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Dennis ConfortoI do not need to go into all the stories regarding the White House, from its design in 1792 to its first completion in 1800, when the first President to live within its walls was John Adams while it was under construction. Of course, there was the total destruction of the White House by the British in 1814, but it is amazing that Dolly Madison, the then First Lady, ran into the burning structure and saved the famous portrait of George Washington. It was great that President Monroe rebuilt the White House so he could move back in 1817.Most do not know that General Robert E. Lee had a mansion that sat on the top of a hill where he could see the White House, and that property became Arlington Cemetery, where the war dead would be buried so that Robert could never go back to that home again. The lesson here is that the Civil War was closer than we think and more personal than we can even understand today.There was another fire in 1929 on Christmas Eve in the attic of the West Wing, but it was contained while guests were in the East Room of the White House. The White House has been remodeled many times with many additions, including the Oval Office and both wings that were added over the years. All Presidents have improved or modified various aspects of the structure or the interior design. Each President changes the Oval Office, even selecting from six different Presidential desks. They have options for their own Presidential carpet, color of drapes, furniture options, and an endless array of statues and artwork options.The gardens have changed, trees have been replaced, and various fences have surrounded the White House grounds, each time getting higher as they were replaced, modified, and improved.Technological improvements have changed the plumbing, electrical workings, and communication systems, which have altered the lighting, sinks, toilets, kitchen, and added elevators. Security changes required tunnels and bunker rooms below ground level and protective systems on the roof, which necessitated changes to the roof support structures. The changes are so massive that none of the Founding Fathers would recognize the structure today, other than the basic design of it.As the world changed, the White House changed. It grew, expanded, and improved with technology. It has evolved as each Presidency has changed. It’s normal, and it is the history of the White House; as the nation changes, it changes. Now we see changes being made to solve a problem that administrations have complained about since Teddy Roosevelt. They needed a big ballroom to host events for guests coming to the White House from around the world—something that the nations of Europe solved three hundred years ago, and we are just getting around to now.Jackie Kennedy had as one of her goals to add a ballroom to the White House because, in 1960, it was a clear issue then. However, JFK was assassinated, and with that event, the goal vanished with her untimely and sad exit from the White House. To build a 100,000 square foot structure on the site, there are few options if the requirement is to keep the whole structure interconnected and maintain the architectural integrity in place. There is another glaring problem: Congress does not like spending money on the White House structure for many political reasons, so basically, the problem never got addressed. That is until Trump. He solved the money problem by paying for it himself, along with others who wanted to chip in to make the White House great again. It makes it hard for Congress to say much since, on top of that, while the government is paying them, President Trump gives his salary to various government programs that need help, most of all veteran programs. So, he is paying for the construction at a price tag of $300 million, and plus he is working for free again for the second time.But if you read the headlines and believe them, then you would think that Trump is destroying the White House while he is destroying democracy. It is amazing to see the keywords the liberal press uses to describe the improvements needed to a structure long past due for this clear need for the White House of today and the future, which will need to host national and international events instead of hosting them in tents for world leaders at great security risk for all.So here are the words the press loves to use to trigger fear, uncertainty, and doubt about a process today that has happened throughout the history of the White House. The words include, but are not limited to, abomination, destruction, devastation, unconscionable, reckless, radical, dismantling, demolished, evil, tearful, regretful, sad, and you get the idea.Then from the keywords derived from stage 4 TDS come the storylines like, it is not his house, it is the people's house, he lied, he said he would not touch the White House, only a King would do this, and again the negative storylines are endless along with the endless crying and complaining by those who offered no solutions, never providing any money to build anything but sharing words that destroy everything.But we know this is not about the White House at all. Had this been, for example, Carter, Obama, Biden, or Clinton, this would have been hailed as a much-needed addition that solved a real problem. So, let us not fool ourselves; this has nothing to do with the White House structure at all. This is about crying the loudest when Trump is doing the most. This is about resisting for the sake of resisting and hating for the sake of hating, and it has nothing to do with reality.Those who are not blinded by the lens of hate see the world very differently and use different words because they are not allowing hate to blind their reality. Let me share with you the words I would use in looking at the updating and solution-solving approach to this White House project. They would be words like wonderful, generous, constructive, historical, beautiful, grand, modernization, bold, beacon, extraordinary, glorious, needed, thoughtful, brilliant, fantastic, kind, marvelous, and the list is likewise endless for me. And by the way, had Clinton, Carter, Biden, and/or Obama done the same thing, I would have used those same words. Why? Well, because I did not resist any of them for the sake of resisting; I saw the good each had done and also saw plenty I disagreed with. But you see, I just do not have that hate syndrome rattling around my head. I simply do not want to live a life full of overstated manufactured fears I constantly see from those who use their positions to trigger fear in the hearts of humankind.For those on the hard left, they live in a constant state of fear, uncertainty, and doubt about everything. They fear the climate, despite none of the projections having been true for the last 60 years, and I mean none of them. And despite their best efforts for me to live a life of manufactured fears of world-ending events, I see the reality that their claims about everything amount to nothing. I am not going to run around angry about cultural issues they make a thousand times bigger than they are, in my life and the lives of the tens of thousands I know. I am not going to get triggered by the anger I see in clips of the utter nonsense I see on shows like The View. I do not watch The View because I do not like their views and their anger and the things taken out of context daily. I know they have to say outrageous things to make a buck by being professionals at how to trigger people into anger by the millions.So yes, I naturally use positive words to lift people, not trigger them. And when you use kind words and people are still triggered, those are the people who look to constantly live a life of taking offense at everything and anything. And who on earth wants to be that person? Not me. Now, because I am a positive person does not mean I deny reality or see awful things in the world, because I do. But my positive nature focuses on solutions and avoids name-calling, mocking, and calling individuals to go in another direction to improve the lives of the vast majority of people. I just want to be respectful about it when I do it. And I never want to allow hate to rule my emotions, my words, or my actions.The truth is I don’t mind walking into a hurricane because I know at its center, in the eye of the storm, it is quiet as the winds swarm around. But like all storms, they blow themselves out because storms like hate are not sustainable for the long haul. I know how hate, if left unchecked for too long, damages the soul, and to be honest with you, I like myself just enough not to damage my soul.The renovations to the White House will be done, and a hundred years from now, the ballroom will have already been historical with some of the greatest future meetings that will be held within it. The hate generated today for who constructed it will fade quickly, and what will stand the test of time will be the ballroom, as millions of Americans will be able to continue to tour the House of the People, for we have no king, just citizens who are given the temporary title of President, who are charged with leaving the world a better place during and after they leave office.By the way, if anyone wants to spend $300 million of their money on my house, please know that I will be very kind and thoughtful in every way I can about that kindness. Because that is exactly what Trump did…Just saying the obvious once again!😏