YOUR AD HERE »

Don Rogers: Trump show distracts us all

Don Rogers
Publisher

President Trump? So what? Good for the economy, not so much for the environment or respecting differences among humans.

That’s it in a nutshell, for all the camera footage and spilled ink, all the investigations into one form of corruption or another.

The Protestants persist in believing him the hand of God, though their scripture is full of cautionary tales about embracing such unholy help with their politics.



The Resistance, meantime, pretends these are the worst of times, ever, and this somehow is all one bullying billionaire’s fault. It’s the end, The End, whatever he says or does.

The president’s a big deal. The world outside matters. But so does the local community, where the coverage is as likely to deliver a smile as not.

Such blasphemies fly across our divide, sometimes taking wing in these pages, and not a mind has changed. Nor mine, though I like the effects so far for small business, backbone of America.



The guy himself lost me at Birther, speaking of fakes deep and shallow. The rest has just been more of the same, really. Any Republican could have helped the economy, most better and with far less scarring otherwise.

But we only got what we deserved in 2016, as we will in 2020. Call it a rough justice. The price of not voting if you are progressive — by 78,000 votes not cast in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania combined because, you know, it was just too hard to fill out a ballot or stand in a line.

I still believe Republicans will come to rue their support, full-throated as the heartland rallies carry on now. This will have next to nothing to do with fancy footing around the Russians, paying for the silence of extramarital lovers, egging on Cabinet officers to break laws, or tweeting early morning rants.

Beneath all that, it’s as if we spurred a reluctant horse into a gallop with Obama and then yanked on the reins. Everything and everyone’s spilled over, unsettled, to say the least. No wonder we’re all abuzz, stingers out.

Meantime, the Nevada Irrigation District began jacking up water rates under the community’s nose for want of enough letters protesting this. The public agency is lucky enough not to be subject to ballot or petition, only paper correspondence from more than half the customers.

It is a little funny to hear pleas about empty pockets in the wake of spending $12 million so far to speculate on building a dam of questionable merit — ahead even of determining the district’s true water needs.

Nevada County remains rich in local news media between the papers, radio stations, online sites and public TV. Still, some residents profess ignorance about key goings on, including NID’s. Hard not to lump them in with progressives who cry out against a president they helped elect, basically, through willful absence.

Count on similar wonderment when construction begins on Raley’s and Grocery Outlet in Truckee over who thought so many grocery stores would be a good idea. Of course, these decisions passed through the town gristmill and were widely reported when citizens had a chance to weigh in. Plenty did.

As with “buy local” exhortations, reading local has a dual responsibility, of course. There is an eat-your-peas call for citizens to keep up with their community, including through local news media. And we have our duty to get the news and views of interest as well as need, at least as much as we can manage with the resources at hand. The business side matters greatly here, for us as well as everyone, including you, frankly.

Trump dominates larger media, and we all get distracted, some needlessly dismayed over this … show. But cable’s got that. The New York Times and The Washington Post have staked their businesses on it. Fox rules by taking the president’s side on reflex, zigging while the others zag. It works. For them, anyway.

But there’s no Republican or Democratic way to cover home, the fires, the council decisions, our kids, our stores, our history, local news, local people, local events, local issues. It’s too rich a stew.

The president’s a big deal. The world outside matters. But so does the local community, where the coverage is as likely to deliver a smile as not. Who can’t use a little levity to go with news that actually makes a difference in our daily lives?

Don Rogers is the publisher of the Sierra Sun and The Union, based in Grass Valley. He can be reached at drogers@sierrasun.com or 530-477-4299.


Support Local Journalism

 

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.