(¥ Why today’s political climate is basically the
1980s

(Y Don't be a Grammar Nazi, but don‘t use

that term, either

And more!

 

> Running a country is a 24/7 job

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

onald Trump loves to criticize

Barack Obama, and one of his
prime complaints before his political
career was Obama's time spent golfing.
Like many other conservatives, Trump
thought Obama’s golf trips in Florida
were expensive (the security and flight
costs ran as high as $1 million for the
weekend) and that golfing was the
president's way of goofing off instead
of solving America’s problems.

The Donald criticized Obama enough
that it made him the next president of
the United States. Naturally, it’s only two
months into his term and he spends much
of his time goofing off playing golf on very
expensive trips to Florida (security and
flight costs rising as high as $3 million)
instead of solving America’s problems.

The POTUS playing golf frequently

to unwind is nothing new. Every single
one of them has done it, spanning back
decades. Unfortunately, the cost of
making sure nobody shoots these people
while they're teeing off does end up being
quite high, as does anything else necessary
for protecting the president. In addition to
their salary and benefits (such as living in
the White House), the POTUS is entitled
to taxpayer money for security. It is the
cost of protecting the head of state.

Running a country is an extremely
stressful and difficult job. The positions
require a strict schedule, with almost
every moment of their lives planned out
during their term in office. All sorts of
heads of state use government funds to
travel and live their life. Being president,
prime minister, chancellor, or dictator is
a 24 hour job. If the POTUS is playing
golf and their presence is required,
they will stop what they’re doing to
put the needs of the country first.

This is not a criticism exclusive to

the left or right. Liberals will criticize
conservative candidates on their activities,
and conservatives will do much the
same when they see liberals spending
time in a way they don’t like. Any time
Justin Trudeau is covered in the media
doing a fun activity, it leads to a backlash
with his opponents questioning why
he had time to go see Star Wars but
not enough time to work on Canada’s
problems. Apparently, world leaders are
not supposed to have any leisure time.
Donald Trump using so much
taxpayer money is par for the course as
a president. What is unique is his own
circumstances. In addition to his claim
of having a net worth in the billions,
Donald uses far more taxpayer money on
security than most presidents have. His
wife doesn’t want to live in the same house
as him so their son can keep going to his
private school, and the cost of protecting
their NYC residence can be upwards of
$1 million a day. Even more troubling

Violent protests are ineffective
to furthering civil rights

> Despite collusion with Russia, leaks are crucial to keeping government honest

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

Sn Trump has become president, it
seems like there has been a new protest
taking place every other week. It makes
me wonder what place civil disobedience
has in society.

I’ve always admired Ghandi, Martin
Luther King Jr., and other peaceful
activists, but I have not given much
thought to the more violent forms of
protest. It seems certain that under
extreme circumstances—such as living
under tyrannical rule—violent resistance
is justified. In a democratic society,
however, I cannot endorse any form of
illegal, violent behaviour.

Violent forms of protest are
ineffective. In the past hundred years,
the most effective makers of change have
been nonviolent groups. The suffrage
movement and the civil rights movement
succeeded using peaceful methods of

 

protest. It’s true that during the suffrage
movement fringe groups detonated
bombs, wielded knives, and spread terror,
but it’s usually argued that these groups
had hindered progress. Similarly, it was
Martin Luther King Jr. who advanced civil
rights for black men and women the most,
not the Black Panthers.

Violent forms of protest are anti-
democratic. There have been many unjust

Photo by Justin Sullivan via wgno.com

laws in the past, but there is a system
through which we can challenge these
laws. Sometimes, it is frustrating having to
work through the tangle of bureaucracy,
but if the majority of people want change,
they will get it. The system is definitely
flawed, but it’s better than any other we've
figured out. If you try to force change
through threats of violence, you might as
well throw away the system.

is Trump’s extreme cuts to basic social
programs like Meals On Wheels and PBS.
It’s quite important that his wife lives in
a solid gold apartment, but the cost of
feeding 500,000 veterans a year is simply
much too high for the government to pay.
Of course, Donald’s hypocrisy is
not as important as his many other
scandals. His sexual assault charges,
coalition with Russia, and general mental
state are all reasons why he shouldn't
be president. His general demeanour
is as horrible as his policies, which are
detrimental to the most disadvantaged
Americans. If one is going to criticize
Trump, his platforms and actions are
perhaps more important than the amount
of time he spends on the golf course.
Pick your battles when criticizing
politicians. What matters is their
career performance through their
actions, not what they were doing
at any particular time of day.

Violent forms of protest are immoral.
Hurting others, whether through assault
or vandalism, is not acceptable. Regardless
of how much good you think you will
do through violence, you still have no
right to hurt other people. This does not
include self-defence, which I believe
may be permissible when physically
defending yourself or others from direct
harm. Recent examples of violence during
protests, however, do not fall under these
categories. Anti-Trump protestors may
think their opponents are disgusting
people and that their ideas are harmful,
but that does not give them a free pass to
engage in violence.

I’m often tempted to endorse violent
groups when I agree with their ideals.
Democracy can be slow, messy, and
painful to watch. It does make progress
though, eventually. Society has changed
for the better, and I believe it will continue
to do so. We just need to have a little
patience, and a little faith, for the time
being.