Taylor’s Takes: We can’t have nice things

At the very top of my street lives a very liberal couple.

They drive Subarus or Subaru-adjacent vehicles. The cars are loaded with Hillary, Biden, and Harris bumper stickers. There are always yard signs planted in their front lawn advocating for wind farms and solar panels.

I won’t get into what the husband does for work, but he works at a quasi-governmental agency in what is, or very soon will be, a vestigial job.

All of this is to say that these neighbors of mine are extremely liberal people who likely don’t see eye-to-eye with me on any political issue, never mind President Trump.

But after every Thanksgiving, this extremely liberal man spends hours in his yard, stringing up the most festive Christmas display in the neighborhood. I mean, he goes all out. I’ve seen him bring out boxes upon boxes, carefully stringing twinkling lights along his fence, plunging stakes for light-up inflatables and blow-molds, and setting up projectors that shine stars and snowflakes on the side of his house.

The man even has a snow machine to manufacture fluffy white flakes in his yard for those not-so-white Christmas seasons.

A couple of years ago, I was driving home during Christmas time. It was just getting dark, and the neighbor’s yard was coming together as he put the finishing touches on his light display outside. I stopped my car, rolled down my window, and said to him, “You know, I can’t stand your politics, but I really appreciate the amount of work you put into your Christmas decorations each year.”

We both kind of chuckled, wished each other a Merry Christmas, and resumed what each of us was doing before that interaction.

That was probably the only time I’ve ever talked with that man. And even though our politics or lifestyles don’t align, we were still able to have a pleasant moment that met between hard work and recognition.

My ability to have that amount of civility with someone who is the political antithesis to my leanings leaves me utterly amazed that others can’t have that same reaction when beautification happens on a national scale.

President Trump just had crews wrap up on a facelift of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.

The process was intensive and involved fixing old leaks, waterproofing the concrete, and installing a new water purification system, along with a custom American flag blue foam coating.

But, soon after the project’s completion, trouble began to brew.

Pieces of the blue foam were popping up to the surface. Algae blooms were spreading.

The algae was an expected problem, at first, as warm weather had affected the water reserves that were waiting to be opened to fill the pool.

But the problems persisted.

And soon protests were being held at the Reflecting Pool. Crazed liberals were cheering for more algae blooms.

Trump this week announced that arrests have been made and citations have been issued in connection with the destructive vandalism that has damaged the newly renovated Reflecting Pool. Court documents allege that the suspected vandals used razors to cut pieces of the blue foam and even resorted to dumping fertilizer into the pool in order to speed up and intensify the algae formations.

All this just to spite Trump.

The Reflecting Pool, and any other memorial in Washington, D.C., is for the entire nation to enjoy and the world to admire. These installations belong to all of us. Yet, the left can’t stand that Trump called for the beautification of oft-neglected statues, fountains, and even pools.

When you resort to destroying something that is objectively beautiful simply because you disagree or even hate the steward, you need to reevaluate your life decisions and seek therapy.

I never once dreamed of desecrating my neighbor’s light display, though I vehemently oppose the candidates he’s supported.

Why, then, can’t liberals behave in the same fashion and allow all of us to enjoy what those before us have built for future generations?

While the destruction of historic property is physical, it is also symbolic of what the left is doing on a political level. Just look at New York and the “Democratic Socialists” they’re trying to install in their upcoming elections. The left is trying to destroy Democracy in the name of saving it.

To quote Trump from his 2026 State of the Union address, “These people are crazy.”