American politics has been the topic of discussion for the past three months. But in the end, the United States has survived the 2016 presidential race, and, although difficult at times, the results of the election are final. Donald J. Trump is the 45th president of the United States. Many Americans feel hurt and angry with the victory of Trump as president. As a result, many riots and protests have erupted across the nation. A great number of these protests began on college campuses, such as the University of Iowa. In response to these protests on college campuses, universities all over the country have begun spending money on healing centers, therapy sessions, and have even cancelled classes for their students. Iowa House Republican Bobby Kaufmann, however, has proposed a different solution for this post-election trauma.
Kaufmann’s solution is a bill that he has named “Suck it up, buttercup.” While it may be blunt, Kaufmann firmly believes that it is time for these students to accept the results of the election. The Washington Post quoted Kaufmann: “‘People have the right to be hysterical on their own time.’” Kaufmann is troubled by the rising tuition prices and money which is spent on coloring books and Play-Doh for college students. The I-80 protest in Iowa City pushed him to the edge. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported, “Marching from downtown Iowa City along Dubuque Street to I-80, the protesters walked down the ramp onto the interstate, blocking eastbound traffic for nearly 30 minutes, protesting the results of the presidential election earlier this week”. Kaufmann was enraged at students who would take the time to block other people from going to their jobs and carry on with their own lives. The combination of these events inspired the creation of Kaufmann’s bill.
The plan of the bill is simple: double the amount spent on these post-election trauma centers and cut the funding to the schools by that amount. Along with the cut, he suggested that law enforcement involve themselves when protesters endanger the lives of others, by arresting and charging them with disrupting the peace. Pleasant Valley students had similar thoughts as Kaufmann. Landry Blunk, senior, commented, “The ‘suck it up, buttercup’ bill is a sound bill that has many logical reasons for supporting it. Protesting the election of a president is a subject that has been happening since the beginning of the United States and there is more than often valid reasoning behind it. But seeking therapy from a public institution for free is ridiculous. They should just go back to their dorms or houses and cry about it… Also, the idea that protestors that charge areas like highways and interstates would be arrested and charged as a criminal upon doing so is a great idea. Not only do they threaten their own lives and those of the drivers, but they often slow the progress of many businesses who use that mode of transportation, causing them to lose money.”
Michael Meyer, senior, who despite his anti-Trump ideals, agreed with the plan from Kaufmann. “Even though we all don’t like Donald Trump, I do agree with the bill. He’s our president and people need to just deal with it because it is necessary”. Whether the bill is passed this year or not, the underlying importance of the bill will continue to impact the whole nation. Kaufmann is trying to push the point that the sooner the nation accepts Trump as president, the sooner unification and peace can return to the states. Protest is an American freedom, but there is a time and place for it.
