I grew up in the 1950s, north of gritty Youngstown, Ohio, close enough to see the nighttime red sky from the open hearth steel making furnaces.

Many of my classmates’ parents spoke broken English. The ’50s were boom years. America was the sole industrial nation standing after World War II. Jobs were plentiful. Our governments invested heavily in our infrastructure. Americans had a pent up demand and cash for consumer goods. It was a wonderfully, simple time in which to live BUT not for all. For women, not totally, for blacks, definitely not and the LGBTQ weren’t visible..

I was raised by “The Greatest Generation,” which survived the Great Depression and World War II, who put their heads down and worked hard hoping their children’s lives would be better than theirs. For decades and generations, their hopes’ were overwhelmingly realized. This so named “American Dream” was on steroids. The “Dream” became embedded in our nation’s DNA, we feel entitled.

But the world has changed. It has become a keenly competitive world. Technology rules. Education is required in our “service oriented” economy. Cultural changes shake our foundations. The growing wealth divide between America’s rich and poor has exploded: (top 10% has 67% of nation’s wealth)/filthy rich (top 1% owns 30%) and working poor/poor (bottom 50% has 6%) More than ever, power has tipped to the wealthy minority. Hypocrisy is rampant. Suicide and alienation are on the rise. Non-common acceptance of facts and perspectives has created a divided citizenry. The Social Contract between our government and our citizenry is under question. This is not a wonderfully simple time in which we now live.

The results of our last election reflect these changes. My home Ohio area is now deep red, from deep blue. It is economically depressed. The people are angry and feel abandoned, a common sentiment throughout the nation’s red areas.

The men who mend my chainsaw and lawnmower express frustration with our political and economic systems and traditional political parties. My old farmer friend, many underemployed big box workers, nursing home aides, and many other workers are fed up with government policies they see as benefiting the unworthy. They don’t care about the nation’s favorable macroeconomic conditions while their earnings barely pay for the increased food and gasoline prices.

Their combined sentiment is they’re not being seen and no one cares. This sentiment based on frustration, fear, and anger overrode traditional democratic values contained in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution. Ignoring much, they believe the current demagogue that “America was on the wrong track.” They work as hard as had their parents but were not realizing the “American Dream” and they felt entitled. They voted for Donald Trump.

Do they know and understand Trump’s Project 2025? I doubt it. Are they aware of the Democrats’ platform policies designed to help them, as opposed to the Project 2025 anti-workers programs? They do know Trump is going to fix everything. Trump said so. They voted for Trump for President but would not tolerate Trump dating their sister.

Some of my Trump friends are church members; they voted for Trump despite Trump’s violation of the Ten Commandments and his disregard of Jesus’ Beatitudes. Indicators of the depth of their discontent.

It’s going to be interesting and scary to see the effects of Trump’s Unitary Executive (authoritarian) Theory and the enactment of Project 2025. The effect on the climate, the effect on women’s freedom and national health, the effect on checks and balances, the effect of our minorities fully enjoying their civil rights, the effect of special interests regulating AI, etc., the effect of Trump’s closing the border methods and immigration policies, the effect of conflicts of interests, the effect of Trump’s America First/Alone on the world stage, the effect of Musk and Murdoch’ pro-Trump media influence, the effect on our peoples’ dissension, the effect on the working people’s cost of living, etc. The effects will be on Trump, alone.

Trump won a narrow political victory. Trump’s executive branch will be led by those who pledged loyalty to him. Trump’s party will control both houses of Congress, and he has a sympathetic Supreme Court. America is about to divert from a government based on law to government based on Trump.

As the Zen Master said: “something good will come from this.” It’s doubtful if the workers will get what they think they voted for. No doubt the powerful are in position to get what they want. The “good” will come well after the dust settles but don’t hold your breath Youngstown. Let’s get real.

Don Scott is a North Warren resident.