Assessing the Damage
AJ Robinson

My dad used to say that it takes roughly twenty years to assess the effect of a President of the USA, American society. In the case of Trump, I think we can figure out some of the damage he’s causing right now. Then we can try to determine what we face in the coming years.

Ten trillion dollars in wealth created.

First, there’s income. Inequality was already an issue. The president has made it far worse. He likes to boast about the Stock Market being up; since assumed office, it’s supposedly up to something like ten trillion dollars of created wealth.

I don’t know about you, but I have yet to see my share! The Trump tax cut was supposed to help everyone, most especially the Middle Class. Again, the vast majority has gone to people just like him, the one percent.

When it comes to Women’s Rights, Gay Rights and Race Relations, in general, what is there to say? All have suffered. New laws restrict women’s rights to control their own bodies, knock them down when it comes to their jobs and income and stripping the ability to support their families and even defend themselves from stalkers and abusers.

At every turn, gays and lesbians are losing basic human rights. When it comes to Blacks, could things be any worse? Well, I suppose so, but let’s hope we don’t go there! Not only are Blacks being shot far more than are Whites; bigots are emboldened, they sense the can act as they want. Blacks attacked on city streets, can’t stroll in a part, wait for a friend in a coffee shop or doze off, after a long night of study, with a White calling the police on them. At the same time, Trump embraces Neo-Nazis and bigots of every type, and he still wants his wall. Of course, now he wants us to pay for it.

In terms of the environment, the President appointed a man with open contempt everything people have tried to do, for decades, to protect the environment to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (DPA). With each passing day, this man and the President work to undo all intended to preserve our water, land and air. Our food will suffer because of it, which means, ultimately, so will we.

We’re already seeing that in places like Flint, Michigan, where the water remains undrinkable. Of course, a major planetary concern is Climate Change and, as with so much else, President Trump and his minions are determined to destroy all that others strive to heal. The United States is the only nation on earth not part of the Paris Climate Accord.

Think on that for a moment; the only country.

Each passing year we see the summers hotter, the winters shorter and more intense; overall, the weather extreme, in the extreme and promises to worsen, with time. Droughts, massive storms, tropical diseases and a threat to our very lives will only continue to grow. We have to wonder, how will Barron Trump, youngest child of the President, feel about his father in the coming decades?

I live in Florida. Summers are already almost unbearable. Many Florida businesses rely on outside activity, such as theme parks and agriculture to name only two. Portions of Miami now flood at high tide and it will only get worse. How long will it be before the city faces real troubles?

Will the government do anything about it? Can the government do anything about it? Not for now, anyway; how bad will that be for our state?

Health care was an area where President Trump promised universal coverage better than the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and less expensive to boot. He delivered nothing! Has he spoken anymore about the subject since? No, but that’s not all. Behind the scenes, his administration is working to demolish as much of the Affordable Care Act as possible and millions of people have lost health care as a result. How long will it take us to fix that?

In terms of international relations, could it be worse? Our allies are learning not to rely on us, most nations no longer trust us, as we’ve reneged on the Iran Deal, and we’re seen as being too protectionist. If we impose tariffs, it’s for sure other nations will do the same to us or simply not buy our products. We’re already seeing that with our farm produce. How far will all of that go, how bad will it damage our economy and reputation, and how long will it take to rebuild all of them?

President Trump likes to give the impression he’s a good Christian, but he sure doesn’t follow any version of the Bible I’ve read. When it comes to religion, the far right Christians have truly damaged their brand by aligning themselves with him. Although I frankly think it’s good for the political influence, of the Christian Right, knocked down a few notches, it still pains me to see our values eroded by such a man.

Lastly, for this week, let’s look at the media and our institutions. Trump routinely attacks both. Any news story that’s not favourable to him, he calls, “Fake News.”          Fake news is any item that doesn’t shine a light on the President. Does that make any sense?

In the history of America, or, for that matter, the world, has there ever been a person who only had good news reports about them? Outside of Jesus, I can’t think of anyone, and I seriously doubt the President is the Second Coming!

No shame, none untouchable.

He also attacks the FBI, CIA and just about every other aspect of our nation that displeases him; his minions eat it up. Again, think about that. It’s one thing for people on the fringe to attack our institutions, but when the president does it, many people listen to him.

We can only imagine how long it’s going to fix his gross mistakes. It will take generations, I think. To be honest, I don’t see it happening in my lifetime!