Archive: Opinions

The big news the day before the election was Donald Trump infamously said that if he didn't win Tuesday's election it must have been rigged.  He also opined that if he didn't win the whole thing was the most colossal waste of time and money ever.

The day after Election Day the hot news was that a number of celebrities (and a large number of Trump opponents) had vowed to leave the United States because he had won, and protests sprang up all over the country.  Ironically the only person who has seriously spoken about working with the new President to make America successful so far has been Hillary Clinton.

I have ranted about this many times, but it never gets old -- what is the point of a democracy if the losers are sore losers, and especially if they leave the country?  If they care about America as much as they claim to they'll stay and try to make it better, and, perhaps, work harder in four years to change the makeup of the government.  Again.

Staying and participating is the real thing that makes America work.  Since all of us except Native Americans are immigrants any thinking person should expect a diverse population with many divergent views on just about everything except cute puppies.  Everyone in America seems to love cute puppies.  Maybe that's the answer to bringing Americans together, more cute puppies in Washington.

The collective 'we' elected Mr. Trump, so he's going to be the collective 'our' president.  Still our country.  Still our president.

Celebrities who have threatened to leave the country if Trump was elected include Jon Stewart, Chelsea Handler, Neve Campbell, Barry Diller, Lena Dunham, Keegan-Michael Key, Chloë Sevigny, Al Sharpton, Natasha Lyonne, Eddie Griffin, Amber Rose, Samuel L. Jackson, Cher, George Lopez, Barbra Streisand, Raven-Symoné, Whoopi Goldberg, Omari Hardwick, Miley Cyrus, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Amy Schumer.  Well, some of them said they would move to other planets if Trump won.  Cher said she'd move to Jupiter.  At least I think she meant the planet... there is a Jupiter in Florida...

Seriously, do these celebrities (I haven't even heard of some of these people) really think that America will miss them if they bail on the rest of us?

I once worked for a theater owner who had several Rolladexes full of actor and other artist contact information.  He often told me, when a cast or crew member was being difficult, that he could have their replacement at the theater the next day.  This was no idle threat -- I saw him do it from time to time.  He taught me more about theater than I learned in all those years in college and graduate school.  And he was right: there are plenty of artists who are ready to step up when these celebrities leave.  I don't think they'll be missed.

And seriously?  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the highest officials in one of only three branches of American government wants to move away if Trump is President?  Ginsburg told the New York Times in July that if her husband were still alive she would have suggested they move to New Zealand.  OK, evidently she was joking, but what a startling joke to come from a Supreme Court Justice!

Because she should know better than most of us that the system only works if we vote and participate.  You can't vote, then stomp your foot and leave.  if you care enough to vote, you should care enough to stick around, because voting naturally means that someone isn't going to get their choice, but most people will (yeah, popular vote, electoral college, sure that's a disconnect, but in general it is true).  Then we get to vote again and maybe get our choice, and the other people don't.  Meanwhile people on both sides participate and, the theory goes, make things better for everyone anyway.

Clinton knew what all these whiners who proclaim Trump is not THEIR president don't admit: like him or not, he IS our next president.  If you are an American citizen Trump will be your president.  So you can make the best of it and work with him to try to come to policies everyone can like (or like a little of) or not -- your choice.  And your fault.

Let's say all the protesters did leave the country -- and by the way there is evidence that Canada doesn't want a bunch of disgruntled Americans... well, maybe they'd take Streisand... -- who would be left to mitigate whatever Trump might do that would be considered harmful to American life, or world relations?

I'm not picking on Trump.  That question applies to every president, because some people agree with a president and some people don't.  It is the nature of the beast.

It is a very sad commentary on Americans that the Canadian immigration Web site crashed on election night because so many Americans were trying to access it.  Most of them are going to be out of luck, because it is actually hard to obtain Canadian citizenship.  First you need a permanent resident's visa, and it helps to be well educated and have a job offer.  Even so, it's a long road to citizenship.  And you have to learn to be much nicer than someone is who would leave their own country because they don't like the way an election went.  And say 'eh' at the end of sentences.  And it's colder up there. 

That's why so many Canadians spend as much time as they can in Florida -- they'd spend more if they could and still be eligible for the National Health Care system.  of course national health works in Canada because the cold preserves them better up there.

Disliking and disagreeing with Trump is as American as it gets.  Saying he isn't your president and threatening to leave the country is a cowardly, snivelling reaction to not getting your way.  Not getting your way is part of the American system that most Americans claim makes it the best country in in the world.  Of course working hard to get your way is also part of that.

British columnist Katie Hopkins said she would move here to the United States if Trump won.

Go figure!

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