When there's bad news on the political front — like, say, Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" passing — you try to look for some good aspect. The lining you find may not be silver but maybe it'll at least be shiny and worth something. Most folks I see online today trying to come up with something are anticipating a moment when people who backed the current G.O.P. wake up and realize that their loss of health care, rising prices and maybe even being plunged into a new war or two are not a good swap for a brief feeling of "owning the libs."
Well, maybe. But that means a lot of pain and suffering and loss for everyone — not just Trump supporters — before that happens. What buoys my spirit, and I'm afraid it doesn't buoy it nearly enough, is the vast number of people I know to be worried, not for themselves but for others. I mean the folks who will suffer no personal damage and might even profit from the direction our nation is taking…but they're worried about the poor, the elderly, the folks who have dire medical problems now and those who will.
They're worried about the people who need groceries, housing and medical care but are unable to work. A lot of Republican spokespersons I see on the news lately don't seem to believe there are such people. Or maybe they don't want to think about them. It gives me hope that there are so many people in this country who do.
Have a Safe and Sane Fourth. Enjoy watching Yankee Doodle Dandy or 1776 or whatever you select. I'm taking the day off.