When I began working at Colonial Baking company in 1973 I was working in the bun room. It was one of the hardest jobs I have ever worked in my life. In the nine years that I worked there I lost fifty pounds from the heat and fast pace. On average the hours were extremely long. Two days a week we couldn't leave until all the bun orders were finished. There were many days that I worked anywhere from sixteen to twenty hours straight. I was so tired some days that I could barely make it to my car at the end of the shift. We were supposed to get a ten minute break every two hours. We couldn't leave the line until we were relieved by a break man. Our first breaks were usually on time but after our fourth hour the break man would get further and further behind because people were taking longer breaks. It would get to the point that you could go hours without a break. I hated this situation. When I complained about it people would say that I just had to get used to it. This is just the way it his always been. Being a rebel at heart I have always hated this kind of thinking.
I went to the union chief shop steward who was illiterate. Great guy but not very effective when you can't read and write. He told me the same thing. So, I asked him for a copy of the union contract. There in black and white in the contract it read that employees would receive a ten minute break every two hours and a thirty minute lunch after four hours. In the next election I ran for chief shop steward and won. It took five years and a change in management but our grievances finally paid off. The company began putting timed gaps in the bread and bun coolers so we could have our regular breaks and lunch breaks on time. I am relating this story to illustrate the fact that in certain environments we develop bad habits or practices that become the norm. After a while we become comfortable with conditions that we shouldn't have to live with. A person has three choices. You can stay in that environment and learn to cope. Leave the situation and find something new. Or work to change things from within.
President Trump is choosing to change things from within when it comes to Washington DC. He is showing the people of DC that they don't have to live in an environment that is hostile to their self interests, safety and well being. The residents had learned to cope with a bad situation brought on by their choices of political candidates. Most residents probably had a sense of hopelessness. People have left Washington but because of circumstances many can't leave. Maybe I am overly optimistic but this could turn Washington DC red. The Democrats in the Communist states of New York, Illinois and California for example are terrified of the positive effect that reforms in Washington DC could have on their own inner city populations. It could spur a complete rejection of the Democrat party in future mayoral and gubernatorial elections. Constitutionally, short of riots and insurrection I don't think Trump can send the National Guard into places like Chicago, Memphis, New York City or Baltimore although they badly need it. The changes in Washington DC could go a long way toward reshaping the political landscape of our inner cities.
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