Stephen Armstrong: Not reasons for optimism

Glenn Carstens-Peters/StockSnap

Published: 01-13-2025 9:57 PM

Well, we’re going to have an inauguration, sort of. We’ll see how this works out, but optimism is not my long suit. Our challenges include:

1. The Republican Party no longer functions as a typical American party. Now an opposition party, it opposes the government it claims to want to lead. This isn’t good news for democracies.

2. Economic hardship. Consider inflation’s impact on individuals and families, particularly housing costs, which often consume over 25% of household income. We must grasp how inflation’s destructive power affects both families and nations. What’s Trump’s plan to stop inflation? Abolish debt limits? No fair taxes for the rich?

3. Public dissatisfaction with government. I haven’t encountered a single person who believes the government excels in providing education, health care, and public welfare (including transportation). Amherst’s proposed library renovations and the resulting controversy amaze me, showcasing significant public dissatisfaction. People, this is a library.

4. Polarized social media, and our addiction to violent conflict resolution, such as guns and football. No other country on Earth uses violence for entertainment and recreation as we do.

The public’s understanding of “freedom” has also changed. Americans in the 1950s associated “freedom” with protecting personal privacy, encompassing everything from their homes to their innermost thoughts and affiliations. Creating successful private spaces demanded mastery over our thoughts and emotions.

Here’s the change: We don’t need to control our thoughts and feelings anymore. Anything is publishable, including this letter. We’re overwhelmed by ridiculous and insulting things, like boasting about owning Greenland or mocking our small ally, Denmark. We incorrectly identify economic exploitation as a necessary economic or “defensive” measure.

Trump has been unable to control his thoughts and feelings. Besides, he is a predator. On Trump’s peculiar conduct, a female Canadian parliamentarian aptly remarked that Canadians are upright individuals who would never let a convicted predator lead them. This is illegal in Canada.

Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

Flipart

Typeshift

SpellTower

Really Bad Chess

To overcome my pessimism, I’ll ignore him, from his swearing-in until he goes off to meet St. Peter, with no high-priced lawyers. Four years of no more Trump letters is my promise if the editors print this one.

Stephen Armstrong

Hadley