It Is Time To Stand Against The Oligarchy Taking Place

Today is the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, and that man is not my President.

Donald J. Trump represents everything that Americans should hate, yet so many stand with him. He has repeatedly demeaned and disrespected women, minorities, and the poverty stricken. He has lashed out on others via Twitter time and time again. He has used bullying tactics during his entire campaign and career. He openly bragged about sexual assault against women and it is no secret he is homophobic, racist, sexist, and a bigot. He is the antithesis of the American Dream. Donald Trump is not a success story he is a story of privilege and abuse of power.

Trump's cabinet nominees are not much better either. Among Trump's cabinet choices are Betsy DeVos to fill the Education Secretary position, The President and CEO of Exxon Mobil Rex W. Tillerson for Secretary of State, The Carl's Jr CEO Andrew F. Puzder for Labor Secretary, Jared Kushner has been appointed as Senior Advisor to the President (who also just happens to be his son-in-law), Scott Pruitt for the E.P.A. Administrator, and Rick Perry for Energy Secretary. The entire cabinet list can be found here.

Do you notice a common theme here? Billionaires, people close to Trump, and people who have been fighting against the roles that they have been nominated to become appointed to. We are about to become an oligarchy, a nation run by the few wealthy individuals while the rest of the population is swept to the sidelines.

Betsy DeVos, a Michigander billionaire who's family has donated millions of dollars to the Republican campaign. A person who has no degree in education, no experience in education, never went to a public school or state university, and who never put her own children in a public school or state university. This woman has been actively trying to funnel funds from public schools into private and religious schools.

During DeVos' confirmation hearing on January 17, 2017 Senator Elizabeth Warren asked DeVos, "...do you have any direct experience in running a bank?" to which DeVos answered no. Sen. Warren then asked, "Have you ever managed or overseen a trillion dollar loan program? How about a billion dollar loan program?" DeVos answered "I have not". So, she has never had any type of experience in education, in student loan programs, and neither have her children. It seems that DeVos cannot directly answer many questions nor can she commit to standards such as protection of students with disabilities, school accountability, enforcing gun-free school zones, and had no knowledge regarding the debate of proficiency versus growth.

Bernie Sanders stated that some people do feel that our government is started to appear as an oligarchy and directly asked DeVos if she thought she would still be "sitting here today" if her family and herself had not contributed billions of dollars to the Republican party in the past. He also brought up the idea of free college tuition to which DeVos responded, "I think that is an interesting idea."

You can see many highlights of Betsy Devos' confirmation hearing on YouTube here.

This is just one example of the list of unqualified people who should not be heads of vastly important departments in our government. I urge everyone to go and watch the coverage of the confirmations hearings. I urge everyone to look into the backgrounds of all of these cabinet members. I urge everyone to inform themselves of what is happening in our government because this is history in the making. Why are we allowing unqualified and inexperienced candidates to run our government? Why are more people not appalled by what is taking place? It is time to stand against the oligarchy threatening our democracy.

I will say it again, Donald Trump is not my President. He is the President to the wealthy and the privileged. He does not represent Americans well nor does he respect Americans. I did not watch the inauguration and I will not condone what is happening in our government. Now is the time to rise and say, "We do not approve, and we will not back down quietly."

No matter what people say, no matter the jokes made on social media, and no matter how many of my friends tell me my views and opinions do not have value, I will uphold what I believe in. I am the voice of the silent, the few, and the frightened. I am the voice of the poor, the forgotten, and the angry. I will speak out however I can for however long I wish to because I have the ability to do so.

Please join us in the First 100 Days of Resistance, do not lay down and let the wealthy have complete control over our economy and our politics. Peacefully protest, write your senators, but above all treat one another with respect. Do not be like Trump and treat people in unfair and unjust ways.

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

Theodore Roosevelt in the "Kansas City Star"
May 7, 1918