Who ever thought that on the 4th of July, the main emotion evoked in millions of Americans would be shame. Shame that our fellow citizens voted to elect the worst leader in the history of our country. I have used every negative adjective I know to describe this awful man. It hasn't changed a single mind. But, he is now losing his grip on his followers at a rate that should be alarming to him. Instead, I believe he will ratchet up his tyrannical behavior until the United States is just a blip in the ocean, which some in Russia will claim to see from their bedroom window. 250 years is not old for a nation, and while Anderson Cooper may think we'll be back to normal in 50 years, I don't. I know we won't get there in my lifetime.

But instead of bellowing at the moon, I think we should all look forward, not 50 years, but to 2028. What traits should the leader of this country possess? On the last day of 2016, I wrote:

What feelings should an incoming President invoke in us? My answer is pride in our country, a sense of security, so that when we go to sleep at night we know the world will be there when we wake up, and feelings of trust that our nation's leader will steer the country along the right path, embracing principles of freedom, tolerance and opportunity for all, and act in ways that confirm to the world that the United States is a beacon of liberty, not authoritarianism.

Your turn. What traits should our next leader possess? And for another day, how do we protect ourselves from the clutches of future felonistic fraudsters clawing their way to the pinnacle of power?