the sandbox

When I was a little boy, Tommy, the kid down the street, would come by to play in my sandbox.  I had the neatest sandbox in the neighborhood.  It was painted a deep blue and it had a white canopy over it.  The cats from next door also loved it.

Tommy’s parents had a lot more money than my parents and he had the newest, brightest, biggest trucks and cars which he brought with him to play.  We spent hours moving sand from one corner to the other making truck noises and when that got old we raced the cars in an oval around the inside of the box.

But, Tommy had a problem.  He was an only child and he was spoiled rotten.  Always got everything he wanted and if he didn’t, Tommy could throw the most vicious and loud hissy fit of any of my neighborhood friends.  Then in a huff of anger, my friend would gather up all his toys and go home not to be seen again for days.  I was left to play with my old, dilapidated dump truck with a missing wheel.

You already see where this is going, don’t you?

Our current POTUS is very much like Tommy.  Spoiled rotten, narcissistic, self-serving and vicious when deprived of what he wants.  And in his own, personal little world that is fine.  He is the CEO and if he wants to be an asshole in that little world of his then by all means he ought to do so.  The problem is this.  We are not playing in my backyard and America is not a sandbox.  When Trump spits and sputters the entire world is watching and America cringes in embarrassment.  When he decides to take his toys home, millions of folks who are less “privileged” than Trump are affected by the tirades and outbursts.

The recent unfolding scenario with healthcare validates my point.  There are, as in all debates, two sides and we need to be aware of each side’s concerns.  In a mature discussion, I consider your take on healthcare in its current form and you consider mine.  And then we would go to the negotiating table and hammer out something which satisfies each of us.

As we know, that has not yet happened in Congress.  But, it will because voices of wisdom and compromise are infiltrating a deadlocked assembly.   The problem is what to do in the interim.  It will be months before any solution is reached.  Millions of Americans are dependent on the system that is in place.  The poor, the elderly, those with outrageous medical expenses face a very uncertain future while our legislators attempt to fix and nail down a satisfactory compromise.

They need a supporter, a leader, a voice of wisdom, a compromiser, a visionary, and what do they get?  A little, pouting Tommy gathering his toys and running home to his private world of privilege, ranting and tweeting on the way about how harsh and unfair the sandbox was.  He has publicly stated that he will let our current policies die rather than pretend to be a President and find ways to help fix the problems.

C’mon people, we can do better than this.  We deserve better than this.  Elections of 2018 and 2020 are quickly coming down on us.  Get to know your candidates and get out and vote.