For all the people saying, "just get over it! your candidate lost. it's over," this isn't a sports game where one team lost and now we can all just go back to living like usual with only damage to our pride. This has serious, long-term effects on our lives, our country, and our future⊠for everyone.
Hereâs why Iâm scared:
Trumpâs anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ, misogynistic, and racist rhetoric normalizes hate speech and emboldens his followers. There have already been reports from people being harassed.
You might say that these are only words or the media portrays him unfairly, and he doesnât have control over what his followers do. As a leader, whether itâs of your church, company, or the United States, you have a moral responsibility to lead by example and create a culture that helps shape how people act.
Iâm scared for every person of color, every member of the LGBTQ community, every woman, and every minority in this country. Iâm saddened that they have to live in fear and worry about their families.
Itâs also an embarrassment to all of the people he represents.
He will probably never release his tax statements. He is unqualified to lead a country. He had extreme advantages (like an existing company and money from his parents and the ability to attend an Ivy League school) to be successful in business; therefore, itâs hard to say if heâs actually successful.
âThe media only focused on this stuff.â Okay, but what about the things that Donald Trump has said directly? The primary sources heâs released about his policy plans.
I would not be surprised if Donald Trump defunds or cuts funding for educational and community services like Headstart, NPR, libraries, PBS, after-school programs, academic research, etc.
Trump has planned to stop federal loans for higher education, forcing families to rely on often aggressive lenders and volatile interest rates. He also proposed to abolish the Public Loan Forgiveness Program (which I currently use, but I believe/hope will be protected since Iâm already signed up). This program ensures that we have a workforce that is giving back to local, state, and national communities through working in nonprofits.
Trump will most likely overturn the regulations on the for-profit higher education system which has been defrauding students for years.
Trump has proposed basing loans on student loans on income-earning potential which would mean that only the wealthy would be able to afford liberal arts and sciences degrees. This could mean that millions of potential changemakers would not have access to education. Trump also will undoubtedly cut funding for Pell grants that help low-income students go to school.
Trump plans to ârepeal Common Core,â despite it not being a federal law but a set of standards adopted by over 40 states. Forcing the states to reject it would mean that heâs going against his âpower to the statesâ philosophy.
Heâs threatened to dismantle the Education Department, limit federal support for schools, and rely on a âmarket-driven approachâ for schools. Pushing charter schools and school choice would weaken our public education system. We have no idea where the money for his âvouchersâ will come from.
Cutting or not using the Office of Civil rights which protects students through investigations of sexual assault at colleges, examining schools that have high expulsion rates for students of color, and protecting trans and LGBTQ students.
Many children of color fear Donald Trumpâs presidency, forcing teachers to have tough conversations with their students and distracting from academics.
His Supreme Court nomination could help strip back affirmative action policies which help protect minorities from racial discrimination and societal disadvantages.
Trumpâs ban on Muslims would mean that many Muslim students would not be able to attend college in America, meaning that weâd lose their talents.
Trump has advocated for more job-focused education, meaning humanities departments, women/gender studies departments, and other critical academic areas could be cut or defunded.
We donât know. Trump really hasnât outlined his plan on education, so we have no idea. Personally, I was planning to go back to grad school eventually, but under Trump, I doubt this will be a wise or possible decision.
We import $21b of food from Mexico. While I hate seeing tomatoes in January and agree we should localize our food, we donât have the agricultural workforce meaning food prices could skyrocket (whether because of supply/demand or because of new tariffs). To meet demand and with Trumpâs lessened environmental regulations, American agribusiness will continue to grow.
The agricultural and restaurant sectors, for better or worse, rely on migrant labor. The âwallâ of increased immigration restrictions coupled with deportation means that a labor force will be deplenished (and crops left unharvested). Companies will have to pay for American labor, increasing costs passed invariably passed onto consumers. Another possibility, under Trumpâs removal of a federal minimum wage and decreased regulations, is that this job would be left for the poorest, most desperate Americans under harsh conditions.
For small scale farmers, who arenât able to recover from increased costs, this could be devastating. More and more small scale farmers would go under, increasing large agribusiness.
Not believing in climate change, an issue that affects farmers, Trumpâs regime could leave farmers behind in the cases of increased severe and abnormal weather.
I kind of like my food to have strict quality and health regulations. Trump proposed to limit the role of the FDA, and his plan to ârenegotiateâ trade deals might further limit the restrictions and regulations other countries must pass to import healthy food into the United States.
