by Robert M. Traxler

Hillary Clinton, the apparent Democratic candidate for president of the United States, is running against Donald Trump, the apparent Republican nominee. Both candidates are rich (Mr. Trump, very rich), but let’s discuss how that happened.

In the American free enterprise Democratic Republic we all have the opportunity to succeed and become wealthy if we wish; most who try fail, most try a number of times and most fail a number of times. A free enterprise economic system allows us to try, but provides no guarantee of success.

So we have in this election cycle two people who are successful capitalists. Anyone worth in excess of $31 million is a successful capitalist and to be admired; Senator Clinton has a personal net worth north of thirty-one million and a combined family net worth of more than $111 million.

After departing the White House in 2001, Senator Clinton was (in her own words) deep in legal debt and flat broke. In less than 16 years she went from a negative net worth and no assets to owning two mansions and a upper class New York City apartment — an example of capitalism at its best. From negative dollars to 31 or 111 million, depending on how you wish to count it.

She did steal the White House silverware and some furniture, but it was nowhere near 31 million, and her rich friends did reimburse the government.

A question that our friends in the press need to ask Senator Clinton is, “What did you build, make, sell, produce, design, label or patent to make more money than 563 American families do in a year? More than the operating budget of Dorr Township for almost 20 years? Since departing the White house, how did you personally clear/pocket an average of almost two million per year? It is a good question, but the media would never ask the question.

It will shock no one that I do not like Mrs. Clinton. It goes back to our youth; I was in the United States Army Military Police and she was doing her damnedest to get convicted murders of law enforcement officers out of jail. It was a choice she made freely and a mission she attacked with zeal, and it went downhill from there.

I did however soften my attitude when she became a member of the Board of Directors for the Wal-Mart Corporation, the world’s largest corporation. Wal-Mart had and still has an anti-union policy, and Senator Clinton voted in favor of the policy a number of times. A highly paid capitalist shill for the world’s largest and richest corporation can’t be all bad after all.

So in this election cycle, will the real Senator/Secretary/Mrs. Clinton or Hillary Rodham please stand up: a lawyer for cop killers, a rich capitalist, an impoverished debtor, a thief, a wronged wife, a less-than-successful bureaucrat, a corporate executive, a multi-millionaire, a common housewife, a political outsider, an establishment politician; which one will she be today?

On the Republican side of the ledger we have Mr. Donald Trump, a rich man, a very rich man and the beauty of it is he is proud of it. If the press asks Mr. Trump what he did to become a multibillionaire, he can say he built things: resorts, golf courses, office buildings, renovated train stations, apartments, and all types of investments. He hired thousands, paid salaries, workmen’s compensation, city, county, state and federal taxes. He branded his name and built a reputation that he could get things done. He worked with more foreign leaders than Mrs. Clinton did as Secretary of State while building a worldwide business.

Now to be fair, Secretary Clinton did make more money in a shorter period of time than Mr. Trump; she made $630,000 in three hours — not bad work if you can get it. Mrs. Clinton was paid by the folks at the corner of Wall and Broad Street for three hours of wisdom. Mrs. Clinton has been called the smartest person who ever walked the earth — she must be at those prices.

Senator Clinton will paint herself as a middle-class grandmother and average American; it will be easy, as I am sure your grandmother is worth 31 million. Mr. Trump will paint himself as a rich grandfather, a very rich grandfather and proud of it.

Have you driven the roads in Dorr lately?