By Yvonne Nyenhuis
On January 20 we will enter a “brave new world.” There are those who will look to God for salvation and those who will look to President-elect Donald Trump to “save us.” When it comes to God, he created “man” with the ability to reason. He expects us to solve our own problems. This leaves us with a startling reality, Donald Trump residing in the Oval Office, steering us through the next four years. We will have a Republican President, a Republican House and Senate and a Conservative Supreme Court.
Trump’s ascendance poses a unique problem, as he has demonstrated a lack of regard for the truth and facts. He prefers to make up “reality” as he goes along. Most world leaders find this perplexing and disconcerting, except for Russian President Vladimir Putin who welcomes Trumps “flexibility”!
The President-elect has kept his message ambiguous, allowing Americans to funnel their own hopes and dreams into the fog he has created. He has shamelessly manipulated the media, appropriating an estimated “two billion” dollars in free air time, by perpetuating outrageous statements intended to intensify passion, fear and emotion attacking people on cultural, religious and racial grounds.
He has side-stepped the press by relying on Twitter and rallies where he can pontificate at will without having to answer questions. He tells his followers that the press is unreliable. By instilling suspicion of the press, he absolves himself of the danger of being held accountable for his words and actions.
David Remnick of The New Yorker asked the question “Does Trump have any “core convictions”? William Cohen, former Secretary of Defense, cautions against a “policy of disengagement and isolationism.” President Putin has been waiting “60” years for an American President who is NOT dedicated to maintaining NATO.
My favorite people in the world are journalists who doggedly pursue the truth and people who fix things. Next to my husband, I love the man who fixed our refrigerator! The unsung heroes of our country are Americans who go to work every day and steadfastly remain true to their families and community.
Sometimes ingenuity and hard work result in acquiring wealth. Sometimes wealth is inherited. Many who are wealthy are generous and contribute to the Arts, Education, Science and charitable causes. Others buy influence and power and amass great power by exploiting the safety of workers and polluting the environment. They lose objectivity and compassion. They are blinded by greed.
How do we define “success”? For some of the traders on Wall Street, as well as CEOs in the oil and mining and some other large corporations, the profit margin is their major consideration. In 1933, Congress passed the Glass-Steagall act as an emergency response to the failure of nearly 5,000 banks during the Great Depression. The law worked as intended until 1999 when it was repealed by Bill Clinton and Phil Gramm at the behest of big banks. Once again banks originated fraudulent loans and sold them to their customers in the form of securities. The bubble peaked in 2007 and collapsed in 2008.
Since the mid-1980s, there has been an enormous transfer of wealth from the middle-class and the poor to the wealthiest people in the country.
Bernie Sanders has continued since the election to highlight the widening gap between rich and poor. He stipulates, “There is something profoundly wrong when the top one-tenth of 1% owns almost as much as the bottom 90%.” He challenges Americans to confront the crisis. “The issue of wealth inequality is the great moral issue of our time!”
On January 20 we will need to face a new reality. It is important that we stay grounded, pursue truth and hold those in power accountable for their actions. They are in office to serve us! What is “legal” is not always moral. “Law and Order” does not always include justice! Bernie reminds us that we are part of an ongoing process. It’s not always about changing the laws, it’s about changing our hearts.
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