Are we better off on race?

Presidential candidates often ask, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Though the pandemic has thrown our economy into uncertainly, leading up to the election I am more concerned with the tenor of our nation’s conversation on race and equality.

When I contemplate ‘are we better off’ by that measure, I recall an incident that happened to me four months into the presidency of Donald J. Trump.

I was driving from the Willamette Valley to Bend, Oregon (an elevation gain of 4,500 feet) to visit an old friend. While the roads are usually clear in April, a wet snow began to fall. And when I reached Santiam Pass the road was covered in slush.

People drive way too fast, and despite the inclement weather, I had a guy tailgating me. Feeling pressured, I was going faster than I should have been and, heading into a turn, I began to hydroplane.

I over-corrected, spun 180 degrees and was going backwards in the right lane drifting towards the embankment. Time slowed down, I thought I was going over the side. I was oddly calm. Then my rear tires hit the soft mound of snow and sand which swung me around to rest perpendicular to the flow of traffic and one foot from edge.

I was shaken but otherwise fine. The engine was still running.