Let's Just Tear Down the Statue of Liberty!

Did the title get your attention?  Good.  I don't actually want to tear down Lady Liberty, but it seems as though our great nation may be coming to this.  With all the controversy about President Trump's recent executive order banning travellers from certain countries, it seems as though we have forgotten what the Statue of Liberty stands for.  Time for a history lesson.
A man by the name of Edouard de Laboulaye, after witnessing the end of the American Civil War, wanted to bring his home nation of France closer to their ally the United States.  He proposed the construction of a monument to celebrate justice and liberty for all.  The Frenchman believed that the United States was a place where people were free to live whatever life they wanted.
Ten years later, de Laboulaye worked together with his sculptor friend Frederic Auguste Bartholdi to make his dream a reality.  Bartholdi was put in charge of sculpting and construction.  The United States was in charge of erecting a pedestal.  Everything was coming together nicely.  Until both the US and France realized they didn't have the funds to complete the statue.  After various forms of donations and fundraising, the Statue of Liberty was built and shipped to the United States.  Since then, Lady Liberty has greeted and welcomed foreigners into the Land of the Free.
Nearly 150 years later, the Statue of Liberty still stands.  But have Americans forgotten what she stands for?  People are being persecuted and turned away because their religion.  There is talk of a wall being built to keep out our southern neighbors.  Oh the irony!  One hundred and fifty years ago, our ancestors campaigned to raise money to build a monument to their freedom, to help them remember that we were all immigrants at one time.  Now, in the present, people are campaigning for a wall.  Taxes will most likely be raised in order to pay for the wall.  One hundred and fifty years isn't a long time.  But look what has become of us.  We went from a generation who was willing to allow others into their country to a generation concerned more about themselves than others.  So there you have it.  Let's tear down the Statue of Liberty.  It only seems fitting.

Works Cited
"Edouard de Laboulaye." National Park Service. National Park Service US Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

"Statue History." Liberty Ellis Foundation. N.p., 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

A Letter to My Fellow Americans

Dear Fellow Americans,
Congratulations on electing your 45th president!  This sure was a nasty election season, but I hope you made the right choice.  I like to think positively, to think that Donald Trump will do well in his four years at the White House.  I didn't vote for him.  I don't agree with anything he stands for.  But I wish him well.

Having said that, I now want to focus on us, the people of the United States of America.  We all come from various backgrounds, different walks of life, and differing beliefs.  That is what the United States means to me.  Various and different.  Ever changing.  I don't always agree with the changes, but sometimes change needs to happen.

After this election, many people, myself included, were feeling quite unsettled.  I read of people who cried themselves to sleep.  Friends who had to comfort and reassure their children, telling them everything would be all right.  What is everyone so worried about?  Don't they know that the president can't just do anything they want?

People aren't afraid of the newly elected Donald Trump.  They are afraid of the people who voted for him.  Who supported and endorsed him.  Here's why.  Trump was very outspoken during his candidacy.  He accused Mexican immigrants of being drug dealers and rapists.  He said that we need to make vetting for Syrian immigrants more difficult.  He said rude and hurtful things about women.  The people supporting him agreed with what he was saying.  Trump is not the problem.  The people who supported him are.

(On a side note, there are people who voted for Trump who did not agree with everything he said.  They voted for Trump because of the people he chose to work with.  I don't see this as support.)

Support is blindly following and agreeing with everything Trump says and does.  Many people are worried for the future because they believe things are going to go backwards.  No more rights for the LGBT community is one of the greatest fears I have seen so far.  Although I may not support the LGBT community, it doesn't mean I want their rights taken away.  Everyone should have the freedom to choose how they want to live their lives.

That was just an example of the fear people are feeling at this time.  But knowing that family and friends voted for someone who will fight to take away your rights is what scares people most.

