Crapshoot

I’m not worried that Trumpsters will commandeer America’s government.  They can’t.  They’re outnumbered.  Do the math.  The plurality of non-Aryan, non-Christian, non-Conservative Americans can only increase.  

Nevertheless, a handful of hardcore Republicans remain convinced that white-skinned, “Christian,” men inherit a right to rule America!  Their words to the rest of us, “Bootstrap yourself up!  Every man for himself!”  But, biology, culture and social strictures make the “equal opportunity” premise behind this challenge unrealistic and unfair.  We are endowed with gifts and handicaps.  Then environment kicks us around, bigtime!

I was born during the Great Depression.  Daddy had a small farm in northeastern Utah.  When President Roosevelt brought Rural Electrification to the Uinta Basin, Daddy dug holes for power poles, strung cable, wired houses and picked up rudiments of electricity.  When construction finished, he was hired to manage the Moon Lake Electric Association.  Friday April 13, 1945 the Hanna, Utah, store lost power.  Late in the day, Daddy raced—I’m told always raced.—to Hanna, climbed a power pole, contacted a 7,200-kilovolt line and died.  Ten days after my eighth birthday.

With a Teaching Certificate from Brigham Young University, Mama moved to Altonah, Utah, and taught school.  They married.  She stopped teaching. Sister Judy and I came along.  After Daddy died, we moved to Salt Lake, then Ferron, Mama’s hometown, where she again began teaching.  For seven drudgerous summers, starting at fifty cents a day, I was Uncle Grant’s “hired man.”

I share this brief biography to emphasize how lucky I am!  I grew up among decent, honest, hardworking people.

Life’s a crapshoot!  Born and raised in East L.A., The Hamptons, South Side Chicago or Miami Beach I’d be a product of that environment. For better or worse, physically or mentally handicapped, New York slum or Beverly Hills, physically or sexually abused, LSGBT who would I be?  Not who I am.

For most of us, Silver Spoon in the mouth or a boot in the ass, the white male supremacy, “Bootstrap yourself up!  Every man for himself!” charge is unfair, unrealistic and absurd!