Tag: civil rights

Opinion

Voting Rights and Infrastructure

The Democrats have confronted COVID19 with vaccines, resources, and plans to put America back on a path to normalcy. Now the Biden Administration and Congressional democrats must confront more existential threats to the future of the United States as a republic. Republicans pursuing policies of white supremacy and voter disenfranchisement in states must be confronted by a strong voting expansion and protection measure. Currently we are nowhere near 100% participation by eligible citizens in our elections, although high turnout is a worthy goal that strengthens democracy and justice. Climate Chaos is a regular feature of life today with the Texas power grid fiasco being the latest manifestation of the danger to our civilization. An infrastructure bill that puts Americans to work strengthening our physical capacity to protect citizens and commerce from strengthening weather events is existentially important. Any failure to immediately begin development of a resilient society is to accept large-scale Climate Chaos death that will make the half-million souls lost to COVID19 look small in comparison. Joe Biden and the Democrats have to move mountains, and do it quickly, because Republicans just want to play politics with race and economics, they aren’t ready for this moment. America could not afford Trump and his wasted 4 years that damaged the country while morally bankrupting the Republicans. We are climbing out of another ditch as we did under President Obama (after the markets crashed), but this time we cannot afford to wait for, or count on, Republicans.

Opinion

Action on voting rights

To protect the right to vote congress must take action with HR-1 and other legislation to expand access to the ballot for all citizens. Republican legislatures have declared war on high percentages of American citizens voting and that is intolerable. We should want more people voting and not fewer. Trump’s election proves that low percentages of Americans voting can be disastrous. Voting by mail should become the default way to cast a ballot with safeguards that have traditionally worked. Every state should race to increase participation and education among voters, with dark money in campaigns made illegal. Anyone with a viewpoint on an election should have to state who they are and what their interest is. We came close to losing our Republic on January 6, 2021 and before with Trump. America must make voting transparency, security, and participation high priorities to defend our republic.

Opinion

Biden administration has to move mountains

It appears the Biden administration has COVID in retreat after Trump refused to deal with it seriously. A new book says that Trump was totally fooled by the Chinese leadership and then became angry. He could not admit being tricked so kept lying to cover up and protect his fragile ego. Biden now has to deal with a range of issues that the previous administration ignored or just made worse. From climate to low social mobility and voting rights our country is in danger. Democrats have seen that Republicans are not dedicated to the US Constitution, but focused on power. Lies about the election, the need for masking, climate change, and massive corruption are major issues today. Lies flow too easily from too many Republicans. The old saying that ‘the first casualty of war is the truth’ rings true for today’s America. Joe Biden and the Democrats must continue to make significant progress against major real world threats. while preventing civil war and fighting for the soul of America.

Opinion

Recognize Heroes

We need to recognize heroes regularly in America. We elect presidents and public officials who are contemptible and we expect our future to be good. We cannot have a good future when we hold up corrupt figures (like Donald Trump) as leaders of our society. We look at our politics and both sides shake their heads while one side (Republicans) consistently lies to uphold their viewpoint. America is in a moral valley of epic proportions. We will either break towards fascism and deep evil, or rise towards hope and saving our species from self-destruction. Heroes like the two white men in Portland who stood up on May 26, 2017 to defend minority women from threat by a crazed white supremacist and lost their lives. They should be recognized. Do you know their names? Talliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, and Rick Best were killed protecting the lives of two Somali women on a light rail train. MIcah David-Cole Fletcher was wounded in the fight. These men are heroes and we should recognize their heroism regularly as a part of what decency means in modern America after the filth of Trump. It is not enough to label the evil and hold them accountable, we must recognize selflessness and what we should all strive to be.

Opinion

One White privilege – voting your class or your race

Heather McGhee in her new book “The Sum of Us” says that white Americans have voted their race more than their class, which is why Republicans are where they are. I have observed this phenomena and not known what to call it. Republicans can behave badly, lie, be corrupt, and attack working people and still win. I knew that it was due to racism, but had never heard it put more concisely than Ms. McGhee put it. America is on the edge of choosing fascism over democracy as Republicans in state legislatures propose laws to restrict voting because they lost. Trump has spun his lie of the election being stolen into a movement to restrict voting access. Republicans believe they can destroy democratic norms and still win due to racism in the American electorate. The near future will tell us if America as the shining city on a hill is dead. The world sees us for who we are because it is so obvious. Trump is not hard to figure out. He is a corrupt, racist, sociopath for all who observe him without hoping he will damage their fellow humans of another race/class in America. For those wretched souls who believe he can help them he is reportedly a savior. There are sad days ahead unless Joe Biden can restore hope in America. Research, vote, and work to restore the American dream and republic!

