Where Trump is Taking America is Un-American

         Where Trump is Taking America is Un-American

     Sometimes writing is like pulling teeth, we know it needs to be done, but we do not have enthusiasm for the pain that comes with it.  Even though it was almost sixty years ago, I can remember my first trip to the dentist like it was yesterday.  My tooth had been hurting constantly for days and finally my Mother and Grand-mother decided they had heard me whine long enough.  Funny thing happened on the way to the dentist office.  As we parked out front of the dentist office the pain miraculously disappeared.

    Several alternatives had been offered by my Grandfather, pliers were one. Tying a string around the tooth and then tying it to the doorknob was actually discussed.  His ultimate recommendation was drink some whiskey, which he said was what he used to get up his courage to go to the dentist. Fortunately for me, Mom and Grandma over ruled his solutions.  That is how I found myself at the dentist office with no tooth ache and feeling of doom in my mind.

    Funny part looking back on it, I don’t remember the actual tooth pulling. Just the crunching sound as the needle pushed its way through my gums to deliver the pain killing solution.  The actual pulling has vanished over the years.  As have all my other teeth to be replaced by dentures. Probably the worst two were ones that got broke off in a fight in Vietnam. The roots had to be pried out by the dentist. It was done without shots, but I was already far enough gone to find out that my Grandfather was a wise man. Looking back over the years I have to wonder if he acquired his knowledge the same way I did.  A few days later my jaw became infected.  It was far worse than any of the extractions I endured over the years.   

   Having just finished a rather long and drawn out election process.  I have to wonder if the outcome might become much more painful than the process of selecting a winner. Especially with all the riots and protests that are breaking out daily.  Only time will tell what the real outcome is.  Many people feel robbed as the winner of the popular vote did not win the election. Hopefully one good will come out of the matter.  Hopefully the Electoral College will either be done away with or modified to reflect the popular vote.  Of course since Trump won via the Electoral College it is no longer so evil.

    Many people express their view that Hillary deserved to lose based on her position on abortion more than anything.  Many are happy the Clinton dynasty is over as well as the Bush’s.  However dynasties are nothing new to American politics.  The Adam’s family, the Harrison’s, the Roosevelt’s and the Bush’s all carried a family torch from one administration to another.  Several other dynasties were attempted and failed.  The Kennedy’s being one example. One could easily wonder if the Trump’s might be the next dynasty.

      While Trump certainly did not win by humbling himself to gain party support and definitely is not anything like the standard politician, he is definitely learning fast. Asked about his intentions with the Clinton’s he put off his interviewer’s question and promised to answer it at some future point.  That was definitely a political way of dealing with the issue.  He is already back peddling on several of the issues he promised to fix. His wall may be turning into a fence in places and Obamacare may not be all that bad after all. Some parts may be kept.

    Biblically James makes clear that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.  That is one characteristic that definitely has come to stand out about Trump. He will do or say whatever he feels fits his purposes.  Either he did grope the women he said he did, or he didn’t.  The only question that remains on that situation is which is the truth?  He is either a sex offender or a liar. Neither of which are qualities one wants to find in a president.

    Jeremiah 17:5 says anyone who puts his trust in a man is cursed. So based on Trump’s performance and own words it is hard for me to put any trust in him or his leadership.  The Bible goes even further with the description of what God has no use for and what he does not like in Proverbs 6. It gives seven things that God hates.  I can cast no stone as several of them hit home pretty hard, but I see Trump as being seven for seven.  While I am definitely not any better than him I have no intention of supporting him in any way. I personally wouldn’t follow him to a dog fight, even if he had a chance of winning.

    Jesus said we are to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and pay our taxes as we are ordered to.  Yet by his own words, Trump admits he has paid no taxes and considers himself a smart man for having figured ways to avoid paying them. Yet we are supposed to believe he is suddenly going to change his ways and fix America. Excuse me, but I don’t think so, which is one of his favorite sayings. His business dealings and personal values are totally the opposite of what I personally feel America’s values are.

   With all the protests I only hope his words and hatred don’t come back to bite him.  With his worldwide presence which is linked directly to his name makes him a prime candidate for an ISIS attack.  If he follows through on his anti-Islamic platform he is a prime target.  The image of the Oklahoma City bombing keeps coming to mind for some reason. He may discover the meaning of you reap what you sow. Hate definitely feeds on hate.

    As the formation of his cabinet moves along it is easy to see that he is going to use the same people to fill his slots that he railed against during his election battle. The ex-New York Mayor, Gov. Christy and Speaker Gingrich definitely fit the roll professional politicians.  Something he said he would get rid of when he became President, but it is not looking like it.  Gingrich is especially troubling as his deal with ex-President Clinton on housing and capital gains taxes set the stage for the massive debt load that America is under today.

    Trumps promises to cut taxes will only make things worse than they are. Especially if there is no corresponding cut in Federal spending. Based on Trump’s past business performance however, bankruptcy is totally acceptable as a way of doing business and he does not care who gets hurt by it.

     At this point all we can do is sit back and wait and see what happens. From my perspective I guess it is time to get started. After 70 years of life, having lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, thirteen years in the Army and having been on the East German border looking at their guards who were looking back at me, I never worried about building a bomb shelter or the dangers of nuclear war. However in view of the election I hope I have 70 days to get my bomb shelter built and stocked.