It is Christmas Day and I sit thinking of Christmases past with family and friends. And I compare my feelings of then and now.

Then both of my parents were with us, as well as my beloved father-in-law. My mother-in-law is still here but doesn’t hear well at all and seems, from all family member reports, to be slipping. Then my children were kids and full of “youth” with all that that means. The country had its problems but rational politicians, some more so than others, who seemed to have ideas as to what and how the country needed to move and prosper. They floated ideas that seemed to have the people’s best interests at heart. (Obviously that was not necessarily true.) The cold war was present, but at least we weren’t shooting at each other, and the nation seemed to be on an even keel. Reagan was beginning to break up unions and started us down this “trickle down “economic path which turned out to have the money not trickle but FLOW UPWARDS!

The Bushes did their best for the wealthy and “W” left us a national debt from two unpaid wars that the GOP is now using as a weapon to cut social services (because “we can’t afford these programs”) like early childhood education, (education, period) and food stamps for those “undeserving devils who are too lazy to work” 3 or 4 minimum wage jobs to feed their families, Medicare, social security, etc.

Now my children are grown and doing “their thing” in St. Croix USVI and Steamboat Springs, Co. My sisters’ children are grown and have families of their own, as do my sister-in-law’s children.

And, I am struggling to make a living after working 6-day weeks most of my life and saving to have a several million dollar net worth stolen from me by the Bush economic policies and the corrupt banks who brought the economies of the world to their knees.

On top of our digging out from this deep, deep hole the Bush Administration left for our country, and all the good the Obama Administration did despite the party of “ NO”, we are now faced with the prospect of a dt* Presidency. (*Notice to lower case lettering in reference to him as this is my opinion of him and his kind.)

They are as low as you can get. I wish there was some saving grace. Believe me I have looked and looked hard but have come up empty. There is no way I can even come close to accepting the Bush years. I disagreed with Bush on so many issues and abhorred his foreign policies and the wars he got us into, but that is nothing compared to my feelings about the dt era. As a friend of mine said get ready and “Hang on.”

This man has shown us through his campaign, his official appointments, his business life and his being exactly what he is that he isn’t going to change. You know it’s like the woman who marries a guy and says, “He has some faults, but I can change him” or the reverse he says he can change her?… News Flash: IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!

Dt is who he is and he has pulled the proverbial wool over the eyes of the less so many. He has captured the Christian rights vote despite all of his sins against family (and Christian) values of love, compassion, honesty, integrity, and decency. His short attention span, his ego that leads him to think he knows more than anyone, his disregard for political correctness (which can be over done but does serve a purpose), his complete disregard for women, and his racist attitudes, are all inexcusable traits that should not have been over-looked but were by a number of voters.

He is a “loose canon” with control of the nuclear codes and that scares the ever lovin’ shit out of me. He has already stated we need more. HOW MANY MORE DO WE NEED? We can already destroy the world many times over as can Russia and China and who knows who else. Think of the Cuba Missile crisis and dt as President instead of the strong intelligent handling shown by President Kennedy. His ego would have pushed the button no doubt. Why do people like dt not understand death and destruction are only the last resort not the first choice? He can so easily be duped into war. Analyze how he handles a skit on Saturday night live? It’s a ridiculous show that’s only purpose is to make people laugh and entertain them. He can’t handle the jokes and poking fun of him. Did Obama react like this when his critics made jokes and poked fun, even disrespectfully?

Dt’s word is only good as long as it hangs in the air. Minutes, not even hours or days, later he can reverse course or go 180 degrees from his word. Lies are the new norm. Is this what we teach our kids? Is this what we expect from adults let alone our elected officials? Yet he is about to lead this country. How can we be so ignorant? How can we have gone so far off course? How can we survive this dictatorship? How can we ever recover from this fiasco?

The then was happy, positive, and hopeful. The now is unhappy, negative, and scary. The then was full of life and great expectations for the future. The now is doubtful, unsure, anxiety-ridden. The then was wonderful. The now is anything but. The feeling is all around. Oh sure we laugh, smile, and say pleasantries when asked how we are. But how are we really? How are you really? How are those close to you?

Feeling sick? Ill? Take two aspirins and call me in the morning!