Opinion

Wreckless Republicans

Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifted mask restrictions after the CDC asked that everyone continue to mask up until we reach higher levels of vaccination. The Republican governor of Mississippi did the same after Florida governor DeSantis bragged at CPAC that his state was a bastion of freedom for defying the health experts. Greg Abbott has already been complicit while Texans died and suffered due to Republican leadership’s 20 plus year failure to prepare the power grid for cold weather conditions. Republicans in the Senate refuse to recognize the results of the 2020 elections except for their own victories. Republicans are becoming a divisive and malevolent force as they attack the republic for their failure to hold power. Our country could become increasingly destabilized if character does not become a descriptor of Republicans. Republicans have become too wed to racism hidden under the slogan that “Government is the problem” as Reagan said. Government is the problem when it attempts to guarantee the rights of citizens no matter their color apparently. Research and vote to hold politicians accountable for truth and policy. Fight against greed, lies, and fear to save our republic!

Opinion

Hoping for Unity

Americans need to be united and committed to a better future for the country. To achieve success we need to have an immigration system that makes sense to everyone and right now we don’t have one. Businesses do not want to accept the responsibility or cost of effectively verifying the citizenship status of employees, so they lobby Republicans to block it. Democrats want to extend citizenship to dreamers and others who have been in the country working for years to promote fairness and dignity. As our disunited country has done for several decades we create a situation that no one likes. We have done the same with healthcare, climate change, civil rights, voter rights, etc. Greed and selfishness have driven us to a dystopian reality in many ways. We have become very good at fighting to get our way while creating inequity, decay, and anger. We have moved beyond the point where we need to stop digging our national grave. It is within America’s ability to help our neighboring countries and create a just immigration system. Joe Biden has asked that we seek win-win solutions; I urge every citizen to contact their representatives about the issues to push for solutions that respect human dignity while promoting unity and justice.

Opinion

Go big, or go home

President Biden has plenty of work to do, and so far he has done the job of restoring faith in our republic and his leadership of it. The president has been clear in stating what he wants to do and how he will go about trying to achieve bipartisan support. The Republicans want to pretend that the insurrection, and their attempts to hobble the Obama administration before wasting money on a tax cut for the rich with Trump did not happen. President Biden saw all of it and knows that he cannot waste time negotiating with people who have only bad faith towards him achieving anything for the American people. The president knows that he has to play both the long and the short game to be successful and if anyone can do it, he can. The administration’s job right now is to help those who are in jeopardy from the pandemic before moving on to climate change, racial injustice, immigration, infrastructure, and healthcare for all Americans. Many of these issues are interrelated whether Republicans realize it or not. America’s enemies will attack us where we are weak, which right now is our societal divisions and lack of a strong healthcare system. If COVID was an attack it was successful, and the next attack could be stronger and more devastating. America needs a robust healthcare system that services every citizen. The next four years will require a lot of money to be focused on strengthening our society to compete for the future.

Opinion

Those who would rather shatter it than share it

Poet Amanda Gorman spoke of people who would rather shatter our republic than share it. The description sounds completely appropriate in light of the MAGA crowd and Republicans threatening the vote for 2020 and beyond. Republican legislators around the country are working to make voting harder, in a country that already has low percentages of the eligible population participating. The United States increasingly seems a country where a percentage of the population views the rest as targets for submission, not fellow citizens. The main tools in the conflict to control America are lies, threats, gerrymandering, and terrorism from Republicans; Democrats counter with demographic trends leading to political dominance because the other side offers nothing for working people. The Republican issue is failing to believe in conservative theory leading to policies and solutions the majority of Americans will vote for; so they lie. Our politics can be fixed if we can get Republicans to get back to practical solutions to problems rather than just knee-jerk anti-spending and anti-socialism. Capitalism is the engine of our society, but is not the best solution for every problem. Do you want police officers paid by the number of tickets they issue? America and Republicans can easily do better by rejecting Reagan’s idea that government is the problem. Real life is more complex than zero-sum thinking allows for. Sharing is far better than a broken country for all of us.

Opinion

Feeling Hopeful

President Joe Biden is showing Americans what leadership looks like. He is talking and acting like a person of character and conviction about COVID19, climate change, racism, infrastructure, and making work pay. President Biden cannot do everything he wants without the help of Congress, but by using executive orders he is not sitting around waiting for them to act. The Biden/Harris administration is sending the signal that citizens matter by exhibiting transparency and answering the questions of the press. Our government is not supposed to solve all of our problems, but it is supposed to set the stage for the success of our efforts. With numerous challenges for America we now have adults in charge who know that leadership in government matters for the future and success of hard working citizens. When Biden talks he is optimistic and focused on our issues; not talking about himself and lying about bizarre issues like inauguration crowd size. I do not believe everything will be perfect now, but we have good reason for hope. Let’s keep paying attention and sorting out truth from fiction because the ultimate decision makers are us.