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In voting this year, consider the risk

Posted 10/25/24

This “presidential” election is not about public policy. It is about risk. The question is simple. Is the ascension of Donald Trump to the highest office in the land worth the risk? …

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In voting this year, consider the risk

Posted

This “presidential” election is not about public policy. It is about risk. The question is simple. Is the ascension of Donald Trump to the highest office in the land worth the risk? Here’s a sampling of the risks.
The ex-president is a convicted felon who’s been charged with multiple additional crimes including conspiracy to defraud and obstruct the government. We risk living in a country that flouts the rule of law.
The ex-president has bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade. We risk living in a country that further limits women’s rights. The ex-president has been found liable for sexual assault and defamation. We risk living in a country that grossly demeans women.
The Supreme Court has said the president cannot be prosecuted for “official” criminal acts. We risk living in a country where the president has unchecked power.
The ex-president has said he will implement extraordinary tariffs. We risk igniting the worst inflation in our lifetime.
The ex-president has spurned the scientific consensus on climate change. In a rare editorial, Scientific American magazine says “the (ex)-president endangers public health and safety and rejects evidence, preferring instead nonsensical conspiracy.” We risk living in a world of fantasy and losing our grip on evidence and facts.
The ex-president has formed an unprecedented alliance with the richest man on the planet and gives the Presidential Medal of Freedom award to one of his biggest billionaire contributors (while dissing Medal of Honor winners). We risk living in a country that completely ignores the common man.
The ex-president has shown signs of diminished mental competence. The president is always accompanied by an aide carrying the nuclear codes. We risk a nuclear miscalculation.
The ex-president has been quoted and confirmed as saying that “Americans who died in war are ‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’” We risk living in a country that demeans its veterans and humiliates the military.
The ex-president has praised Russia’s armed forces and argued to stop funding Ukraine. We risk enabling both Russia and China to take what they want. We risk war in Europe or Asia.
The ex-president has refused to admit that he lost the 2020 election. His Republican allies have done the same. We risk losing the most fundamental right we all have, the right to have our vote count. We risk the cherished practice of honest elections and the peaceful transfer of power.
The ex-president said of China’s ruler Xi Jinping: “He’s now president for life. President for life. No, he’s great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday.”  He admires Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban and Nicolas Maduro.  He vows retribution will be a primary aim of his next presidency. Recently he has proposed using the military against his political opposition, whoever he deems that to be. He has called to terminate parts of the Constitution of the United States of America. We risk installing an autocrat. We risk losing our fundamental freedoms. We risk literally losing a way of life that we have celebrated, fought for and died for in this country.
My grandfather, nicknamed “Craps Charley,” was a dice player. My father was a no-limit poker player. I have traded options on futures contracts for much of my life. I have a large appetite for risk. I cannot take this much of a risk. 
Steve Anderson 
Birch Lake