Why It Matters

You are walking along a downtown street when you pass a man sitting at a desk in an empty shop. On the table in front of him is a red button.

You open the door. “Hi,” he says. “Come on in.”

“What’s this?” you ask.

“It’s an opportunity. Have a seat.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll bite,” you say, and you take a seat across from him. “What’s the deal?”

“It’s kind of like the Powerball, but you’re a guaranteed winner,” he says. “All you have to do is push the button and you’ll receive 1.5 billion dollars. Of course, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch. By pressing the button, you will guarantee that Donald Trump is elected President of the United States, and I don’t just mean Donald Trump — I mean the worst possible Trump persona that you can imagine based upon your most vitriolic social media friends.”

“Not possible. You don’t know my social media friends. Nobody could possibly be as bad as that.”

“Oh, we know exactly how badly he’s portrayed. You don’t build a big red button without first doing your research,” he says, and he pushes the button toward you. “One. Point. Five. Billion. Tax free. That’s private island money,” he says.

It’s a very big, very red button, easily as big around as a dinner plate.  Do you push it, yes or no? Don’t forget to defend your choice, and come on, people: Let’s make Laura B. proud.