The Christmas musical “The Stingiest Man in Town” serves as a metaphor for our recent election. Scrooge and Belle sing about how he chose gold over their love when young and now that he is rich he seeks her love.

Scrooge sings “I built a wall of gold around us so that poverty could not come through.” Belle responds, “You built a wall of gold between us.” We had a choice-- a new path or a U-turn. Too many were led astray by lies and deceit, selfishness or indifference and nastiness and vulgarity and chose the past. They brushed aside sovereignty over one’s own body to secure forever the sanctity of women’s physical being and no longer as a playground for men’s obtuseness, abusiveness or criminal behavior. They preferrred tax cuts for the already rich to building communities where no child will go to bed on an empty stomach or wake up to attend a fortified school.

They supported repealing Obamacare and perpetuating the system rather than providing to everyone the health care and support that veterans enjoy at the VA, and dumping more national treasure onto the Pentagon rather than shifting to a more-peaceful presence and influence in the world.

Belle sings to Scrooge: “Why did you let our warm and wonderful romance slip right through your hands? I lost you to a piece of gold.” Scrooge finally admits: “I might have known a life of happiness with you. But love has flown. And now too late my bitter tears begin.”

Can we find new melodies of gratitude and support for those who offered us a new way forward and regain the wonderful feeling once we had as children of the joys and expectations of this season?

Ronald Cheney

Francestown