My loving, accepting and educated mother voted for Donald Trump. Many people see him as an arrogant buffoon who ridicules people just because they come from different races and values. But my mother explained to me why she voted the way she did.
I was baffled because I knew my mother’s morals didn’t align with Trump’s. I asked myself how could she ever vote for a man like that. Her response was as beautiful as she is.
“Just because a person is conservative doesn’t mean they don’t have a heart, but I don’t believe big government is the best way to serve those needs. I think those needs should be served at a community level,” my mother said.
It goes back to the age-old saying, “buy a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” She believes the time you spend with someone far outweighs the money you would give them.
“If you really want to help somebody you give them a meal, give them a place to live. You teach them a skill. You be a friend to them and you love on them. That is a far more effective way to help people.”
When you pay taxes, half the money goes back to the people who need it my mom says. The other excessive amount goes to running the country. Like most conservatives, my mother wants to decrease taxes by cutting funding to national and international aid. By doing this, she believes it leaves additional discretionary income, so citizens can be more generous with people. Feeding tax dollars into a large federal government is not only slow, but inefficient. They believe it’s more important to give locally and build relationships within the community.
Even though Trump has said many harmful and ignorant things, we must remember that he has good qualities too. For many citizens, those qualities outweighs the crude remarks he makes. It’s difficult to look past the ugliness of his behavior, but he will be the next President of the United States, and because of that we need to show respect. Not showing him respect will only divide this nation more, and that’s the last thing we need right now.