I also like regulations that protect the surrounding environment (including communities) from agricultural pollutions such as waste and chemicals (including antibiotics used in animal production).
Decreased regulation could mean even worse conditions for farm animals. Not only impacting animals, this impacts our moral conscience, our communities, and public health.
Removing SNAP (âfood stampsâ) from the Farm Bill means that itâs more vulnerable to cuts, leaving people hungry.
Trump is a huge supporter of fast food. Standardizing food means lower quality, reliance on monocultures, and heavily processed food.
A hiring freeze on federal jobs means that millions will go unemployed.
Potentially pulling out of NAFTA. Admittedly, Iâm not a fan of NAFTA because of its effects on Mexican food, environmental devastation, health of Mexicans (we export and flooded their markets with HFCS and refined, processed foods), and labor abuses, and I also agree that it should be renegotiated because 15 years ago things were different. However, tariffs would mean that companies would ultimately pass those costs onto consumers, increasing the costs of goods for Americans.
It is highly unlikely that American jobs will return for several reasons.
Most companies have a race to the bottom mentality and will find another cheap job market.Â
Automation has decreased the number of jobs, not just outsourcing.
Lack of an American work force with the skills needed.Â
Lack of an American work force willing to do the jobs.
Appealing ACA (âObamacareâ) would mean that millions would lose health insurance. Personally, this could mean me, as I have a pre-existing condition, and without the ACA, I could face higher premiums or outright loss of coverage.Â
Womenâs reproductive health needs may not be met or covered.
Again, we have no idea because he hasnât laid out a plan after appealing ACA.
Trump plans to âlabel China a currency manipulator.â America already did this in the early 90âs and it did nothing to slow down our trade deficit with China. Besides potentially violating our commitments with the WTO, this would have serious political and economic effects on our relationship with China and their allies. China could retaliate by increasing tariffs on our imports or sell its holdings of our bonds.
Trumpâs demagogic speeches and erratic behavior could affect our relationships and diplomacy with so many countries. The damages could be economic or more serious, leading to increases in war or terrorism.
Opening up energy reserves and approving the Keystone Pipeline may mean (often short-term and dangerous) jobs, but it will wreak havoc on the environment and speed up climate change.Â
Even if you donât believe the countless scientists that say climate change is real, spills and disasters will poison communities of people right now.Â
Okay, letâs pretend youâre some being that doesnât need to eat, drink water, or breathe, spills mean lost profits which would be passed onto the consumers.
No one really knows what this means. The amount of force and power that it would take to remove the number of people from our country and ban the number of people from entering is unprecedented and troubling.
Increased militarization and power to police would increase tension between the police and communities, putting all people at risk.
Privatization of the prison system has led to serious allegations of human rights abuses as these prisons focus on profit not people. Cutting costs and corners is dangerous for prisoners but also workers. Understaffing means workers work longer hours to manage these often overcrowded facilities. They are also prone to corruption (âkids for cashâ) and increased incarceration rates (primarily people of color). As a society, private prisons do not align with our values of justice and rehabilitation.Â
Many offenders have trouble re-entering the workforce which increases dependency on social programs. Without the social safety net, people could turn back to crime.
All of these policies will have dangerous implications for the most vulnerable in society. Horrible effects on the lives of people of color, women, immigrants, Muslims, people who identify as LGBTQ, people who are in the lower socio-economic brackets, prisoners, the elderly, children, people with disabilities, people who are ill - chronically or short term, and other minorities.
Donald Trump has opposed marriage equality.
His policies allow for human rights abuses here and abroad. Increased funding for military and damaged relationships could lead to more war.
Climate change will affect the worldâs most vulnerable populations.
Donald Trump has supported waterboarding and other mistreatment/abuse of prisoners. Increased surveillance of citizens, use of drones, and militarization could continue or increase under Trumpâs âlaw and order.â
Donald Trumpâs running mate, Mike Pence, has a horrible track record for LGBTQA support.
They say the biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. We have very little idea how he will lead the country since he has no political experience, poorly laid plans, and erratic behavior and stances on issues. How can we prepare if we donât know whatâs coming?
So, no. Iâm not afraid because he used the word âp*ssyâ and isnât politically correct. Iâm afraid because this could be the end of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as we know it. Iâm afraid because he doesnât give a shit about us, acts in his own financial self-interests, and will hand power to large transnational companies that value profit over people and the environment. Iâm afraid because this ushers in a terrifying reign of power and a culture of oppression.
