joesikora
Long Time Member
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My thoughts Mrs Sikora's words
My husband and I were engaged in a political discussion this morning. This is nothing new of late with all the election coverage on every news channel in America. He is a Trump supporter and I am still on the fence about who to vote for.
I want to understand why he is supporting Trump. The obvious reasons are he is white, over 50, and longs for the economic success of the Reagan/Clinton years. He had to close his business due to the recession and struggles to identify with this technology driven culture. He wrestles with being politically correct, having grown up watching John Wayne where men were their word and their actions their character. He is a good person, a successful businessman, an artisan with wood, and a compassionate person so trying to understand why Trump speaks to him is a mystery to me.
This morning, however, he articulated what I had been struggling to understand. He said that he was tired of watching his country decline. That due to generations of kids raised by helicopter parents who enforce the idea that everyone is a winner regardless of skill or hard work, a society still so guilt ridden over of racial issues that it pushes unearned equality while sacrificing truth and justice, and a President, while speaking about inclusion, only further divides this nation by making choices that are not the least presidential, the USA has lowered the bar.
USA!USA! USA! was a chant heard throughout the St. Louis Trump rally. There is a deep sense of pride in being an American, at least there used to be. Past generations changed their whole lives, left their countries and their families for a chance to improve their lives, their children's future. There used to be a collective oneness with being an American. Maybe the Cold War , and certainly 911 , bound us together but we considered the USA to be the best at everything. That It has become somewhat diluted with our divisions over the last decade; African American, Mexican American, Asian American. Somewhere we lost just the "American" part of these titles. That sense that we are all in this, whatever this is, together.
No one is required to work hard for anything anymore. If you feel slighted call out racism, sexism, say you are not being treated fairly and someone will take up your cause. The #oscarssowhite brought that sharply into focus this year. What was that all about? Think about it, we are raising the minimum wage for fast food workers so they can support families. These jobs were never intended to be careers.
We are behind every 1st world country in education. Sports are about making " everyone feel valued" rather than teaching lessons on good sportsmanship and teamwork. What happened to going to college after high school? Most kids live at home until they are 25-30 without attending school or a job. Obama care now allows them to be insured under their parents insurance until they are 26!
People are afraid to speak their minds when it comes to any issue because it will become "about race" to someone. Ask anyone living in St. Louis about Michael Brown. Everyone recognizes there is inequality in this country. Everyone has seen it or been subject to it on some level. The 1st amendment right has been reduced to violent demonstrations.
Welfare and other government funded projects are not challenging people to look for opportunities to improve themselves. Generations are being raised in this system thinking this is their only path in life. Why isn't it ok to drug test and require at least a 20 hour a week job or a full time student status?
For 8 years we have witnessed countless poor choices and decisions by our President. His inability to compromise left him with no support in congress, his desire to not be a wartime president has left our foreign allies feeling slighted and our country open to ridicule and terrorism. His worst legacy will be his subtle promotion of racial divide which has ripped this country apart.
So, although I am still not on the Trump bandwagon, I can understand Joe' s frustrations and his desire to "raise the bar". To Make America Great Again.
Kristie Sikora
"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora
My husband and I were engaged in a political discussion this morning. This is nothing new of late with all the election coverage on every news channel in America. He is a Trump supporter and I am still on the fence about who to vote for.
I want to understand why he is supporting Trump. The obvious reasons are he is white, over 50, and longs for the economic success of the Reagan/Clinton years. He had to close his business due to the recession and struggles to identify with this technology driven culture. He wrestles with being politically correct, having grown up watching John Wayne where men were their word and their actions their character. He is a good person, a successful businessman, an artisan with wood, and a compassionate person so trying to understand why Trump speaks to him is a mystery to me.
This morning, however, he articulated what I had been struggling to understand. He said that he was tired of watching his country decline. That due to generations of kids raised by helicopter parents who enforce the idea that everyone is a winner regardless of skill or hard work, a society still so guilt ridden over of racial issues that it pushes unearned equality while sacrificing truth and justice, and a President, while speaking about inclusion, only further divides this nation by making choices that are not the least presidential, the USA has lowered the bar.
USA!USA! USA! was a chant heard throughout the St. Louis Trump rally. There is a deep sense of pride in being an American, at least there used to be. Past generations changed their whole lives, left their countries and their families for a chance to improve their lives, their children's future. There used to be a collective oneness with being an American. Maybe the Cold War , and certainly 911 , bound us together but we considered the USA to be the best at everything. That It has become somewhat diluted with our divisions over the last decade; African American, Mexican American, Asian American. Somewhere we lost just the "American" part of these titles. That sense that we are all in this, whatever this is, together.
No one is required to work hard for anything anymore. If you feel slighted call out racism, sexism, say you are not being treated fairly and someone will take up your cause. The #oscarssowhite brought that sharply into focus this year. What was that all about? Think about it, we are raising the minimum wage for fast food workers so they can support families. These jobs were never intended to be careers.
We are behind every 1st world country in education. Sports are about making " everyone feel valued" rather than teaching lessons on good sportsmanship and teamwork. What happened to going to college after high school? Most kids live at home until they are 25-30 without attending school or a job. Obama care now allows them to be insured under their parents insurance until they are 26!
People are afraid to speak their minds when it comes to any issue because it will become "about race" to someone. Ask anyone living in St. Louis about Michael Brown. Everyone recognizes there is inequality in this country. Everyone has seen it or been subject to it on some level. The 1st amendment right has been reduced to violent demonstrations.
Welfare and other government funded projects are not challenging people to look for opportunities to improve themselves. Generations are being raised in this system thinking this is their only path in life. Why isn't it ok to drug test and require at least a 20 hour a week job or a full time student status?
For 8 years we have witnessed countless poor choices and decisions by our President. His inability to compromise left him with no support in congress, his desire to not be a wartime president has left our foreign allies feeling slighted and our country open to ridicule and terrorism. His worst legacy will be his subtle promotion of racial divide which has ripped this country apart.
So, although I am still not on the Trump bandwagon, I can understand Joe' s frustrations and his desire to "raise the bar". To Make America Great Again.
Kristie Sikora
"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora
