Columns

"…and so this is Christmas, and a happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one, without any fear…"  

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The recount effort has ended with no change in the outcome of the Presidential election, the recount being the last gasp of a monstrosity that has assaulted the senses of the American people for over a year. I, for one, am relieved it is over with, despite the outcome being the worst one imaginable.  

If mentally ill, for those of us engaged in the news, the election was probably a source of trauma and re-trauma. Now the American people have to deal with Donald Trump as our leader, and this travesty, ironically, could be revenge for not electing Clinton.  

The American people will most likely survive four years of Trump, and, one hopes, will learn from this mistake. I feel bad for Mrs. Clinton, since I wanted to see her win the Presidency.  

Now we have someone handpicked by our adversary, Russia. Yet the Republicans don't care, and they just want to promote their own political careers. The Republicans ought to be ashamed of themselves.  

If Putin and Trump get along with one another, it couldn't be entirely bad, because the Cold War is a threat to continued human existence. If we see human rights and basic freedoms deteriorate for a while, it is still not as bad as the total obliteration of life on our planet. If Trump and Putin get along, does this mean that thermonuclear war between the U.S. and Russia is less of a likelihood? I don't know. I don't think anyone knows.  

We do know that with the current administration, tensions between Russia and the U.S. are extremely dangerous. Will they be worse under an emboldened Putin? Will Trump's promise to abandon NATO invite Russia to initiate bolder, more dangerous military action? No one really knows for certain. However, things can not continue as they are without the U.S. and Russia, at some point, reaching a flashpoint.  

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It is possible that Trump will do some good things even if most of the things he will do will be bad. I hope that he has some amount of empathy toward people with disabilities who rely on the government's generosity for our livelihood.  

People with disabilities, along with many other disadvantaged categories of people, have been left behind by both democrats and republicans. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) was signed into law by George H. W. Bush. Perhaps more landmark legislation could come from another republican [namely Trump] as well. If so, it will make me change my mind about him.  

Ironically it appears to me as though a republican President has a better chance at passing progressive legislation. This could be so because republicans in Congress are less likely to oppose such legislation, while democrats in Congress, when there is a rare democratic majority, will vote for progressive legislation regardless of the source.  

If President-Elect Trump happens to read this article, I hope he will respond by incorporating compassion for disabled people in his policies. We are a disadvantaged bunch of people, many of whom have much to contribute, but who are generally dependent on the help of others.