Why I am against politics and will never vote Republican (trigger warning)

 

I shouldn’t say never because it is narrowly possible that a Republican may come along proving to be a real leader and not just a businessman or politician and someone who actually gives a damn about the people enough to fight for real change in our country. I don’t see it happening in my lifetime but it is what it is. I also say everything here with full knowledge that plenty of you out there won’t care what I think. That’s just fine. Feel free to walk on by, because if you attack me, invariably prove me right. But if you want to know how you lost my vote, I’m going to spell it out here.

I’ve lived through some of what I recognize as Republican cruelty and indifference by growing up in Nebraska, arguably one of the most anal retentive excessive Republican states in the country. Lincoln is my hometown. It’s a college town and also an immigration hub. Being that, it’s a mess of racial intolerance in its base society. If you are colored, gay or just a woman, you get shit on. If you are loaded, you’ll do just fine. If you are white and find a steady job, you’ll be mostly fine. But Lincoln and Nebraska overall don’t forgive you for not being what they prefer. Oh, and if you are mentally ill or disabled, you’re screwed. You’re a pariah.

I suffered some pretty terrible misfortunes in Lincoln and they started from my very childhood. The school system labelled me retarded and I was forced to endure a lengthy hospital stay when I was 13. There was some justice when I returned because the doctor in charge of my care collected all my teachers together and some of the administration and called them the worst excuses for educators he had ever seen. I was found in testing to be advanced, but they allowed such severe bullying over my differences that there was no way in hell I could ever be successful in their shitty school environment. A couple of the teachers changed their ways toward me, but the rest hated me because they got called out. Then we moved to Utah, where it started all over again because not only was I still different, but I wasn’t Mormon. That’s a whole different story. I came to understand that the whole system was run under a very Republican belief system swim or drown.

I don’t know why my life kept bringing me back to hellhole Nebraska, but I finally got a career there. But MS started to mess with me and I was also diagnosed as bipolar/aspergers and that started to mess with that career. I tried to get help but it was decided by a few certain people that I no longer was worthy of that career. Those four people went out of their way to investigate the deepest corners of my past, scrutinize every single solitary action I took to do anything beyond wiping my ass and forced me into a position where my Union rep said I needed to quit because I was dealing with sharks that smelled blood. I tried to get legal recomp against them and even got a “right to sue” letter from the Equal Opportunity Commission that was summarily ignored by a judge and my case was thrown out. Their actions also moved into my public life where I was harassed by police and neighbors. I was diagnosed with loss of identity and psychological break down. It took me years to recover and I became permanently disabled with MS though official diagnosis would come years later. What’s the point of this? There was a time in the middle of it that I was forced to accept welfare and the Republican system enacted a work program that took away all benefits if you didn’t “go to work” where they told you. My wife and I both were forced to work in a warehouse. I worked right next to a 74 year old woman on permanent oxygen. Yeah, they didn’t care what her doctor had to say, she needed to WORK. This program was not only cruel but was found unconstitutional and shut down. Let me point out again, that this program didn’t care what your medical conditions were, you would move heavy boxes of bottled water all day because “work dammit!”. That was a Republican program, and they have always been Republican programs.

I have finally left Nebraska and have family there that I love, but I will never live there again. So I have a whole lifetime of experiences with Republican run ideals that burned my life at every turn. I suffered. But my story doesn’t end there. Now we see another aspect that made me not only anti-Republican ideals, but anti-politics as well. Politics are destroying our country with civil unrest but there are some comparisons that I have noted that further push me away from ever going Republican. Here are some more ways they lost me.

When Michelle Obama was called a man, they lost me. Who stoops to shit like that? You get one guess.

When Michelle Obama was ridiculed for showing her arms, but Melania Trumps nudes were found “tasteful” they lost me.

When they found ways to excuse “grab em by the pussy”, “I’d do my daughter”, and “I walked right through that room of undressed teen girls at that pageant because I can do that”, but now Biden is a creepy old man… they lost me.

When they ridiculed a man for taking a knee in protest but men armed with semi automatic rifles taking over capital buildings was okay, they lost me.

When peaceful protestors were blamed for and condemned for property damage but a 17 year old who crosses state lines, has a weapon illegally due to age, and puts himself in a position to KILL two people is cheered as some kind of folk hero, they lost me.

