justice are paramount for a civil society. The other ‘believes that these values are secondary to the price of eggs and gasoline, or to stuffing their already full pockets with one more dollar.

Although the price of eggs and other needs are important, prioritizing ethical behavior, positive interactions with others and commitment to doing the right thing in all situations should be of utmost concern for everyone and for the sake of future generations. Unfortunately, we are living at a time when people are proud of what they should be ashamed of such as hate, violence, disrespect, dishonesty and lawlessness.

We are becoming a country without a moral compass, and this is a catastrophe.

Booker T. Washington famously said “Character, not circumstance, makes a man.” Will the future of this country be one of good character, good governance and common good for all, or will it be a complete disregard for the ethical commitment and the rule of law? At the end of the day, each of us must look in the mirror and decide which America do you want the future generations to inherit? It is not the responsibility of family, church, schools, community, friends or the government to make this decision. This decision must be made exclusively by each one of us, and the future will hold us accountable for it.

Lisa Besozzi

Steubenville