By Chris Elliott…….
Here in Cyprus both Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities have been anxiously watching reports of their leaders efforts to negotiate a settlement of the Cyprus issue and they may well remember the astonishing events leading up to result of the British Brexit referendum which has left a nation divided.
In this past week we have seen the even more astonishing events in America which has again left us bewildered that the US is now divided by the choice of the people for a new President and Roger Jennings writes to us from the US to tell us what has happened and where perhaps the future lies.
So you may ask what does this have to do with Cyprus? For the last 42 years both communities have been encouraged by the UN, EU and many countries to find a solution to the Cyprus problem and now current negotiations are being hailed as make or break time.
When the leaders of both sides finally present a negotiated agreement will their respective citizens support them or is another major upset brewing?
Letter from America about the election of Donald Trump
Dear Chris
Your readers are no doubt wondering how could the U.S. elect Donald Trump. After all, he tried to be a bidder for a gambling facility in south Cyprus, and was declined due to his shady connections. He says the most awful things. People just shudder at the thought of Donald Trump as President, and yet he won. Why?
The answer is quite simple and very American. There is a basic goodness about Americans that is now shining through the fog of politics and corruption in the media. Also very telling, the American people rejected the corruption of the Clintons. Americans believe in honesty, hard work, and family.
The Democratic Party under Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and others has sponsored the growth of government and government programs that reward people who do not work. Those who do work see this and are offended. For many Americans, their incomes have not increased since the Democrats got control of the Government. For example, our retired collect Social Security. Social Security payments have not increased by an amount, if at all, since the Democrats have been in power, but the cost of living has skyrocketed. That is a significant portion of the population. So working people and retired people have been hurt. Then on top of that the public is now forced to pay for Obama Care, or be fined. In some states the cost this year is 100% or more higher than last year, and the deductible the person has to pay before insurance pays anything has risen to levels people cannot afford. For most Americans, Obama Care is a financial disaster.
There were many issues during the campaign. Hillary never offered a vision for America. Her approach was imperious. To her, it was her turn to be President. For example, she refused to have press conferences. She had members of the press writing favourable stories. She was fed the questions before debates, but Trump was not.
A major factor in this election was the email leaks from people like Wikileak.
The media loves sensational stories. Many of the media outlets avoided these stories, but others used the stories to attract attention. The stories were just too attractive. For example, it turns out that Chelsea Clinton paid for a multi-million dollar wedding from Clinton Foundation contributions. Americans find that very distasteful. That news came from an email leak. Also, her husband was using Clinton connections to get money for a hedge fund that invested in Greek sovereign debt. The husband thought the debt would recover. He apparently lost most of the $30 million invested in the fund. He is now out of the investment business, but his wife Chelsea is the person in charge of the Clinton Foundation where she is paid one million dollars a year. Americans recognize the Clinton Foundation as a Clinton family piggy bank rather than a charity dedicated to helping others.
Don’t count Trump out. He might be smarter than all of us. He always wears the cap that says “Make America Great Again.” That is a walking billboard advertisement. Advertisers know the key to advertising is to reinforce the message, and Trump did that. His nasty mouth created a lot of controversy. Many thought he would not get elected as a result. However, the percentage of the voting public that voted was much higher than in prior elections. Did Trump anticipate a raucous election would increase the number of people voting and favor him?
It has been a rare event in U.S. politics for the Republicans to control the President, House and Senate. This is one of those rare times. So we will have to see what Trump does with this opportunity. He has promised to create jobs and bring prosperity back to America. Will he? Certainly, he is the first businessman we have ever had as a President. He is not a lawyer, thankfully. Will he make excellent appointments of people and surround himself with the best people available? In time, we will know.
So the world should not judge Trump just yet. The world should wait and see what he does. Certainly the corruption would have spread, if Hillary Clinton was elected, and the only way to stop corruption is to elect a new President. America did it!
Sincerely,
Roger L Jennings
