Common Cents

It's up to Joe Biden to ‘Make American Great Again’

Michael Hillman

(11/27) They are silent. They have no answer.

I have made a point since starting this paper to never write an editorial. Instead I leave these two pages to other better minds then mine, but the events of the past two weeks since Vice President Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States has vexed me.

When growing up it was impressed upon me that who people voted for was their own business. Sure, my Aunt Mary had a large, hand-made George McGovern banner – actually I think it was a bed spread, hanging from her porch for all to see. And I recall another man who had a hand made campaign sign in his third floor apartment window – but that was it. I had no idea who my parents voted for, let alone my neighbors. And that was fine with me. It was how our democracy was meant to be.

So you can imagine my angst, with the proliferation of Trump flags this election year. And my disdain when one day I noted neighbors replace Old Glory on their flag pole with a version of one with Trump’s face on it. I wanted to hand them a copy of Title 4 of the US Code of Federal Regulation, Chapter 1, Section 8, Respect for Flag, which states: "No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing."

Subpart (g) states: "The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. Further subpart (i) states: "The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever."

I wanted to read the code to them and ask them what part they didn’t understand. But I didn’t, because, I knew my message would be lost on them.

When they tell me they have raised the Trump flag to show their patriotism, and call me unpatriotic for not supporting Trump, I remind them that unlike me, Trump chose not to serve in our armed forces. They are silent. They have no answer to a simple fact.

But I digress.

Just to be clear, yes, I am a ‘Never Trumper.’ But I was a ‘Never Trumper’ long before there where ‘Never Trumpers.’

My never Trump position started long before those flying his flags ever heard his name. Having grown up just outside of Philadelphia, I remember only too well reading about what Trump did to Atlantic City. His willingness to spend other people’s money, and then default on payment to them, forever poisoned me to him. He never was a successful businessman; he was a simple conman.

About ten years ago a friend of mine, who had gotten into a multi-level marketing scheme involving a video phone, pleaded with me to come to a meeting to help show his ‘superiors’ he could bring others into the scheme. He had paid $2,500 to join, money he could not afford to lose.’

I showed up because he was my friend and the beer that night was free. After the mandatory ‘this is how we’ll make you rich message’ the sponsors of the event had everyone watch a video that was supposed to be the deal sealer. Yep, it was Donald Trump telling everyone in the room why they should join and how they would make millions.

I put my beer down and turned to my friend and told him he could kiss his $2,500 goodbye. The company, ACN Inc. is now a defendant in a class action lawsuit for the fraud they committed. As for Donald Trump, he made hundreds of thousands of dollars off that endorsement - but now claims he has no recollection of it. But I do, and my friend is still out his $2,500.

But again, I digress.

I have lots of friends who have turned a blind eye to the events of the past four years, but I have not, nor am I afraid to confront them with the truth.

When they tell me the economy is doing great because of Trump, I ask them how much interest they are earning on their savings account. They go silent. I remind them that when we were kids, our parents ingrained in us the need to save for retirement. My first saving account earned 5% interest. I earned more money on my first $500 then I’m earning on $100,000 today. My friends admit they will never be able to retire like they once dreamed. How is that a great economy I ask them? The need to keep interest rates at near zero percent is a sure sign of a sick economy. It allowing money to be borrowed and spent like drunk sailors. But you can’t be a free loader forever, and sooner or later we will have to pay the piper. They know that. They have no answers.

When they claim Trump has stood up to the Chinese, I remind them that China owns a significant chunk of the U.S. national debt, and that the aircraft carriers we are sailing through the South China Sea are ‘owned’ by the Chinese. What will happen, I ask, when the Chinese decide they have had enough and stop funding our deficit? I remind them that the only option then would be for the government to jack up interest rates on Treasury notes, which would choke off the economy and bring it crashing down. Like it our not, we are a debtor nation and unlike Trump and his casino deals, we can’t simply default on that debt. They are silent. They know it’s an issue. They have no answer.

When they talk about how Trump stood up to our allies to make them pay more for defense, I remind them that Trump turned his back on the Kurds when they needed us most. The Kurds, who have looked up to the U.S. as a beacon of light in the Middle East and spilled their own blood in the defense of our troops. Then have no response, for there is none.

When I point out that Trump has turned his back on NATO and embraced dictators, how he looked the other way when Russia put bounties on America soldiers, how he got nothing from Kim Jung-un but a photo op at the DMZ, they remain silent. Like me, they understand friendship, and they understand that what Trump has done to our allies and what he has allowed our enemies to do defies friendship and endangers our country. They are silent. They have no answers.

When they tell me that Trump made America great again, I ask them when America was not great? We helped save the world not once, but twice. We won the cold war and put the first man on the moon. Students from around the world seek out our universities for our world-class education and research opportunities in the sciences. We created the Internet and continue to lead in technological innovations. We have helped feed and improved the lives of countless millions around the world. We have been a beacon of light and hope for as long as I can remember. When were we not great before Trump? And when in the past four years has Trump made us better that what we were? They are silent. They have no answer.

I remind them that when Trump promised to fight for us in 2016, he said that unlike Obama, who he scolded for golfing, he would not have time for golf. Yet, Trump has made at least 285 daytime visits to golf clubs – 285 daytime visits! Instead of golfing, he could have been working with Congress to pass a bill to provide relief to the problems caused by COVID-19. I even ask them if they think they would be welcome at Trump’s Mar—a-Lago, or at any of his golf clubs. They are silent. They have no answer.

When I ask what Trump has done to make their lives better, they point to the tax cuts. But when pressed, they admit they got nothing. When I point out the biggest tax breaks went to the wealthy, those who needed it least, they are silent. They have no answer.

There are no answers…

So it’s time to put the Trump flags away, put Old Glory back up, become Americans and face the reality that Trump’s failures have caused national and international economic, social and climate crises, technological disruption. He has flamed racial injustice, threatened our democracy and our trust in science, facts and truth. narcissism. It’s time to end the cult of Trump and for grownups to step up and hopefully stop the train wreck that Trump has set in motion.

Now that Trump is one the way out – it's up to Joe Biden to ‘Make American Great Again’.