Do you support Donald Trump?
It has to be said, we people are like fish, sheep, birds or wolves. We like to run in schools, flocks, or packs. So we often surround ourselves with like-minded people. You don’t often see a bunch of sheep hanging around with some wolves do you?
Which means if we don’t like Trump, chances are almost all the people we associate with also don’t like Trump. And if we do like Trump – well – the same thinking applies.
The interesting thing here is, most of “adults” in the room are experienced enough in living we know to keep our mouths shut around people we don’t know. So unless we are in comfortable surroundings and surrounded by people we know are like-minded, that’s exactly what we do. Keep the yap zipped!
Unless, of course, we are some place where we want to make a statement, like in a public meeting!
With that in mind, it now has to be said, Trump is starting to act like that grumpy senior citizen, male or female relative, who thinks everybody shares their opinions, no matter what those opinions are or how stupid they are. And if people don’t share them? Well, those people are just nuts, stupid and don’t deserve anybody’s time. Probably shouldn’t be in the pack either.
Sounds like Trump these days?
Yup! Not wise because of his years. Not willing to admit he doesn’t know everything. Not even kind of age-related forgetful and well-meaning, but accidentally hurtful.
Nope!
This guy is turning into the old gas bag more and more people don’t want anything to do with. Donald, we might love you and so much of what you have done. But please, get over yourself. Slow down and stop making enemies in the world. Especially in Canada. You have enough losers and enemies right at home to deal with. You don’t have to go out looking to make new ones.
It doesn’t make you look smart. Fighting with your friends, and people who used to be your friends, doesn’t make you look tough and smart. It makes you look stupid. Really, really stupid!
Speaking of grumpy people, we were standing in a long lineup years ago in Hawaii. A mean-looking dowager (look that up if you don’t know what a dowager is) was complaining loudly to what looked like her younger, age 40-something or so, relatives, and their children, who were all with her.
“Look at this place! I can remember when this used to be nice little ice-cream stand when it first opened after we moved here. Now look at the lineup. It takes forever and prices are way up. There should be a law against so many tourists coming here and just making life miserable for the rest of us.”
We always think of this when people talk about new ideas in our communities. New buildings. New businesses. New roads. New subdivisions and new people coming. But there is always somebody wanting to complain. Some reasons are good. Some are bad.
But if things are going to turn out so bad, keep in mind baseball catcher and eventual manager with the New York Yankees, Yogi Berra. When a group was heading out for lunch one day and deciding where to go, one suggestion was shot down by Yogi: “Nah, nobody goes there any more. It’s too busy!”
Remember when it was all about global warming? Genetically modified organism crops? Vaccines? Communists under every bed?
Gosh, hard to believe somebody with years under her belt even wanted to complain about an ice cream stand, as above. These days it’s wind farms, solar farms, data centers and of course, nuclear plants!
All in all, its all just another day at the office. Same stuff. Different pile. Let’s also keep in mind, despite there being a nuclear power plant in New Brunswick for decades which most residents don’t mind at all, people there can be counted on to come out in hordes the minute someone wants to build a natural gas pipeline someplace in that province.
“I was talking to our granddaughter the other day. She had The Weather Channel on the TV, right in the middle of the afternoon. She didn’t smile at all when I said we had something like that in the old days. We called it a ‘window.” – Grandma Smithers
“There sure is a lot of blabbering these days about ‘stress in the workplace.’ In my day, we went to work even if we had an ear hanging off, or were wrapped in bandages head to toe and needed a wheelchair. If we ever told anybody we ‘felt under pressure emotionally’ we would be bundled up and locked away in a secure unit for the rest of our lives.” – Grandpa Jonesy
Where the idea came from to save old bridges around Alberta and make use of them in some way has turned out to be one of the smartest ideas to come down the road in a long, long time.
Examples are many around our region. One of them, for many people unaware, is the old bridge across the channel which connects Buffalo Bay to Lesser Slave Lake on Highway 750 just south of Grouard.
Decades ago a new bridge was built. The old bridge was turned into a pedestrian bridge, mainly so it could be used as it always was used – even just after it was built: A great place to drop a fishing line into the water and do your best. No boat needed. No park pass or resort pass. No crowding on a dock. No standing on a shore and trying to get your lure out into deep water.
Sure, a little bit difficult bringing a fish up. But all in all, not a bad experience at all!
And very well-used!
Now comes an idea to put a roof over a portion of the bridge. Anglers can spend an afternoon or evening rain or shine if the idea comes to reality.
The Page likes it! Of course, this being progress, next thing you know, portable toilets. Electricity. Running water. Heaters. Windbreaks, walls and maybe bug screens.
And, oh yes! Engineering studies. Insurance. Tenders for construction. Then maybe some guides keeping track of who belongs to which spot. A concession stand. Street sweepers and wandering musicians.
Well, maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves. But isn’t progress wonderful?
Best part is, the bridge itself is already right there. You can go fishing right now. Rain or shine!