The events currently unfolding between Donald Trump and the island of Puerto Rico have been heinous and I'm afraid American citizens are letting it slide. 5% of Puerto Rico currently has power. People are waiting hours to get food and water and all day for gasoline. 16 people have died. This is all happening in America to American citizens and the sitting President of the United States has implied that a potential solution is to not rebuild at all. To just let Americans live in third-world conditions because their upkeep is just too costly.
If I turn on a cable news network right now they probably aren't talking about this. If they are it's one of a few stories they're cycling between, including the NFL protests or some new info on the Russian scandal. Those are both important stories and worth covering, but I'd be lying to myself if I believed that anyone would be talking about anything else if Donald Trump mentioned that Houston might not be rebuilt and and publicly insulted Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner after he pleaded for the lives of his citizens. Stories I see about Trump's Tweets at Carmen Yulín Cruz tend to frame it like Trump's latest crazy Tweet storm or as a feud between Trump and the San Juan mayor. It's not a feud - an American mayor begged for federal aid during a crisis and was insulted by the Commander-in-Chief.
I'm horrified even more by the response to what's happening in Puerto Rico than by the events themselves, but I can't say I'm surprised. I know why it's being covered like this, we all do. "It's just a territory." This is Trump's latest spat with a foreign leader, not him denying aid to American Citizens. This is an overseas disaster that the news will cut to every 20 minutes with their reporter on the scene - this absolutely doesn't call for 24 hour coverage like Harvey or Irma. It's easy to look at Trump as the main issue here, but he is not being given sufficient hell for this and that alone speaks volumes. There was tangible outrage over the Access Hollywood tape and Comey firing, and I am not at all sensing that towards his neglect of an American territory and desperately needs his assistance. Trump's words and actions are disgusting, but America has yet to sufficiently turn around and slap him in face for it, and I think that's because to many people this really isn't America's problem.
If you're as upset as I am please call your representatives and let them know that you want them to take Trump to task for this. Tell your friends and family the same. This is a crisis being enabled by inaction of both the executive branch and American citizens.
Ad of course please donate time/money/supplies to Puerto Rico.
If I turn on a cable news network right now they probably aren't talking about this. If they are it's one of a few stories they're cycling between, including the NFL protests or some new info on the Russian scandal. Those are both important stories and worth covering, but I'd be lying to myself if I believed that anyone would be talking about anything else if Donald Trump mentioned that Houston might not be rebuilt and and publicly insulted Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner after he pleaded for the lives of his citizens. Stories I see about Trump's Tweets at Carmen Yulín Cruz tend to frame it like Trump's latest crazy Tweet storm or as a feud between Trump and the San Juan mayor. It's not a feud - an American mayor begged for federal aid during a crisis and was insulted by the Commander-in-Chief.
I'm horrified even more by the response to what's happening in Puerto Rico than by the events themselves, but I can't say I'm surprised. I know why it's being covered like this, we all do. "It's just a territory." This is Trump's latest spat with a foreign leader, not him denying aid to American Citizens. This is an overseas disaster that the news will cut to every 20 minutes with their reporter on the scene - this absolutely doesn't call for 24 hour coverage like Harvey or Irma. It's easy to look at Trump as the main issue here, but he is not being given sufficient hell for this and that alone speaks volumes. There was tangible outrage over the Access Hollywood tape and Comey firing, and I am not at all sensing that towards his neglect of an American territory and desperately needs his assistance. Trump's words and actions are disgusting, but America has yet to sufficiently turn around and slap him in face for it, and I think that's because to many people this really isn't America's problem.
If you're as upset as I am please call your representatives and let them know that you want them to take Trump to task for this. Tell your friends and family the same. This is a crisis being enabled by inaction of both the executive branch and American citizens.
Ad of course please donate time/money/supplies to Puerto Rico.
