loving art, science and creative kids

 First Fight: The entire country is embroiled in a conflict and few understand how to make it better.

Acrylic on canvas/ 36” by 25” / $ 425.

 Perhaps understanding these fears will be a start to meaningful dialogue.

To help the political right understand the left: 

People fear the police, FBI, CIA, Senate, House, Presidency and Judicial system in the hands of one person or party. It makes it ripe for abuse and sets the stage for Fascism.

People are fearful of potential Supreme Court picks that will favor fundamentalists, gun advocates, and special interest agendas.

Women are fearful that they will lose rights over their bodies, be subjected to men groping them and get away with it, and not being paid equally for the work they do.

Racial minorities fear urban housing laws will push them back into ghettos.   Some fear a “Japan” type round-up and being sent to concentration camps.  Minorities are afraid of police brutality and illegal searches. They are fearful of the growth of the KKK and white supremacists who say that the U.S. should be 80-90% white Christian and those of color should leave. (PBS just interviewed someone who expressed that sentiment). The KKK victory march leaves people shaking. 

Many religious denominations are afraid that they will not be allowed to worship as they want and that hate groups will attack their sanctuaries. They fear a “middle-ages” escalation of war based on Islam vs. Christianity.”

Gays are fearful that they will be marginalized, losing rights as citizens and attacked with hateful words and actions.  

Working poor are worried that they will get poorer because of wage disparity and lack of benefits.  Students fear losing college grants, incurring  greater debt and having to drop out of college. 

People are afraid the banks will have free reign to manipulate the market as they did before the savings and loan crash. Many fear creating an even bigger division between rich and poor.

People are afraid environmental concerns will suffer. That coal production, oil production, and fracking will increase and that pollution will grow.  They fear earthquakes, flooding, and other climate change issues will get worse, that special interest groups deny global warming despite scientific proof, and that wildlife will suffer and continue to disappear from the continent.  They fear unbridled development.

People are fearful of possible isolationist policies and of not honoring global treaties. They fear the rest of the world will stop trusting the U.S. if our word means nothing. They worry that the statue of liberty that welcomed immigrants, the poor, the disenfranchised will lose its meaning. 

The middle class is afraid that social security will be reduced, that 20 million people losing health care will make costs escalate significantly as they did before since those who pay insurance underwrite those  who come to hospitals and seek free assistance. They fear insurance companies and uncontrolled pharmaceutical costs. 

Fiscal conservatives are afraid that tax cuts for the wealthy and for businesses, combined with increased military spending, will add burden to the middle class. 

They fear cuts in domestic spending for the arts, research, education , and the mentally ill that will put thousands more out of work and increase the street population. They worry that cities will look like third world countries.

People are fearful of  Russia hacking into our system and affecting our political elections as it has done to other eastern block countries. They are afraid that we will support Putin in his effort to rebuild the Soviet Union.

People fear guns in the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. They fear military-style weapons in the hands of ordinary citizens. 

People are afraid the media will not be allowed their usual access to the administration, thereby eliminating "The Fourth Estate”. They are upset that lies not backed up with facts are allowed to stand.  They fear that investigative reporting will be reduced and that the country will lose freedom of the press to a greater degree than it is now.  

They fear that whenever someone says something negative about the administration they will be faced with a lawsuit. 

People fear the hate mongering that escalated due to Trump’s speeches and tweets and that as president he may blame and spread yet more lies and hate. 

They fear a divided country with the right  unwilling to compromise on any issue.

People have a hard time explaining to their kids how someone who can spread so much hate can win the presidency. They also do not like his foul mouth.  Answering a difficult question by saying “you’re ugly"  is not fitting for an adult let alone someone representing the American people. 

Most of all, people are afraid of an erratic man unaware of history or knowledgeable about current affairs having his hand on the nuclear button. They fear the people being put into power  are authoritarian, Neo-Nazis.