Since the election I’ve read or heard people in anguish about what they are supposed to tell their children now that America elected Donald Trump. So that got me to thinking, if my son was still a teenager and Hillary Clinton had won, what would I tell him.
I would start with, I’m not sure how well you understand the world, but with Hillary things aren’t really going to change much other than the government likely getting more intrusive in your life. As far as your future goes? You could graduate high school, get a good paying job, get married and raise a family. Unfortunately those jobs are pretty much long gone so good luck with that. Better if you go to college, but be warned that the cost is exorbitant and I can’t pay for it all so you’re going to have some serious debt when you graduate. You can deal with that later.
Then you may want to start your own business, but I would be careful about that. You’ll find that obstacles like regulations and taxation facing small business may be too much to overcome. So that leaves working for someone else. Whatever industry you choose (finance, communications, health care, etc.) try and get hired by one of the big boys like Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Comcast, Google, Aetna or Pfizer. They have all the money and because of that they get to make all the laws and rules. You see these people and others have made Mrs. Clinton & other politicians both wealthy and beholden to them. In other words, she is bought and paid for.
Also, forget a lot of the things I told you were important in life. You can lie all you want. If someone calls you on it just say you “misspoke”. If you cheat someone, no big deal. You just made a “mistake”.
I think that about covers it. Fortunately no one had to have this conversation!!
Tom Von Sossan, Ottawa
