We are not a perfect nation as evidenced by the President's behavior yesterday--there are many cracks to mend, laws to create, and work to be done to continue to update, modernize, and develop our country in ways that matter for the modern world today and generations to come.
Presently our country is challenged by Trump's efforts to abuse his role in the White House. He appears to abuse his role by using the privileges of the presidency to push forward his narrow, self-serving vision for our a country and the world--a vision that appears to use and abuse everyday people for his own and his cronies' privilege, wealth, and power.
What should Americans do at this turn in the road--an unexpected, dangerous, and critical turn in America's journey as a free nation built by the people for the people?
First we must relentlessly reach out to our political leaders to speak up and act in ways that will investigate, limit, and respond to what appears to be Trump's gross negligence as President of the United States. Trump appears to be using the presidency for his own gain with little regard for the rights and needs of the American people in so many ways:
- He's negating our allies and siding with our adversaries.
- He has demonstrated no trust or allegiance to our nation's justice departments or citizenry on the world stage by siding with and praising those who have been accused of committing crimes against our country.
- He chooses friends and family members for major roles in our country's leadership seemingly without concern or interest with those individuals' readiness or ability to do the jobs.
- He invites foreign dignitaries and others to his private clubs for government business and thus reaps the financial rewards of these meetings while compromising security and diplomatic policies and protocols.
- He demeans education by choosing a big donor to lead our nation's Department of Education, a women with little to no experience in education and a women who apparently is mostly interested in supporting her narrow agenda to promote faith-based initiatives and dismantle the strong public schools that have been a bedrock of this country.
- He chooses mostly in favor of the wealthy by giving them a big financial boost with new tax laws and by limiting the supports and services for everyday people who make an average wage or less.
- He's done little to improve access to quality health care and has compromised our health care system more.
- He doesn't care about the environment and has chosen to trade environmental protection for short-term financial gain for a few. He has no concern for the long-term health of the planet.
- He doesn't work well with the world's nations, and instead decries the good work that has been done with our allies over years rather than work with them for further positive development with regard to the world's greatest issues such as reduction in warfare and war, end to poverty, protection of natural resources, humane response to the immigration crisis, and an effort to provide opportunity and good living to all the world's people.
- In speak and action, he appears to incite greater racial, gender, culture, and religious prejudice--he does little to honor our country's wonderful diversity and the opportunity to uplift every person of every group.
It seems that Trump thinks of the presidency as a marketing game, one where he can use short sound and sight-bites to appeal to his constituents to win the vote and fill his coffers with money and affection. He says whatever he wants when he wants to win favor with just enough people to forward his agenda. He doesn't appear to value the truth, but instead values any words or actions that will result in what he wants when he wants it.
He appears to choose to back world leaders whom he feels will serve him best--leaders that he's beholding to and leaders whom he can potentially make deals with related to cheap labor, substantial resources, military power, and his own personal wealth. He apparently does not value human rights as witnessed by how he manages his time, talk, affiliations, and energy--when it comes to everyday people, it seems that Donald Trump believes in survival of the fittest--if you can't save yourself, then too bad for you. We see this with his inhumane response in Charlottesville, his lack of concern for poor immigrant parents and their children, the way he turns a blind eye to issues of gun violence, his lack of interest in the country's public schools, his little concern for the health needs of people, and his complete lack of care for our environment when we know that at the root of all big issues today is the need for clean air, clean soil, and clean water.
It is a scary time in the United States. No matter who was president in my life before, I never felt like we had a leader who would sell out the American people and American ideals for his own gain and fame, but now we have a man who sits as President of the United States who puts self before country and almost before anything or anyone else--he doesn't even serve well for his own children and grandchildren with the policies he promotes--policies that will leave the world's children and grandchildren with a more divided, violent, and polluted world if we don't make change sooner than later.
What can we do to change this?
- Speak up as much as you can to as many as you can--have those conversations, call your political leaders, and don't relent--we can't let this man and his foolish, self serving cronies ruin the good work that has been done in this country, and we can't let this man waste our time when it comes to the good work we still need to do. President Trump only cares about himself, a few cronies, and perhaps a couple of other world leaders--don't be fooled by his speak and grandstanding--he appears to be nothing more than a self-serving crook.
- Encourage political leaders to begin the impeachment process now--it appears that his words on the world stage yesterday demonstrated treasonous behavior so now we have the proof that this president is not obeying the oath of the presidency and should be impeached.
- Work to get out the vote. Plan to vote. Do the research. Put the voting dates on your calendar. Research the candidates. Offer to drive friends and neighbors to the polls and vote for candidates who will work to make a good life for you and the people in your community.
- Be aware of cybercrime and protect yourself against it.
- Go to the polls with others and have your phones ready to videotape any injustice you may face.
- Make time every week to contribute to our country in ways that matter--a free and democratic country for the people by the people demands that people get involved.
- Learn about environmental issues and work to protect the environment. One reason that the immigration crisis looms is the fact that our natural resources around the world are compromised. We can't let this continue--many in our own country (Flint) and elsewhere suffer because of this.
- Support proactive efforts to work with our allies around the world to promote peace and the solutions to the grave world problems that exist. Don't be fooled into thinking that the only way we can solve world problems is through criminal, violent, and aggressive behaviors--we can work with each other in peace to make promising change.
This morning I'll make a plan for myself, a plan that has dates and times and specific actions to work for the kind of country our forefathers envisioned, a country that helps people to live the good lives possible.
