Dear Trump voters,
In the fall of 2015, I got a knock on the door from a guy who said my family was in danger. As we stood together in the doorway of my home, this guy told me how concerned he was about me and my family (he could tell I had young kids because of the play structures in the backyard that are clearly visible from the street as it bends away from our house) because of the many thick, long and spiky dead branches, ‘widow makers’ he called them, dangling precariously from trees that soar high above the roof of our home and reach out over the backyard where our daughters play.
My wife and I had already seen those precarious limbs, they were pretty hard to miss once the leaves had fallen away, and had been talking about what we needed to do to protect our family before the winter storm season arrived. We were hesitant to call an established, corporate tree service company because we knew they’d be expensive and would likely try to sell us more services than we needed and could afford. This guy at my door talked like a normal guy, a regular Joe, and his words reaffirmed what I already thought. He said he’d start the work later that week, do a great job and save me money, all things I liked hearing, but that I had to pay him the money up front so that he could pay his guys. He promised I could trust him, because he had insurance, knew all about trees, had done work for several of our neighbors in the past, and because he would do the best job.
That ordinary guy was a con artist, a fucking liar, a cheat, a smooth talking criminal, I’d later discover with a few simple Google searches, and I was the moronic fool who believed him. I gave him my vote of confidence and my money, $1050 in total, money I didn’t have to throw away. Those tree branches are still dangling above our backyard, above the spaces my kids play. That guy, that regular Joe, he didn’t give a shit about me, my kids, my house or anything save for himself, his cronies and his scam of a business.
Admitting my mistake to my wife and family sucked. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because I simply do not make mistakes like that. Explaining that I stupidly handed someone $1050 made me feel like a heel. My ego was bruised and battered. I was a total loser for believing that asshole and for giving him our money. So, I know exactly how you feel or how you will feel very soon. You too have been sold a flaming bag of shitty lies by a con man out for his own interests and the profit of his cronies. I hope you will someday soon be able to admit that you, like I was a couple of years ago, played the role of the fool. It’s a god damn hard thing to come to grips with and even harder to say aloud. For months I didn’t tell anyone other than my wife what had happened, what I got duped into believing, but eventually I sent screenshots of texts, photos of the work not done, and a copy of the invoice to the government body in place to protect honest folk like me from dishonest charlatans like him. A case has been opened, one of many against this guy and his team of fucking liars, I’ve come to learn, but I am not holding my breath that I’ll ever see a penny of the money I foolishly gave him.
When you’re ready to see and admit the mistake you’ve made and call bullshit on the lies you believed, I will fight alongside you to make things right, or as right as possible going forward. I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s not going to be easy and we may never get your proverbial money back, but we can try. Together.
I’m sorry that you got conned, I know what that’s like and it’s a terrible feeling but continuing to believe it was anything but a con isn’t going to make it so.
*Jan 25 edit to add: The Trump Regrets Twitter feed is evidence that voters are already starting to realize the con.
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