With a leader in the White House who clearly supports opulence for himself and a few others, it can be oppressive to be one of the ordinary people in the country--people who work hard, take care of loved ones, contribute to the community, and try to build and live a good life. The President of the United States clearly does not support a good, honest life, but instead seems to enjoy creating a spirit of bigotry, hate, mockery, selfishness, and narrow, ignorant thinking and acting. Every time he speaks, I cringe because his words clearly advertise his dangerous grandiosity, ignorance, exaggeration, lies, lack of empathy, and hatred for many.
And sadly, what is just as oppressive is the fact that he has a team of followers who spend their days breaking laws, creating manipulative marketing, and padding their own power and pocketbooks rather than working with the best and brightest to truly move this country ahead.
What are good, honest, hard working people everywhere to do with this kind of leadership? How do those of us without millions and billions gain the collective capacity to right our country's direction toward what is right and good and away from the self-serving lies, mockery, greed, and lawlessness the Trump team appears to embrace?
Stop Supporting Errant Ways
Together we have to think clearly about the ways we may be consciously and unconsciously supporting their ways. Do you spread pictures and words of their mocking, untruthful, exaggerated, manipulative marketing? If so, don't do it. That's exactly what they want you to do. Do you spend too much time entertaining the diversions they feed the media? Instead make time to read the long print, study the issues, and truly notice and work against these distractions. Do you make fun of their actions with humor rather than work against their errant ways? Find ways to support those who are working for honest, positive, people-centered government, rather than me-first, biased, oppressive government.
Challenge Yourself to See and Think Deeply
Of course, everyone loves a rise in their paycheck. Most people would like to have a few more dollars, but you have to make time to read and understand that a few extra dollars now based on errant policies and actions will result in many lost dollars later on. As the Trump team strips away environmental supports, they create an environment where clean water and soil will belong only to the wealthy, and unavailable to ordinary people. The huge national debt that they keep adding to, makes our country vulnerable since we owe lots of people lots of money. Huge debt weakens any individual and country in the long run. Further, their policies greatly support the few who have huge investments, but most of us don't have lots of investments--we're not reaping any of that extra money, but we are reaping the burden of a government staffed by self-serving friends and family members rather than the best and brightest.
A Discerning Media Diet
Look deeply at the media you digest. Notice who owns the media and who makes the most money off that media. Pay attention to who and what the media covers--some channels are clearly mostly entertainment, not news. Watch, read, and listen to a variety of media sources, not just one. Use varied information to create your own ideas--don't be swayed by a few, but instead be original and true to your own beliefs. Continue to educate yourself as much as possible so you're not influenced by hype, manipulative marketing, and short term gains alone.
Sacrifice
What is difficult is that many rich and powerful in the USA and abroad who believe in a country run by a few mostly rich white men are sending lots and lots of money to Trump and his cronies. They want to be in charge--they want it their way. That's the way many of these individuals have run their lives and that's why they have lots of money.
Many have sought money over truth, justice, and service to others. On the other hand, many ordinary people have focused their lives on one another, service jobs, and living honest, good lives. These are people who were able to do this in the United States because our country is founded on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Trump team works against these ideals as they use manipulation to support a few rich folks while the rest of us are given the role as lowly servants and oppressed people. To work against this lawless, self-serving, anti-American activity, we will have to sacrifice some time and money in order to turn the tide to put the USA on a better track, a track that makes the good life available to ALL Americans and a track that works with other countries to secure basic freedoms, rights, and good living to all the world's people. Trump's survival-of-the-fittest mentality is a wall that makes good living available only to a few rather than all, and this is oppressive, biased, and unAmerican.
Prejudice Against Women
I am disappointed that my candidate of choice, Elizabeth Warren, is no longer in the race. Warren, like so many women, faced the long held prejudice that is attached to bright, accomplished, good women--people don't support women like that in schools, at the work place, in government, and almost everywhere else. Women face tremendous prejudice and backlash daily due to these long held biases all over the world. I know this because I have faced these kinds of prejudices throughout my life in multiple ways.
