Scared and hurting but hopeful locally

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.

As I start writing, it is as if my words are having to push through feelings of fear and a sense of something being lost. It feels like I am wanting to cry. I'm grieving as I write.
It's Nov. 14. I'm at the second annual All Elders United for Justice general membership meeting. It's at the Neighborhood Development Center in St.Paul. A few things have changed over the past year. Not only do I serve on the Board of Directors, I have been elected chair of the Care Giving Committee. Within the committee, I am referred to as the shepherd, which is simply another word for chair. The focus of the Care Giving Committee is the quality of care in nursing home and home-based care settings. The person sitting across from me asks me for my response to the presidential election. I offered one word that being scared. He seemed to resonate with that feeling.

ELECTION 2024.
WE JUST RE-ELECTED DELUSIONAL DONALD TO BE PRESIDENT OF WHAT'S LEFT OF THE BEST U.S. DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY AND GOVERNMENT OF THE BILLLIONARES, BY THE BILLIONARES AND FOR THE BILLIONAIRES.
World's most dangerous man, according to Donald Trump's niece Mary in her book "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man"– and now according to me – has been re-elected president. On my own I have already observed that he is a child in a man's body. Among the other sources continuing to form my view of Donald are "All In the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way" by Fred Trump. Also, there is the PBS Frontline program called "The Choice 2024: Harris vs Trump" investigative biographies.
From these and other sources, my view of Donald continues to take shape as someone who is a con artist and performer who has just conned an entire country into electing him president twice. His insatiable need for affirmation makes him a patsy for some evangelical Christians plus White Christian nationalists who stroke his fragile ego by telling him he has been called by God to be our leader.
He seeks to portray himself as good for the working class, yet he has never worked a day in his life – unless you count his fake photo op serving fries at McDonalds. He is no friend of the working class. According to Economist and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, "In April, the Biden-Harris Labor Department expanded overtime pay rules. Roughly 4.3 million more workers would have been eligible for overtime pay under the new rule. A Trump-appointed judge blocked it yesterday. Go ahead and keep telling me that Republicans are the party of workers."
Bottom line for me is Donald Trump is a deepy flawed human being who needs professional help, but he is not going to seek professional help because he doesn't have the self-awareness to know he is a deeply flawed human being. Instead we keep feeding his delusions and his need for affirmation by electing him to high office under the guise of Making America Great Again.

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ME IN TRUMP'S AMERICA
I just bought a copy of "Project 2025: A Mandate for Authoritarian Leadership." This appears to be Trump's playbook. I can't find myself in this playbook. He says Social Security and Medicare are safe. They are my earned benefits. That remains to be seen. I take solace in that I live in south Minneapolis. How will my life be impacted by four more years of the Trump cult which I call Not My Mother's Republican Party. So, dear reader, what are you feeling as you contemplate the next four years? Are you scared like me? Tell yourself, tell others or tell me via tesha@tmcpub.com. And if you have read this far you have taken the plunge into the river (flow) of life experiences which is Stories and Journeys.

DR. DEWAYNE DAVIS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR. A HOPEFUL SIGN LOCALLY?
This was announced in an email I received recently. Dr. DeWayne Davis for Minneapolis Mayor wants to bring all of us together. I wonder if that includes all elders like me? I wonder if he believes that Minneapolis is for a lifetime?

ELDER VOICES(TELLING OUR STORIES/SHARING OUR JOURNEYS) IS SCHEDULED TO MEET DEC. 29, 10-11a.m., AT TURTLE BREAD, 4205-East 34th Street.
Look for the table with the All Elders sign. Southwest Connector reader John showed up in October. He shared that as a member of Veterans for Kamala he is very concerned about the outcome of the coming election. Turns out he was right to be concerned. If you are concerned or hopeful about anything do show up.

In gratitude.
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice Board of Directors.