March 25, 2016
“Stopping Trump is a short-term solution. The long-term solution, and it will be more difficult, is fixing the education system that has created so many people ignorant enough to vote for Trump.” Andy Borowitz
The above quote would be funny if it weren’t true. How did we get here with Trump as the front-runner?
Donald Trump’s Background
Then there’s this information to ponder. Donald Trump has had three wives and four bankruptcies, he created a fake university, he outsourced jobs to Mexico and China, he was a draft-dodger who claimed that his sex life was his own “personal Vietnam,” he paid $1 million dollars to hire Polish workers at substandard wages, and he wants the courts to change libel laws so the media can be sued.
Of course, he also wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. He offered to pay legal fees for his most violent supporters who attack protesters. We know the rhetoric but the background information is also eye-opening.
Donald Trump’s Rhetoric
The rhetoric he uses applauds violence and shows how he wants to wield power. He stands behind his podium at rallies and says to the audience, “Get them out of here.” His rhetoric has escalated since he started campaigning and now he’s avoiding appearances in some places because of anticipated riots–riots that he has fomented with his rhetoric of hate.
The rhetoric of hatred has no place in our society. Who is left for him to like other than white Anglo-Saxon men? He’s a misogynist, he is xenophobic–just ask the Mexicans, and he’s singling out Muslims with his rhetoric to deny them entry into this country. His rallies single out African-Americans–notice, they’re usually the ones being pushed out of the convention. Yet, there’s always one black face in the audience and the camera focuses on that one person.
The Education System has Failed Us
We would hope that there are enough intelligent people in this country to know that Donald Trump is a loose cannon. He’s the best, he says, or the toughest, or the biggest or whatever other superlative he chooses to use.
Our educators and parents should have taught us that scapegoating is wrong as is hatred and intolerance. Perhaps the educators did teach us that but many people weren’t listening. Others were being pushed ahead to the next grade despite not being able to read or write. Many of Trump’s supporters aren’t tomorrow’s rocket scientists and to those who are, maybe it’s time for them to learn some compassion and tolerance.
Should Mental Health Check-Ups be Required for Candidates?
To paraphrase Bernie Sanders, we need to invest more money in mental health treatment because of what the Republican Party is doing. That got a big laugh at one of the Democratic debates. Unfortunately, it’s not so ridiculous. Maybe we should require mental health check-ups for our candidates for President so the person in the White House isn’t a dysfunctional baby or tyrant who doesn’t have a clue about foreign policy. Maybe it’s a good idea so our President doesn’t seek the office for the wrong reasons, and so he or she doesn’t bring instability to the highest office in the land.
Should mental health check-ups be required for Presidential candidates? What do you think? Please feel free to leave a comment, either for or against. Why do you think they should or shouldn’t?
Ronna Lambiasi DeLoe
sociallyunjustblog 
No one should be surprised by any of this. We cut teachers’ salaries to a point where we cannot get bright young minds into the field. We have Internet mommy bloggers who tout anti and pseudoscience as if they are PhDs. We are encouraged to doubt science but not religion. Fundamentalist, bigoted Christians get a free pass exile educated scientists are under fire. There are many more reasons but, perhaps, more telling is the rise of The Reality TV Mentality in America. Let’s see….we have The Religious Right loudly demonizing gays and atheists while trash like The Duggars are making millions spreading their hypocritical filth in TV…all while keeping their sordid past hidden.
We have people who scream bloody murder at muslims killing 14 Americans, which is a raggedy….yet say nothing about ap young American man killing 23 children in CT….all in the name of his 2nd Amendment Rights. We have idiots whining about SC’s removal f The “Confederate Battle Flag” from its State House….saying that it didn’t represent racism (yeah right) but become apologists for a young white man who viciously murdered 9 black citizens who were peacefully worshipping in their church, only to, later, see photos of that same young man draped in that non-racist, Southern Heritage representing flag.
We have shows like 90 Day Fiancé, Married At First Sight and The Bachelor getting outrageous ratings while The Fundamentalist Right has the nerve to blame the gay community for destroying the sanctity of marriage. We have Reality TV destroying every family who appears in it….all for the sake of money, while the networks line their greedy pockets. Perhaps the prime example of why this is a reason for the condition that allowed the rise of this buffoon are The Real Housewives shows, Survivor and the various Big Brother shows where the best player is lavishly rewarded for despicable displays of greed, betrayal, lying, cheating and debauchery. What does that show us?
We have 2 generations of lazy and gullible people who, rather than actively seek out the facts blindly believe the side they agree with, regardless of the truth. With so much information literally at our fingertips, this is inexcusable.
Intellect used to be admired in America, now it is scorned and ridiculed. I am afraid that what America needs is for A man like Trump to win the Presidency and for America to hit rock-bottom so that America can have its senses knocked back into it. I also hope l am dead wrong.
I imagine that this is very oversimplified but, it is a start.
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Take 2. Brian J.,
Thank you for your thought-provoking comment. I always said the world was being run by C students, but now I think it’s being run by D and F students — not just the U.S., but the entire world, although the U.S. is one of the chief culprits. Re: the television shows, I don’t watch them. They are geared towards the lowest common denominator and that’s sad. Many years ago, when Survivor just came out, I watched it because I called it “mindless fluff” which was useful for me after a long day at court, but now I’m embarrassed to even admit I watched it. Mindless fluff indeed.
Education needs to change. When I lived in NY, my resume was done the same as everyone else’s, with education near the top of the page. When I moved to Maine, the state with the lowest SAT scores in the nation (except for D.C. which of course is not a state), I was told by the CAREER CENTER (!!!) to put my education on page 2, at the back and at the bottom. I was incredulous. I had to put my college and law degree at the end of the resume because, as I was told, I had to hide it. That’s pathetic. Now I know why this area has the lowest performing schools in the state. I’m in an educated area where many of the people have degrees but not children who attend the schools here. This is the worst performing school district in the worst performing state.
Thank you for your comment.
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I could have gone on but l got tired of typing 😊
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