03:21:35 pm on
Saturday 05 Oct 2024

Donald A to Z
AJ Robinson

Well, the election is over, and I have to say that I'm not all that surprised by the outcome. Deep in my gut, I had a feeling the voters might surprise us and go with the "Orange One," but I hoped they'd be smarter. I guess not. For myself, I'm not too worried. After all, I'm a White man, with a good job. I'm a skilled worker, an engineer, and I do not own a house.


That last point is important.

Considering the damage Trump might do to the economy, I think it best not to own a home and have a mortgage. Oh and I don't have any investments. If the stock market tanks, I won't be hurt.

Here's the thing: I have a daughter, Jewish in-laws, a wife who's disabled as well as friends and family who are less fortunate. For them and the Trump supporters, I'm worried. That last one might sound strange. Why would I worry about his supporters? Because they have no idea of how badly a screw-over they are about to receive.

Normally, when considering important matters, I say to people, "Do you want them alphabetically or by degree of importance?" In this case, let's go with the alphabet, it'll be more fun. Here's Trump A to Z.

A is for adultery, which he's done numerous times. Now, me, I don't care. The fact the Conservative Christians give him a pass on this is quite telling for them.

B is for Birther and Bigotry, which go together. For years, he insulted our president by questioning his birth. C is for Climate Change, which he denies, and which means that our country will do nothing to combat it for at least four years; this worries me and I feel sad for my daughter and future family.


D is for disabled people.

My wife is disabled. Trump mocked a disabled reporter, at one of his early rallied. I have to wonder, what does that say about a man that he would do that, and do we really want such a person in the White House?

E is for equal pay for women. Trump talks about helping women, but his record of accomplishment isn't so good there. Guess we'll have to wait and see on that.

F is for fear, something he used to gain support. He made people fearful of about other people, of Blacks and Muslims; people from other countries, too. Again, these are not the acts of a president.

G is for gays and generals, two very different groups. Trump is no friend to either and we have to see what he's going to do about crushing gay rights and ignoring the generals. After all, he did say he knows more than do they. So, how will he be as commander-in-chief?

Hate and Healthcare come next. Again, he used hate to gain the highest office in the land. Not something remotely decent or right and how will he destroy healthcare for the millions who need it?

Immigrants and ISIS are two important issues. Is he going to ban the former and truly deal with the latter? He claims he knows what do to about ISIS, but won't say what he's planning. I worry we're headed for another endless war.

J is for jailing his opponents, something he's said he wants to do, which is straight out of a Third World country. “Lock her up” was the battle cry at his rallies. Have we really come to that?

K stands for killing families, which Trump has also said he's fine with, namely the families of terrorists, and which violates international law. Is he truly prepared to become a war criminal, to make our nation a rouge nation?


Trump lies like a cheap rug.

L is lying, which he does with great ease. He lied all the way through the election and the media never called him on it. What will they do when he lies in press conferences? Has the media completely given up on its responsibility to hold politicians' feet to the fire, to call them out on their actions? If so, God helps us all!

M is Muslims, people he seems to hate; people he wants to ban from the country and follow those that live here. The former violates the very core of what our nation stands for, and the latter is illegal. Not only that, the last place to do it was Nazi Germany! Do we really want to go down that path?

N is for nukes, something he has no problem using and sharing with other nations. His views on nuclear weapons are very dangerous and, in some cases violate international law and treaties. Are we ready for our president to act in such a way?

O is for oil, coal and gas, energy sources he embraces. He also rejects solar, wind and other renewables. Other nations, such as China, do not. Does this mean that we won't be on the cutting edge of new technologies and energy sources? Are we going to let the Chinese lead the way?

P is for something he likes to grab. This is a little reminder to all women that they are second-class citizens in his eyes and treated accordingly. Based on the t-shirts I've seen some of his female supporters wear, it's clear they're okay with that. I have to wonder, what sort of self-esteem do they have to be okay with such degradation?

It's sad.

Q is for the many questions he won't answer. This is where the media must find a backbone and keep asking the tough questions. I'm not optimistic the media will find the nerve. No, the media will want access, and will roll over and let him do and say what he wants. The day that happens will be a dark day for our nation, as it will mean we no longer have a free press.

R is all the regulations he's going to cut, which means the air, water, soil, safety and medicine are in jeopardy. Will all of us end up with water like Flint, Michigan? Of course, without a press to report on such things, how will we ever know?

S is a biggie, the Supreme Court. Trump will get to appoint at least one justice, maybe two or three, and that will truly damage our nation. Citizens United won't be overturned. In fact, it'll be worse, which means the rich will further be able to buy elections. Roe v. Wade will be in jeopardy, as will gay rights, equal rights and minority rights.

It’s truly, truly sad.


T stands for torture and taxes.

Trump is fine with water boarding and other torture techniques, which will further enrage people against our nation, and violate international law. As for taxes, expect huge cuts for the rich, which means massive deficits and cuts to vital services: education, social security and Medicare to name only three.

U is for the underpaid and under educated, all of whom he will screw. That's where I feel sorry for his supporters, as they make up this group. It amazes me that poor whites voted for him, in such numbers, as they need government services more than does anyone; now, they face the dire effect of his severe cuts. Trump wants to eliminate the minimum wage, Medicaid and countless other programs these people depend on. That he was able to sell them on this is like sending coals to Newcastle and pure genius. If I didn't feel so bad for these people, I might applaud him.

Then there's V, the veterans, who will also see cuts to their services. For them, I feel particularly bad, as they deserve so much better. The GOP is no friend of veterans. It voted against or to cut virtually all programmes to help them.

W, of course, is for the wall, which is the biggest boondoggle in history. Mexico will never pay for the wall. It'll cost billions and accomplish nothing.

X is for XL, as in Keystone XL Pipeline, which, among others, he'll approve. This will mean more pollution, more chances for leaks that'll poison the water table and further damage to the ecosystem.

Y is for Yellen, the chief of the Federal Reserve. Trump has said he wants to get rid of her. She’s shown herself a good and decent leader of the Fed. She opposes Trump, though, and thus he wants her gone. We have to wonder: whom will he put in charge of the Fed and what will that person do to the banking system?

Finally, we come to Z, which for me stands for the z's of snoring, as I plan to "sleep" through his presidency and live for the day we can look back and see it as merely a bad dream. Unfortunately, that's going to be hard. I plan to work very hard helping my daughter, my in-laws and all my friends and family survive this collective nightmare!

 

Combining the gimlet-eye of Philip Roth with the precisive mind of Lionel Trilling, AJ Robinson writes about what goes bump in the mind, of 21st century adults. Raised in Boston, with summers on Martha's Vineyard, AJ now lives in Florida. Working, again, as an engineeer, after years out of the field due to 2009 recession and slow recovery, Robinson finds time to write. His liberal, note the small "l," sensibilities often lead to bouts of righteous indignation, well focused and true. His teen vampire adventure novel, "Vampire Vendetta," will publish in 2020. Robinson continues to write books, screenplays and teleplays and keeps hoping for that big break.

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