This has not been a good year for the United States. Elections have consequences, and the country is bearing the full weight of November 8, 2016. The president and his merry band of obsequious robber barons, in their often breathtaking incompetence, have created a mess that will likely take years to clean up, regardless of which political party takes the White House next. The swamp wasn’t drained; it was merely diverted into the Oval Office.

What we have witnessed has been mind numbing: persistent lying, preposterous bravado, poor response to anything requiring a “presidential moment”, excessive bloviating about fictitious achievements, depressingly regular and unnecessary scandals, constant saber rattling, and so on. It’s been quite a display this administration has put on — similar to a lousy reality TV show (surprise!) but with consequences.

Our country has lost its stature in the world, creating a dangerous foreign policy situation and allowing adversaries to assume roles of greater strength. The United States just can’t be counted on anymore…at least for now. Reputation can be rebuilt, and from what I’ve read, some overseas think that America has only momentarily lost its mind and will come to its senses once the current occupant of the Oval Office is out.

The damage this administration has done domestically is significant, too. We are defined by division, acrimony, and a sense that our worst instincts have been given a nod of approval, or at the very least a shrug, from this president. His job approval rating of 37 percent suggests he’s detested as much as he disdains the norms, decorum and responsibilities of the office.

Then there’s Congress, they of the 13 percent job approval rating. Republicans control both chambers and have had a banner year of doing nothing of note. The unpopular attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act failed, so they next turned to tax reform, which quickly morphed into a giant mess that’s less reform and more scam — hurting far more than it helps in the long run. Also consider the enormous deficit explosion that comes along with this farcical plan. It’s not sustainable and opens the door to epic cuts down the road in Social Security and Medicare. The GOP is determined, however, to ram a bill through as fast as possible so they can claim a legislative victory in 2017 and keep the donor coffers open. Serious work done by nonserious people. I suspect this will be viewed as a Pyrrhic victory come the 2018 midterm election.

As a registered Independent, I’ve not been afraid to vote for a moderate Republican in the past, but that’s unfathomable now. There aren’t any moderates left. Frankly, can they even be called Republicans at this point, or have they turned into something else entirely? That’s a rhetorical but serious question.

Eventually this house of cards in Washington, D.C. is going to come tumbling down. The only question is what’s the tipping point and what does the ensuing implosion look like? That’s frightening to think about. I’m struggling mightily, as I have throughout this year, about where we’re heading. Among other things, I fear this administration leading us into a foreign policy misadventure with dire consequences. I’ve had to avoid the news on several days to avoid sinking into a depression. This is what I wrote in January. So much still holds true.

It’s very easy to feel gloomy right now, but here’s a bit of optimism. There’s an opportunity to start cleaning up the mess next November in Congress. The stench of rot emanating from the White House will take longer. It also may be shorter depending on the Robert Mueller investigation that has suddenly heated up. Eventually though, our rapacious president will be shown the door, and we’ll get much needed fresh air and a bright light shed on the full damage he’s done. Then, we’ll make the necessary repairs and leave him as an unfortunate footnote in our history.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” 

The trash is piling up, but Garbage Day is coming.

It’s here. Inauguration Day for the 45th president of the United States. Entering high office this afternoon is the first man in the country’s history who has neither served in the military nor in public office — no previous civil service — before assuming the presidency. He’s a mendacious reality TV star and real estate magnate who got himself elected by appealing to the worst of our nature. He also holds the dubious distinction of being the first president-elect to incite foreign powers on Twitter.

While I have grave concerns about what will transpire domestically over the next four years, my biggest worry is our foreign policy. It won’t take much for President Twitter Fingers to create an international incident. Considering the advisers from whom he will (presumably) take counsel, there’s additional concern for what could go wrong. No one is truly ready to become president of the United States. The responsibilities are too vast and the burden of the office too heavy. That said the man taking the oath of office today has a temperament that suggests trouble lies ahead. Undoubtedly, any blame for his failures will be placed on others — by him. I’m certain if it’s doing its job the Fourth Estate will be accused often. It’s buck passing not buck stopping in this Oval Office.

Those old Ronald Reagan Morning in America commercials from the 1980s seem quaint now as we enter a combative Midnight in America. The audacity of hope has been dashed by the new sheriff, who has a darkness about him that doesn’t bode well. Judging from the bumpy and often needlessly antagonistic transition following the election, I don’t see how the new president will be more statesman-like now that he’s in the White House.

Not too long ago I read an article by entrepreneur and academic Tobias Stone. He suggests that our election of a populist candidate shouldn’t be viewed in a bubble but in the context of an already volatile world. Consider what’s happening right now: Brexit, nationalism’s rise in Europe (hello again, Marine Le Pen!), Russia’s malfeasance, North Korea’s muscle flexing, China’s rise, Syria’s crisis, the Middle East’s persistent instability… Stone points out that at fairly regular intervals humans enter times of mass destruction but often miss the signs of trouble approaching while dismissing the few observers who see the impending storm. World War I and World War II were our last catastrophic conflicts, costing about 95 million lives. Today pressure is again building in an explosive global keg. Will it subside or will a spark set it off? What happens when an ill-advised trade war launches a global recession? Or with uncertainty around the world and tensions running high, what would it take for a small armed conflict to become regional? A regional conflict to spread farther? Who decides to use a nuclear device? It doesn’t have to be a missile strike. What if it’s a dirty bomb set off in a city? Then what? This obviously goes beyond just the United States. Cool heads are needed in crisis from all, but the new leader of the free world conducts foreign policy in 140 characters or less. There’s not much room for nuance in his weltanschauung.

So what now? The fight against the new president’s cynical view of America and the world has just begun. Protests and marches are planned. A couple weeks ago, Charles M. Blow wrote a piece in The New York Times about holding an anti-inauguration. My anti-inauguration observation will be sleeping through the ceremony and avoiding most media coverage throughout the day. Being a light in the coming darkness takes energy, so I’m sleeping in. That and I simply don’t care to watch the darkness fall with pomp and circumstance on CNN. Be on the right side of history. Be a light with me. We can control that together as an affront to the incoming president’s authoritarian tendencies. He still answers to us, not the other way around. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”  Fight for what’s true and right. Onward we go.