I think the scary thing about the upcoming presidential elections is how unclear it is to many people. I think it's reasonable, considering the stereotype that most (all?) politicians do the damnedest thing: make promises they don't (or can't?) keep. The strangest thing is when a politician comes up for re-election. You would think the performance evaluation is easy: did they do what they said they were going to? If not, are they making progress I am happy with? Lastly - who could I replace them with?
With regards to the president, I was told he was going to lock Hillary up. Well... that hasn't happened. I was also under the impression that he was going to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. Still waiting on that as well...
I don't want to be such a Debbie Downer, so let's look at some of those good things that have happened in the past few years. The unemployment rate is super low and the economy is crushing it. I feel like, but am not sure, that this is "just some line." As in, something that people say because it's true and everyone is supposed to think it is a good thing. As someone who thinks that there are many jobs that only exist because they are (currently) cheaper than automation, though, the unemployment rate doesn't really mean much to me. In 2019 I think it's a damn shame that, for example, cashiers, servers, and janitors are a thing. You're telling me we can't, in order, craft our orders, pick up our food, and pick up after ourselves? I'm not denying reality - I know people (especially when we get in big groups) are just... messy. We aren't very good at picking up after ourselves. And if you've ever needed any proof... just survey the scene after any concert, festival, or large group event. It's basically always a disgusting mess. So I'm not going to treat the fact that everyone has a job like it's some momentous achievement. The number of people that have jobs is, to me, a dumbass way to measure a country. Why isn't it assumed that everyone should have a job? It's like counting the number of high school graduates. Really? You couldn't get over this extremely low bar constructed by society? Well... bravo (not really).
As for the economy? Well, it's largely a function of time. As in, progress is inevitable, so whether under one president or another, the economy will (generally) go up. Let's say you disagree and that the president holds quite a bit of sway over the economy. I will concede that point. My follow up is - who does a booming economy serve? Leveraging the stock market is a distinctly privileged activity. Apparently, ~38 million people in America are poor. Are their investments gaining steam? Also, does it even matter considering any amount invested is bound to be negligible? Let's say one were to sock away $100/month (& considering Market Watch says that 44 percent of Americans have expenses exceeding income, this may be a generous figure). Over the course of 30 years, assuming a 7% annual growth, you'll have a nest egg around $116,000. Which isn't gonna last for very long. So we have this instrument (the economy/stock market) that doesn't serve those who need it the most (the poor) and really just helps those who are ahead (the wealthy) to stay that way (by getting even richer). So...remind me why I should care about "the economy," please?
This is even before we think about the economy and how much it contributes to the fact that we are laying waste to the environment. There are billions in goods that are made in sweatshops in foreign countries that just end up in landfills - why the hell would we be happy about that? It's a cost against the planet and humanity that the rest of us have to pay without even benefiting from. What on earth??
The crazy thing is I haven't even mentioned the president himself, in terms of character/behavior. I'm just looking at promises made (and broken) as well as why his "wins" don't even count for much (with me, at least). So for those who love the man and ask others to pray for him and CONSTANTLY FEEL THE NEED to connect him to President Obama (who I literally have not mentioned until now and am DEFINITELY not a fan of his policies) - my only question is: why?
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