There is no honor in proclaiming the hope that if something bad occurs to a lot of people, one could benefit from that crisis. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, whatever their shortcomings, have never come close to making a statement of that tenor.

Donald Trump did, we learned recently, when before the 2008 housing crash he commented, “I honestly wouldn’t mind if a housing bubble burst occurs, because I can make a lot of money it if does.”

Now, in 2016, when responding to criticisms of that statement, he said, to cheers at a rally, “I’m a businessman for goodness sake. That’s what we do — buy low, sell high. That’s the kind of thinking this country needs more of.”

Five million Americans lost their homes and children became homeless across this country — which Trump says he wants to make great again.

Like many people, the value of my house dropped sharply in the ensuing market collapse. Even the banker who was refinancing my mortgage then said she lost $75,000 on the value of hers.

The irony in this revelation is that like many of Trump’s pronouncements, whatever their challenge to any sense of decency, it likely will not make any difference to his supporters, many of whom saw the value of their own homes drop significantly then, or may have even lost their homes or seen their neighbors lose theirs, or their pensions, without hope of recovery.

Paul Baribault, Lewiston

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