How do we eliminate these prejudices against women? First, we have to look for ways to support women leaders of all ages. We have to find ways to lift women up. And, we have to look for and build structures that support women's leadership. Many women don't lead because they choose to make time for their families instead. We have to build structures that allow women to be good mothers and leaders too. We have to pay women more in the many careers they fill. Many women are teachers like me. We have years and years of education and training. We generally work ten hour days six to seven days a week. We spend our own money to support our students' education. Yet, we are paid very low in comparison to many in other careers. I know young people, right out of college, that make 1 1/2 times my pay during their first years on the job, and it has taken me 34 years to get to this level of pay. Women are often naturally drawn to careers with meaning and social impact, these roles support good living across our country. We should not have to sacrifice fair salaries and work conditions because we want to use our good educations, time, and capacity to work for a better world.
Vote for Good Leaders
Like many, I am disappointed with all the candidates who are leading for President of the United States. I will feel a little bit better about a candidate who chooses a bright, hard working, dedicated women to be their running mate. I would like to see a women of color fill that role because we need leadership that can relate to so many Americans who are marginalized. Trump's mostly all white, inexperienced, rich male team of leaders represents few Americans--we need a diverse team of best and brightest Americans to lead.
I'm not sure who I will vote for to be the next President of the United States. I will not vote for Trump, because I will never support a bigoted, lying cheater to be President of the United States. I will reserve my decision on this as I know a lot can happen between now and November, so I will research, listen, observe, and think about this in the days ahead. However, should Biden choose Kamala Harris for his running mate, I will likely vote for Biden.
Life a Good Life
We have to live lives that exemplify our beliefs, lives that show the world what we believe in and what we support. It takes good time, effort, and thought to live this kind of life and I will continue to strive to live a good life for myself and others despite the challenges that errant leaders, bigoted bosses, selfish community members, and hurtful individuals place in my path.
Hopeful, Positive
Life is short. We live well if we make time to be hopeful, positive, and playful. We have to seek the balance of hard work and joyful living. On Friday, as we ended a day of hard, dedicated climate change project work with watching a bit of the movie, The Lorax, I had the chance to listen to students giggle. The sound filled me with happiness and joy. Moments like these remind me of the simple, good times possible--times we should strive to create for ourselves and others. Onward.
And sadly, what is just as oppressive is the fact that he has a team of followers who spend their days breaking laws, creating manipulative marketing, and padding their own power and pocketbooks rather than working with the best and brightest to truly move this country ahead.
What are good, honest, hard working people everywhere to do with this kind of leadership? How do those of us without millions and billions gain the collective capacity to right our country's direction toward what is right and good and away from the self-serving lies, mockery, greed, and lawlessness the Trump team appears to embrace?
Stop Supporting Errant Ways
Together we have to think clearly about the ways we may be consciously and unconsciously supporting their ways. Do you spread pictures and words of their mocking, untruthful, exaggerated, manipulative marketing? If so, don't do it. That's exactly what they want you to do. Do you spend too much time entertaining the diversions they feed the media? Instead make time to read the long print, study the issues, and truly notice and work against these distractions. Do you make fun of their actions with humor rather than work against their errant ways? Find ways to support those who are working for honest, positive, people-centered government, rather than me-first, biased, oppressive government.
Challenge Yourself to See and Think Deeply
Of course, everyone loves a rise in their paycheck. Most people would like to have a few more dollars, but you have to make time to read and understand that a few extra dollars now based on errant policies and actions will result in many lost dollars later on. As the Trump team strips away environmental supports, they create an environment where clean water and soil will belong only to the wealthy, and unavailable to ordinary people. The huge national debt that they keep adding to, makes our country vulnerable since we owe lots of people lots of money. Huge debt weakens any individual and country in the long run. Further, their policies greatly support the few who have huge investments, but most of us don't have lots of investments--we're not reaping any of that extra money, but we are reaping the burden of a government staffed by self-serving friends and family members rather than the best and brightest.
