Almost Free from Trump

Almost Free from Trump

After the last few days of appalling political brawling - and much needed comic relief  from Lin-Manuel Miranda on Saturday Night Live - I have reached the depressing conclusion that if you still hold the "anyone but Hillary" position in this scary election you are clearly and simply a misogynist.

Not that there is anything simple about misogyny.  Maybe Donald Trump hates his mother.  Maybe his two divorces didn't teach him that there are two people in a marriage.  Or maybe he is a spoiled, rich kid who is used to controlling everything he touches, including human beings.

Donald Trump disrespects women, plain and simple.  He is like a snotty 13 year old bully in a 70 year old man's body. He brags about sexually assaulting women because he is a celebrity.  Do we have amnesia about Bill Cosby?  Or is Trump somehow less despicable because he is white?

Trump uses women to make money with his beauty pageants, then degrades and verbally abuses them, not unlike a pimp. He brags in debates about the size of his penis and introduces young children to a whole new meaning of the word "pussy."  A master of subtlety he is not.

How many times did Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper have to tell Trump to stop interrupting or that his time was up?   Do we really want a President and Commander-in-Chief who cannot control his own mouth?  Can we trust such a volatile man with the nuclear codes?

To the Bernie fans, I say thank you for fighting the good fight and moving Hillary to the left: on college tuition, health care, taxes, etc.  Hillary heard you. This is how politics is supposed to work.  After your success, sitting out the election as a protest is a foolish and dangerous option.

The bottom line is one of these people will be the President of the United States.  How will you explain to your grandchildren that you didn't like either of the radically different candidates in 2016 so you took the coward's way out and didn't vote?

White, working class men are very angry.  I get it.  Unions, that created the middle class, the American Dream and really made this country great, have been all but destroyed.  Sadly, Donald Trump is not going to bring them back.  Quite the opposite.  Trump hasn't built anything since 1986, and the Trump "brand" is produced almost exclusively overseas in China, India, Bangladesh, wherever wages are low and workers are dirt poor.

If Hillary were a man, there would be no question about her solid qualifications for the job: experienced lawyer, 8 years in the White House, twice elected Senator, Secretary of State.  On the other hand, if  Trump were a woman,  he'd be dismissed as unqualified: a series of bankrupt businesses, a litigious braggart and no political experience,

It's an old story with a creepy new twist.  Women can do everything men can do, but like Ginger Rodgers, backwards and in heels.  Only this time, Donald's lead is downright dangerous.  And the dance is making us look foolish on the world's stage.

Female heads of state have been elected and serve all over the world: Great Britain, Germany, India, Israel, the Philippines, etc. It is clearly time for the United States.  It is clearly time for Hillary.

If you like this blog, please follow it, comment, and forward this to your friends...I promise to respond.

Keep calm and carry on...Lori A. Bores

Almost Free Theater!

Many of you want to see a Broadway show when you come to NYC and I don't need to tell you how frighteningly expensive this pursuit can be.  Still, a live show is an unforgetable experience and those of us who are lucky enough to live here have found several ways to "never pay retail."

By now most people know about the TKTS booth, operated by the Theater Development Fund.

You must wait on line, but you are rewarded with a half price ticket on the day of the show. Booths are located in Manhattan in the Theater District, at the South Street Seaport, and in Brooklyn.  Check the link to get hours of operation and remember the earlier you get there, the better your chance of getting the show you want.

10 Almost Free Things to do in New York

10 Almost Free Things to do in New York 

I moved last year to what we affectionately call "Upstate Manhattan."  Washington Heights had a scary reputation in the 80's but things have changed radically and it is now a very friendly, safe, family neighborhood  The 2008 Tony Award winning musical "In The Heights" is composer (and my son's 7th grade substitute English teacher(!)) Lin-Manuel Miranda's love letter to the neighborhood he grew up in and still calls home.

sunset in Washington Heights

So I thought I'd start this invitation to visit New York with a Northern focus.  Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters are really the jewel of this neighborhood.  The Cloisters feature art and architecture from the Medieval era and a reconstructed monastery,  You can easily transport yourself back to the days of Romeo and Juliet!  The Cloisters are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and admission to one gets you same week admission to the other. The suggested entrance fee is pricey - $25 for adults, $17 for Seniors, $12 for students, under 12 free - but remember this is a recommended price.  You can (and should if you need to) pay less.