By E. G. Singer
“You’re fired!” were the final words from the Donald’s mouth as he dismissed the contestants of his game show, The Apprentice, for not living up to his ruthless ideas of what is necessary to conduct business in Trumpworld.
Little Donnie was a product of a family who did not see displays of compassion and understanding for others as a moral strength, but as a weakness and a character flaw. It played out both personally and in his business dealings, where he could shirk his responsibility, buy his way out, or walk away from his debts. And so he brought that cancerous philosophy into the White House and it metastasized.
After almost four years of chaos, Mr. Trump appears to have exhausted the citizenry of the country, with his bellicose ramblings and inability to address the needs of the nation. Now the people have spoken! But, he will not go gently as he seeks to hold on to power—nor should we expect it— for he has tapped into a great discontent that needs to be addressed as time goes on.
We are a divided nation, but make no mistake, we always have been; from the time slaves were brought to this land; to the destruction of the Native-American way of life, with our manifest destiny and rugged individual philosophy; through the Civil War; and on to the Gilded Age. We have been raised to fear the other—whether they are people of color, people of class, people of different religions, and now the rural versus urban populations.
In 1974, President Gerald Ford, in pardoning Richard Nixon, stated, “Our long national nightmare was over,” referring to the Watergate scandal involving his predecessor. Now another nightmare is ending!
Mr. Trump, your inappropriate attempt to grab power in our democracy has been as awkward, transparent and disgusting as your behavior in grabbing parts of the female anatomy!
Mr. Trump…You’re fired—OH, and don’t let the door hit your fat ass on the way out!
E. G. Singer lives in Santa Rosa. To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write to us at op*****@pa********.com .