A Discerning Media Diet
Look deeply at the media you digest. Notice who owns the media and who makes the most money off that media. Pay attention to who and what the media covers--some channels are clearly mostly entertainment, not news. Watch, read, and listen to a variety of media sources, not just one. Use varied information to create your own ideas--don't be swayed by a few, but instead be original and true to your own beliefs. Continue to educate yourself as much as possible so you're not influenced by hype, manipulative marketing, and short term gains alone.
Sacrifice
What is difficult is that many rich and powerful in the USA and abroad who believe in a country run by a few mostly rich white men are sending lots and lots of money to Trump and his cronies. They want to be in charge--they want it their way. That's the way many of these individuals have run their lives and that's why they have lots of money.
Many have sought money over truth, justice, and service to others. On the other hand, many ordinary people have focused their lives on one another, service jobs, and living honest, good lives. These are people who were able to do this in the United States because our country is founded on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Trump team works against these ideals as they use manipulation to support a few rich folks while the rest of us are given the role as lowly servants and oppressed people. To work against this lawless, self-serving, anti-American activity, we will have to sacrifice some time and money in order to turn the tide to put the USA on a better track, a track that makes the good life available to ALL Americans and a track that works with other countries to secure basic freedoms, rights, and good living to all the world's people. Trump's survival-of-the-fittest mentality is a wall that makes good living available only to a few rather than all, and this is oppressive, biased, and unAmerican.
Prejudice Against Women
I am disappointed that my candidate of choice, Elizabeth Warren, is no longer in the race. Warren, like so many women, faced the long held prejudice that is attached to bright, accomplished, good women--people don't support women like that in schools, at the work place, in government, and almost everywhere else. Women face tremendous prejudice and backlash daily due to these long held biases all over the world. I know this because I have faced these kinds of prejudices throughout my life in multiple ways.
How do we eliminate these prejudices against women? First, we have to look for ways to support women leaders of all ages. We have to find ways to lift women up. And, we have to look for and build structures that support women's leadership. Many women don't lead because they choose to make time for their families instead. We have to build structures that allow women to be good mothers and leaders too. We have to pay women more in the many careers they fill. Many women are teachers like me. We have years and years of education and training. We generally work ten hour days six to seven days a week. We spend our own money to support our students' education. Yet, we are paid very low in comparison to many in other careers. I know young people, right out of college, that make 1 1/2 times my pay during their first years on the job, and it has taken me 34 years to get to this level of pay. Women are often naturally drawn to careers with meaning and social impact, these roles support good living across our country. We should not have to sacrifice fair salaries and work conditions because we want to use our good educations, time, and capacity to work for a better world.
Vote for Good Leaders
Like many, I am disappointed with all the candidates who are leading for President of the United States. I will feel a little bit better about a candidate who chooses a bright, hard working, dedicated women to be their running mate. I would like to see a women of color fill that role because we need leadership that can relate to so many Americans who are marginalized. Trump's mostly all white, inexperienced, rich male team of leaders represents few Americans--we need a diverse team of best and brightest Americans to lead.
I'm not sure who I will vote for to be the next President of the United States. I will not vote for Trump, because I will never support a bigoted, lying cheater to be President of the United States. I will reserve my decision on this as I know a lot can happen between now and November, so I will research, listen, observe, and think about this in the days ahead. However, should Biden choose Kamala Harris for his running mate, I will likely vote for Biden.
Life a Good Life
We have to live lives that exemplify our beliefs, lives that show the world what we believe in and what we support. It takes good time, effort, and thought to live this kind of life and I will continue to strive to live a good life for myself and others despite the challenges that errant leaders, bigoted bosses, selfish community members, and hurtful individuals place in my path.
Hopeful, Positive
Life is short. We live well if we make time to be hopeful, positive, and playful. We have to seek the balance of hard work and joyful living. On Friday, as we ended a day of hard, dedicated climate change project work with watching a bit of the movie, The Lorax, I had the chance to listen to students giggle. The sound filled me with happiness and joy. Moments like these remind me of the simple, good times possible--times we should strive to create for ourselves and others. Onward.