It’s a scary time of year. It’s scary to drive anywhere.

You’d like to just take a nice ride through the countryside and enjoy the beautiful fall colors that nature provides us at this time of year. But it’s not the Halloween decorations that are frightening, morbid and gross that they can be. It’s not even the deer running across the road in our path. It’s the disturbing sight of way too many Donald Trump-JD Vance signs, especially in the rural farming areas.

Trump’s trade war with China during his administration produced a pricing crisis for farmers and some Midwest farmers recently interviewed by Voice of America are fearful of the upcoming election; specifically, the tariffs that Trump plans to put in place.

His tariffs on China have continued, and according to the president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, a priority of that organization is seeing that further tariffs do not happen. Tariffs prompt retaliation from countries that supply their raw materials and also force farmers to find other markets, not to mention tariffs equate to higher prices for all consumers.

Additionally, Trump’s mass deportation plan will affect the ability of farm owners who rely on the H-2A program to get adequate help. The plan allows agricultural employers to hire immigrants on a temporary basis to do jobs that they can’t find workers for here. His threats are already having a chilling effect on the ability of farmers to obtain the help they need. The more our farmers have to struggle, the higher the prices we pay at the grocery store.

Congress has not passed a Farm Bill to replace the one that has just expired. Included in the Farm Bill is funding for SNAP, which provides government assistance to low-income families for food, which in turn, bolsters the market for our farmers.

The Republican House has held up the bill because they want to strip the SNAP funding from the bill. Feeding America and other groups fighting hunger, along with democrats, strongly oppose this cut. Many of the Trump signs appear in front of homes of families that may rely on some type of government aid, or have needed it at some time or other, that includes many of us. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the ACA, all in jeopardy.

We don’t need to watch any of the horror shows that run on TV at this time of year. Just seeing clips of Trump rallies is horrifying enough with the clownish buffoon act that he puts on and the nonsensical ramblings that he calls “weaving.” It’s frightening in itself to think that so many people would accept that as worthy of a world leader. But then you’re left to wonder, is he actually losing it, or could that be an intentional deception.

His lengthy campaign, entertaining his base, biding his time, puts you on edge wondering what he is up to, just like waiting for the villain to strike in a horror movie. His rhetoric has gotten increasingly vicious. You know he is desperate to avoid his felony sentence and his other legal problems. He has already shown us what he is willing to do for power. He thinks laws don’t apply to him. He has said before, he doesn’t care about votes. He says if elected, we will never have to vote again. That is definitely ominous.

What was feared when Trump first ran in 2015 has been gradually realized. At the time, the fear was mostly based on his personality profile, his history, and the people he was being influenced by. There were amorphous similarities to Hitler back then, but after the rally at Madison Square Garden, it is no longer conjecture. He has confirmed it with that rally. Hate filled that arena.

By now, it’s hard for Trump to shock – but that rally was shocking. Trump’s campaign managers and other Republicans are trying to create distance from the remarks at that rally, but they don’t learn, it’ll be like the Access Hollywood tape. MSG was the site of a huge Nazi rally in 1939. Trump had no political advantage to holding a rally there. Was that venue chosen for that reason?

Now it’s out in the open — he wants to be like Hitler, have complete power like other strongman dictators. It is well publicized that his former Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, said Trump meets the definition of a fascist, and would govern as a dictator if given the opportunity. He also said that Trump made admiring statements about Hitler. Kelly agreed to be interviewed by the New York Times when he heard Trump threatening to use the military to go after “the enemy within”; his political opponents, journalists, or anyone who doesn’t agree with him.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley described Trump as the “most dangerous person to this country” and “fascist to the core.” They should know, and are very reputable sources along with many of our other high-ranking military leaders who are warning us.

So, are we going to see a sequel to the horror of Jan. 6? If Trump wins, we will have a revengeful fascist in the White House and upheaval in our democratic constitutional system to look forward to. If he loses, he will repeat his onslaught on our election process, like last time, only worse. He and Speaker Mike Johnson have a “little secret”, which is probably the same script as before, only this time with a Republican leader of the House. No plot twist there.

Had the founders not put the decision in the hands of an electoral college, or had the system been reformed before five presidents won who actually lost the popular vote, we would not have this problem.

Back then, the founders were worried that a charismatic authoritarian with selfish intentions would be able to sway the masses so that a popular vote would be dangerous. But now …. Oh. Guess that should’ve been fixed before Trump came along.

Steven King can’t write anything scarier than Project 2025. So a good thing to do right now, as we face what could be our final chance to cast a meaningful vote for President of the United States, is to read “On Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder.

Fear is the weapon of fascism; the author draws from 20th century examples to show us how to defend against it. Written in 2017, it is 93 pages of help to apply to our current situation. The first two chapters are “Do Not Obey in Advance” and “Defend Institutions” and in chapters 18-20 he tells us to “Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives”, “Be a Patriot”, “Be as Courageous as You Can”, and hope that the United States survives Nov. 5.

Please be brave and vote for democracy and against Trump’s hate and division.

Susan Bigler is a Sheridan resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com