The Trumps |
Calvert City, KY - There are many reasons, if one were looking for them, to
dislike Donald Trump; it’s like a buffet, a little something for everyone. If
you are Muslim, you might not like that some believe he wants to make all
Muslim’s go on a registry like a modern version of Hitler’s yellow stars. If
you are an illegal immigrant, someone who came into America either in an
illegal fashion or overstayed your visa, thus breaking the law of the land and
making yourself a criminal outlaw, you might not like that Mr. Trump wants to
deport you. If you are a woman you might not like the things that Mr. Trump has
said that might cause you to believe, rightly or wrongly, that Mr. Trump is a
sexist.
However, there is one thing that is must be said the
Republican candidate for the nomination for presidency is doing that all
candidates ought to. Namely, Mr. Trump is comfortable with his wealth.
In his new book, Crippled
America, Mr. Trump’s outline for what he would do as president, there is,
in the center of book, a picture of the Trump family. Daddy, mommy, and all the
kiddies. If you didn’t know better you might think that you were looking at an
image of a Russian Czar before the fall. The background gives the impression of
polished gold, which it just might be, while the entire picture gives you the
feeling that you are gazing upon some of the Emperors of Constantinople come to
life once more.
But for all that, Mr. Trump, the billionaire, has embraced
his wealth in a way the vastly wealthy Mitt Romney was never able to do. In his
announcement speech, despite all the mocking it engendered on Late-night, Trump
proudly took out a paper and read off just how rich he is. Since then, in his
stump speech and, it seems, every interview that he gives from within the
cavernous halls of Trump Tower, Mr. Trump repeats the same phrase over and over
again, “I’m really rich.” “Don’t forget, I’ve made a lot of money.” “I’m really
good at business, I’ve made a lot of money.” “I’ve been really successful, I’ve
made my pile.” “Hey, I’m really rich.”
Mr. Trump constantly is busy touting his business experience
and success as reasons he should be selected as president, but there is more to
his bragging, if you want to call it that. He not only touts his business, he
touts himself and his worldly riches. Showing off his personal “Trump”
helicopter at the Iowa State Fair and giving rides in it to children is one
such example.
Although being comfortable with one’s wealth might seem to
some observers as simply braggadocio or worse, there is more to it than that. There
was a time when presidential candidates were completely comfortable with
admitting that they were not the boy next door. The Kennedys made no secret
that they were rich, their children had nannies to look after them, and on hot
summer days they went boating rather than working. Ted, when he ran for
president, publicly said he’d never worked a day of menial labor in his life.
The Roosevelts, (Theodore) lived in mansions and made no secret of it.
We can’t all be rich, not all of us can ride in the toboggans
with the Russian lords chasing after the hounds. Some are destined to be the
ones mucking out the horse stalls. However, presidential candidates need to
accept their place as the poser children of successful capitalism and free
market principles. When a person or a family has worked hard, or, in the Trumps
case, very, very, very hard, and their fellow citizens have rewarded their
efforts by paying for their services and making them wealthy, they should be
comfortable with it. They should welcome it and explain why they have money. It
didn’t grow on trees on the roof of Trump Tower, and Donald wasn’t robbing
banks. It was investment and work, which was rewarded. They don’t have to wear
crowns of rubies or bathe in bathtubs made of diamonds in public, but
candidates need to explain how the system works, and use it as an argument
against the evils of communism and variations thereof.
Somehow Mitt Romney never understood that, or perhaps he was
afraid others would not, not realizing that if public opinion ever turns
against the rich, and when it does that, it will quickly turn against free
market capitalism, and then we will have anarchy followed by tyranny.
You don’t have to like Donald Trump. But whatever you think
of him, racist-sexist or selfless savior, maniac or messiah, Mr. Trump is doing
something important for capitalism whether he means to or not. Under the free
market, sometimes called capitalism, everyone shares in the national wealth,
although unequally. Under communism or socialism, it is true that there is no
income gap, because everyone equally shares the national poverty. Although some
claim he’s a bit of a socialist himself, Trump is a walking embodiment of the
fact that in a free market, men like himself can invest and create business which
create jobs for thousands and services for millions. If someone is not
comfortable with their wealth made from this system it might be seen as
evidence they are uncomfortable with the system itself, and to be anti-free
market is as un-American as burning the flag.
Andrew C. Abbott
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