Trump’s first week in office

Introduction

 

It’s been quite the week.  Many of us are very tired as our social media feeds have been nearly nothing but politics.  The negativity has been everywhere.  This project may be more difficult than anticipated, but it makes it all the more important. I also want to make it known that I am presenting this information as unbiased as I can.

A few non-political good things:

• The Oscar nominations were announced and they’re actually diverse this year. Including films like Hidden Figures, Fences, Moonlight, and Lion.
• Patriots and Falcons fans are happy to see their teams headed to the Super Bowl.
• CDC’s canceled climate change conference is back on — thanks to Al Gore.

Trump did something right?

As of today, January 27, President Donald Trump has signed 12 executive orders.  I’m not going to go through each of them, but you can find the full list here.  One thing to note is he isn’t wasting anytime getting to what he promised during his campaign, so be prepared for more.

One positive Executive Order is the “Executive Order Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects.” This order is focusing on unfinished projects such as improving highways.  It is designed to bring these projects to our attention and make them a higher priority.

“Too often, infrastructure projects in the United States have been routinely and excessively delayed by agency processes and procedures. These delays have increased project costs and blocked the American people from the full benefits of increased infrastructure investments,” quoted from the Executive Order, under “Purpose”.

Hopefully, this order can make a change and we will see many of these unfinished projects completed.

Good things happening around the world

The day after the Presidential Inauguration, January 21st, the Women’s March took place worldwide, focusing on Washington D.C. Over 5 million women and men marched worldwide and 1 million marched in D.C.  This was a worldwide protest largely charged by Donald Trump’s hateful campaign for president. They were protesting for numerous causes such as: ending violence, reproductive rights,  and LGBTQ+ rights.  You can see the full list of their supported causes here.

This protest gave many around the world hope for our future; it shows that people are not giving into the hate. The protest was entirely peaceful and no one was arrested. Following the march the group has started 10 actions/100 days.  Every 10 days they will release a new challenge to take action. The first of these challenges is to send a postcard to your area’s representatives and Senator about a cause you believe in.

However, some did not feel included in the protest if they are pro-life. Another protest in honor of this was held today, January 27, for anti-abortion.

What you can do

I have already mentioned the 10 actions/100 days project from the Women’s March, and I encourage you to follow that.  However, I am going to include an additional action step here.

This past week it was announced my Alma Mater, Eastern Nazarene College, would be cutting the English, Theater, and Music departments, resulting in the loss of five full-time faculty. I find it distressing that when there is a financial need, always the first thing they cut is the arts.

One thing we can do is support local art by attending performances, museums, and galleries. You can also join the America for the Arts Action Fund, which is free.  If you intend to do the first action of the Women’s March project, I encourage you to include protecting art education in your post card.

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