As an American voter living in St. Albert, I want to provide a response to the “Trump” article in the Gazette, Nov. 12.
I found Morinville Mayor Lisa Holmes’s characterization of Trump supporters as misogynistic to be offensive and simplistic, as though the only reason that someone wouldn’t support Hillary Clinton is because she is a woman. I wonder if it ever occurred to the mayor that some voters actually vote based on policy issues other than a candidate’s gender or skin color?
Is it perhaps possible that some voters could be concerned with the $9 trillion increase in the U.S. national debt or the 10% increase in the number of people collecting government salaries during the Obama administration? Is it possible that some voters may actually care about border security or having a Supreme Court that will uphold and defend the constitution? Is it possible that some voters might seek a leader who has vowed to reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics or believe that our law enforcement personnel deserve more respect that they have been granted for the past eight years?
I am not ignorant to the flaws of my new president. There are many. However, I do find it interesting to read the mayor’s (Holmes) comments that President-Elect Trump is the “antithesis of what she wanted as a role model for her sons.”
For myself as a parent, I am quite certain that I would not want my daughters to emulate the values and practices of the ethically challenged Senator Clinton simply because she is a woman. I believe we can take this opportunity to speak to our children about the issues, teaching them to think for themselves rather than to disparage those whose views may not align with our own.
Paul Arends, St. Albert
