Make America Great Again?
Really now, was America really "Great" at some undefined decade in the past. And, should we return to that state of "Greatness" that we have left behind.
How about 1910 before World War I? Women could not vote, Jim Crow laws made life miserable for Negroes throughout the South, people lived to around 50, no anti-biotics were available, no Social Security or Medicare, sweat shop non-union work conditions, pollution, coal consumption, rich white men in charge ...
How about the 1930's: The Great Depression, Jim Crow laws, discrimination towards women in jobs, limited advanced medical treatments, harassment of gay people, A World War on the horizon, few telephones, rich white men in charge, Nazi racist ideology on the rise, limited divorce laws favor men ...
How about around 1850: Slavery, everybody worked as farmers, few colleges/universities, no votes for women, widespread poverty, limited government, Civil War looming, no electricity, no plumbing, few roads, rich white men in charge, all Christian Churches supported slavery ...
How about the 1780's: What the current Tea Party politicians like to tout as "Great." Slavery, rich white land owners have all the political power, very limited government services, everybody dirt farming, repression of Native people, repression of women, little or no taxes, free-for-all exploitation ...
How about the 1990's: computer boom and good new jobs, a bustling economy, easing persecution of gays, Clinton Democratic administration, tougher laws, rich white men controlling power, corporate greed, repression of the working class, America First Jingoism, environmental exploitation and destruction, ignoring the serious climate changes, blind worship of Christian myths, pollution of the oceans and great rivers, our oil addiction, money-money, fast food spending, spend-spend, bigger cars, RVs, and guns, world travel, species extinction, etc. Was this all GREAT??
So, just when was "America Great"? Pretty much always for rich white men and rich Christian preachers in control of jobs and politics and indoctrination.
Karen and I gave $120.00 to the Biden/Harris campaign, Ellon Musk gave $45,000,000.00 to Donald Trump's campaign. Really! Again, rich white men and wealthy corporations trying to take control.
I wish for and hope that America can improve, become better, be more inclusive, deal constructively with environmental and energy problems, adopt Green Lifestyles, and that our citizens can have respect and appreciation for all the efforts by Federal, State, County, and City governments and employees to improve our lives in hundreds of useful ways.
I seriously doubt that we might be 'greater' and 'better' and 'improved' in the future. The old simpler definitions of "GREAT" (i.e., huge military industrial complex, tougher laws, rich white men controlling power, racism, discrimination, repression of the working class, America First Jingoism, environmental exploitation and destruction, ignoring the serious climate changes, blind worship of Christian myths, pollution of the oceans and great rivers, our oil addictions, money-money, spend-spend, bigger cars, RVs, and guns, world travel, etc.) are NOT Great and will lead to worldwide disasters, famine, wars, and disease.
If you are a minimum wage worker, keep always in mind that Republicans have always voted against minimum wage increases for workers. Republicans and Trump have also been consistently against the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama Care). Republicans have always resisted and voted against Social Security since President Roosevelt and Medicare since President Johnson.
Republicans like to complain about various programs, complain about people they don't like, complain about crime, complain about immigrants, complain about governmental rules they don't like, complain about overpaid government employees, complain about catering to old people, complain about rising prices, complain about liberals, etc., etc. Their opinions about "governmental failures" and "creeping socialism" dominate their thoughts, not the good achievements of our people.
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
- John Kenneth Galbraith
Republicans consistently preach about the Magic Bullet of REDUCING TAXES. Yet they seldom specify which governmental services should be discontinued, expanded, or eliminated. They claim that reducing taxes will result in more and better jobs? How? "Trickle Down Economics" will just result in more trivial goods purchased from China, higher Federal debt, and richer billionaires. They want more high paid police to protect their property and lives; and, maybe less welfare for homeless mothers or no food for children at school or more abortion restrictions or less Medicare benefits, or cutting the pay of government employees, or no Green initiatives. A Modernized White Jesus (getting rid of the Jewishness) would agree with their plans, they believe. Consume more for myself and my family, and ignore all the warning cries of the Earth and less fortunate people.
Democrats have also failed in many ways to govern wisely for the long run. However, in 2024, I think that even the more limited Green Platform of the Democratic Party offers better ideas for our people.
