A plea for the future

Donald Trump is unfit to lead and he is unfit to govern anyone let alone what just four years ago was the most respected country in the world. You can pick any subject and he has failed.

Every day is a ‘He did what?’ day. His despicable actions simply do not stop. And, none of them benefit the nation he supposedly governs. As I write this his press secretary is trying gloss over yesterday’s revelation that he will not necessarily respect the results of the election. I have been increasingly worried about this with each step that he has taken to move the country toward a dictatorship.

The most obvious demonstration of being “unfit” is COVID-19. Had he been a leader at the outset of the disease, tens of thousands of people would still be alive and we most likely would be enjoying many more activities and friends. On the COVID-19 front he continues to demonstrate that he knows nothing about leadership. His rallies have a total disregard for the practices that are known to help limit the spread of the virus. With 4% of the world’s population we have over 20% of COVID-19cases.

Yet he obviously does not care. We know that Melania does not care; she advertised it when she became a walking billboard. Donald Trump’s only care is Donald Trump, with the desire to stay in power, to be a dictator. He continually praises the actions and will not criticize leaders of countries taking dictatorial actions.

At the same time Trump has alienated one nation after another. Name a nation, such as China, many European countries and others and you will find that our relationship has deteriorated.

My biggest concern is climate change and yes, there is climate change.

I am fully aware that climate change has happened throughout the history of our planet and deterioration accelerated when the Industrial Age began.

The first Earth Day in 1970 marked a beginning for changes that would begin to have positive affects for the earth’s livability.

The fires and smoke we have experienced on an ever increasing frequency have been a vivid demonstration of what climate change can do.

And yet Trump has through executive orders has undone most of the positive changes of the last 50 years by pulling out of the Paris climate accord, relaxing regulations on coal and petroleum extraction, relaxing water quality (remember when water burned) and relaxing mileage requirements.

Unless Trump’s actions can be quickly reversed, what we have experienced in the last 10 years will be known as “the good ol’ days!” No matter what, our planet will still be here; after all it spent eons as a rock orbiting a star.

These are only a few examples of Trump’s twisted, incompetent and dangerous actions. It is more important than ever that Joe Biden be elected president with a landslide victory. I am pleading with each and every person to set aside all previous conceptions and really think about where we are as a country and what we need in the future. Do the best thing you can for all of us and vote for Biden.

Elliott is a retired architect living in Shelter Bay