My message to all the American citizens is to not be afraid.  Don't stop fighting for what you believe in.  Whether you are for or against something, don't give up the battle.  You still have the right to choose.  Nothing was taken away from you.  The most important thing to do right now is to accept that not everyone thinks the same way you do.  And respect that.  Trump might be able to make this country great again, but not without us.  So change the name on your signs and hats and pins.  Mine would say 'Philip: Make America Great Again'.  Because that's how things should be.

Sincerely,
Philip

Dump the Trump

 

Dump the Trump

Needless to say, the 2016 Presidential election has been an odd one. Between a woman who cheated to get as far as she did and an egomaniac who tells lies to make himself sound good, it is no wonder many Americans are struggling with who to vote for. Many are considering the third party options, which others claim would be a wasted vote. So how does one decide who to vote for? If you absolutely had to choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who would be the best option?

The biggest problem with this election is that many Democrats refuse to vote for Clinton, and many Republicans refuse to vote for Trump. The elections shouldn't be about parties, though. They should be about who is the best candidate. People need to consider things such as morals and temperaments. While there is plenty of reason to believe that neither candidate has good morals, it is obvious which candidate has the worst temperament.

Let us examine temperaments for a moment. Why is temperament so important you ask? Consider this scenario. The time has come to enroll your child in school. The school gives you the option of two teachers. One, Mr. Johnson, has been teaching for two years. He is a clean cut man who leads an uneventful life. After talking with other parents, though, you learn that Mr. Johnson tends to go on rants and can become verbally abusive to his students. Your other option is Mr. Brown, who has been teaching for ten years. He loves his job and is good at what he does. He is very respectful to the students and just wants to see them succeed. You learn from the other parents that Mr. Brown doesn't live a very clean lifestyle. Weekends find him getting drunk and sometimes violent. Which teacher would you choose? The one who leads a good life but is abusive? Or the one who genuinely cares for the well being of the students but does questionable things over the weekends. Which teacher would you want to help mold your child's future?

Just like picking the best teacher, this year's Presidential election is asking us to make a morally confusing choice. It is time to put morals aside and think about the future of our nation. Do we want a verbally abusive President who leads a clean(-ish) life, or do we want someone with experience who can get the job done, but has done questionable things with her life? It seems like a difficult choice, but it actually fairly simple. Donald Trump is well known for picking fights. Who can forget the feud between him and Rosie O'Donnell a few years back? And all his outbursts during debates, calling people names and speaking disrespectfully about women and other races. What might happen if this man were to run the country?

Jennifer Rubin wrote an article for The Washington Post entitled “What Trump Temper Tantrums Tell Us.” In this article, Rubin recaps various occasions when Trump lost his cool. But it is not the “tantrums” that we should worry about. Rubin writes that “it should concern voters that in negotiations...he would likely let his emotions get the best of him and reveal his weak points.” Why should this be a concern to us? As the leader of the United States, one of Trump's jobs would be to meet with other world leaders. Imagine what would happen if one of these leaders disagreed with or insulted Trump. Would Trump be able to keep a cool head? Or would he blow things out of proportion? It is not difficult to offend people in today's world. If world leaders were to offend each other, they wouldn't just lose their friendship. The results would go much farther than that. We, the United States, could lose valuable allies and exports. Worst case scenario would be war. This may sound a little extreme, but anything is possible.

Steve Chapman of The Chicago Tribune wrote that “anyone who doesn't automatically agree, in his view, is not just mistaken but corrupt.” This further goes to show that anyone who has differing ideas from those of Trump are just asking for trouble. They aren't looking for trouble on purpose, though. Trump assumes that they are and immediately goes on the offensive.

We can all agree that Hillary Clinton doesn't deserve to be President of the United States, but it should be noted that she can keep her head in dire situations. She can handle negotiations with other world leaders. Don't make this election about morals. Make it about what is best for the future of this country.

Works Cited

Chapman, Steve. "Donald Trump's Epic Meltdown - A Narcissistic Con Artist Wallows in Self Pity." Chicago Tribune. 1 June 2016. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.

Jennifer, Rubin. "What Trump Temper Tantrums Tell Us." The Washington Post. 1 June 2016. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.