Roland Hopkins - Founder's message: If you really want change

As much as I go out of my way to avoid politics and religion in my messages for obvious reasons, I couldn't help but notice that my two most recent messages starring Donald Trump brought more response than any others written monthly over the past 40 plus years. I am sure that you noticed that I didn't mention his political party or religion, but that he did a good job shaking things up at a time when what's going on in Washington needed shaking up even if it was only to lower gas prices. Now that he has decided not to run for office, his political press popularity has diminished, but he certainly made enough headlines, and was probably responsible for many politicians and politician wannabies hunting through dusty documents searching for their birth certificates. Meanwhile, on the active political front, seven Republican candidates recently debated in New Hampshire and introduced themselves to the public. Since I am an Independent I can probably get away with some unbiased opinions. As I viewed the debate it became quite apparent that one of the strongest candidates was a woman. Of the thirty plus presidents since George Washington, none have been women, or have any women even run for the office. The closest was Hillary Clinton who came a lot closer than people realize during the last election. If you recall, she was way ahead in the polls until her husband decided to "help" her campaign. What was that all about? If we all agree that men and women were definitely created different (famous book - Men are from Mars, Women from Venus) what would be wrong with electing a female as president? Does Michele Amble qualify? Who is she you ask. That's her maiden name. I Googled her. She's been married to the same guy for 33 years. She has 5 children and a law degree. She's currently a representative from Minnesota. She's been a senator, she's a Lutheran, was born in Iowa, and is 55 years old. Watch for her name, Michele Bachmann, in headlines during the next 18 months. Who else might be a female candidate? Sarah Palin? We all know her. Is she qualified? Probably more than most senators and congressmen. She's 47, has been a mayor and a governor. She's married with 5 children, finished 3rd in the Miss America Alaska pageant in 1984, she was born in Idaho, played on a high school championship basketball team, and became a radio sportscaster as her first job. What about Hillary? Is she qualified? Spent 8 years as a senator, 8 years in the White House, and 8 years in the Arkansas governor's mansion. She's 63 years old, has one child, graduated from Wellesley College, and is now secretary of state. That's three candidates with 18 months to go. Maybe the biggest difference between men and women, other than the obvious when they're dressed in bathing suits, is how they solve problems. Historically, macho men punch first and dialogue second. They were created that way. Not their fault. Boys will be boys. How many men do you know who claimed spousal abuse against their wife? Maybe if more women were country leaders there would be less wars. Is it worth a try? I guess we'll find out if our country is really ready for change. If not, I guess we'll have more of the same. By the way, a recent national survey showed residential real estate still declining in values and commercial real estate rebounding. I could have written about that. Comments welcome! Roland Hopkins is the founder of the New England Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.