Before the election, I told everyone I could that there was a real significant choice involved.  Allowing Trump to become president would also turn the country over to one party control, removing most checks and balances.  It would reward the party that held open a Supreme Court seat as a political ploy and with extreme indifference to their pledge to govern.  It would reward the party that actively sought to limit voter access for those that might not vote Republican – especially minorities and younger voters.

I told people that any action other than to vote for Hillary was an action that strongly supported Trump as president and single-party rule – for only a vote for Hillary would stop Trump.

I told people that the policies / platforms of the Republican Party would hurt many people.

And I was right.

There were more people who chose not to vote than who voted for either party.  Trump won by fewer than 200,000 votes – and in the key states the margin was even less – Michigan was less than 11,000.  Trump came in 3rd – non-voters, then Hillary voters and then Trump voters.

And now one party controls all houses and a conservative was added to the Supreme Court.

Ethics and normal checks and balances are negated.  The practice of lying appears to have no consequence.  De-regulation threatens our water, our air, our safety and our rights.  Some of our institutions are holding up – but most are actively being weakened and or dismantled.

This isn’t politics as usual.  In fact, I am not sure what politics really means any more.

Yes – I was right and predicted correctly.  Despite all of my critics many who still claim both choices – Hillary and Trump – would have been equal.  To that last claim I strongly state ‘get real’.

And I wish I wasn’t.  I wish there was some version of the outcome that did not have such a devastating impact.  I wish it was merely that the candidate I did not support and the party I do not support took office.

But this is a value fight.  And I don’t share the values that are indisplay.

I care about our planet as should everyone.  We don’t have a back-up planet.

I care about fundamental rights.

I care about ethics and decency and respect.

I care about the impact of letting the powerful / greedy / corrupt have such unfettered control even for a few years.

I care about our country and its reputation in the world – and the consequences of becoming the ‘what’s in it for me’ country where the ‘me’ is the president and his inner circle [just like a dictator].

I care about the truth and facts and reality.

I wish I was wrong.

But I am not – and we all need to be prepared to learn that the situation produced by giving our country over to one particular party with no checks and balances being applied [even though they could] was one of our doing – the voters.  We, the People failed to demand better.  We failed to get involved when it counted.

And there is still too much talk about blaming others.  We all need to own our inability to produce consequences for unethical politicians so they learned that it didn’t matter.

Flint water contained lead and people were poisoned.  And no elected official lost their job over it.

The pipeline projects are moving forward even though they have already produced leaks.  The great lakes water system is under threat.

The voting process is under threat of expanding the use of ‘cross check’ which dropped hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters from the roles.

The leadership role we held is lost to the new policy of ‘we will do business with anyone and we are only looking for the best deal’ resulting in us being more hospitable to our past enemies than our allies.   Look for all sanctions on Russia to be removed soon – with no benefit in return.

Health care access is under attack even without repeal/replace.  Social Security is next.  No jobs are coming – the robots are.  We might even lose any chance of being a real power in the move to sustainable energy sources – which will happen whether or not our leaders support it.

The press is equally under attack as is the right to protest.

So what now…..

What actions will you take?

Will it be too little too late?

Or was I right as well that you really don’t care because it hasn’t hurt you personally.  At least not yet.

And that last thing is the part I still hope i am wrong about.. I hope I am wrong.  I fear am not.