When the Proud Boys and other far right extremists got cheered for running in the streets beating up black people and gay people with sticks and bats, they lost me.

They also lost me when they ended head start for my son with special needs and when the same school system put him in a corner and left him there for the same needs.

Every time I see someone blaming all Dems or Libs for things I know Republicans are at least doing “too”, they lose me again.

Don’t get me wrong. I hate our entire political system. When I saw Nancy Pelosi tear up a speech behind Trump, I found it childish and stupid. When I heard Biden tell a crowd to “clap you dumb bastards” I shook my head. I know it isn’t just Republicans, but I see the level of hypocrisy and which way it is really going. I see the unprecedented levels of Republican hatred and delight in just being fucking cruel to everyone they can find. I see violence by Republicans cheered while any infraction of  any kind by anyone else is condemned. I see a leader with a cult of followers that I don’t even consider Republican because they are now something far beyond that. I see a leader who is shunned by the rest of the world and who could commit any level of atrocity and be cheered for it by his base.

If you are a Republican reading this and you don’t embrace the ideals or behaviors I am condemning here, you are okay with me. At least you see humans and  humans. If you embrace these ideals in any way, you can fuck right off. I don’t care if you never buy my books or like my artwork or anything else. That is what this situation has pushed me too and I’m not even going into the Pandemic on top of it.

So do you hate me now? Fine.

We should Abolish Politics

Today I am going to ruffle feathers and make heads explode. Today I will be called a heretic and today many of you are going to hate my bloody guts. But this is an opinion I did not form overnight. It is not casually that I post it. I have been thinking about this for years. This year, of all years, tells me that my opinion has merit more than ever.

So just what am I talking about? No more politicians? No. There will still be politicians, however it is high time we held them to a standard befitting the station. The ethical compass of politics has been fractured for a very long time, yet ever since "grab em by the pussy" was okay I would say it's dead, dead, dead.

It's time to tear down and rebuild how we elect our leaders at any level, especially the Presidency. It's time becoming a leader means you are actually just that, a leader. So how?

Well, get ready to pick your jaw up off the floor because my number one step in this is to eliminate political parties. That's right. No more Democrats and no more Republicans. No more political titles used only to turn every life subject into a battlefield. Think about it, how every single thing in our country is decided comes right down to the political party backing it. It could be an idea that would save millions of lives, but if it's from a Democrat, Republicans will call that guy a libtard and vote against for that reason alone (at the start- more excuses will come up later). And the exact same playbook is used the other way. Healthcare, education, and the economy all suffer because they become a congressional game of field hockey.

I'm not saying they won't keep fighting over it, but it's only the start of what I see correcting our political problems. When you can no longer claim a political party, the merits of what you are as a leader change. No longer can you just blame all Republicans for that problem in Flint, Michigan, but you can go straight to the names and they only have themselves to blame.

In the next point, we take away the money game used to run for office. No more publicity stunts and grandstanding. Make getting into office start out like any other job...

APPLY FOR IT, get accepted based on your merits and qualifications and then get voted on. Hell, this would probably be about the best part of it all. But who decides who is qualified? Well, that will require actual qualifications to be drafted (and they actually have before) but real ones, like leadership, commerce education, law education, etc. You have to have SOMETHING that educationally qualifies you as President.  I mean, let's look at the current top 3 requirements:

1: Natural born citizen
2: At least 35 years of age
3: Have lived in the US for at least 14 years.

Then you have to raise obscene amounts of money, money, money that would serve so much better in a hundred other places. Campaigns for President raise hundreds of millions of dollars and at the end of the campaign, they are allowed to put any unused funds into "general campaign expenses" with no idea where any of it really goes. I know this shows you have the support of the people, but this is far into the information age where getting that support could be streamlined and technology could be applied. There is no reason for this having such a cost application.

I don't have all the answers and I'm sure I'll get hate mail. Chill, it's an opinion. You have them too. But politics are turning human issues into weapons and it's a morbid abuse of power at all levels.  Take away the names that make the weapons, make them really apply for the job, and then hold the accountable right down to ethics. That's another thing, it's ridiculous how both sides scream out about the ethics of the other, while simultaneously committing the same sins and claiming it's okay because its 'insert political party here'. For example, Republicans are all about how unethical Biden is and how he's a sexual letch but forget that just 4 years ago they didn't mind "grab em by the pussy" and even made tshirts. It's either okay or it isn't and make it no longer a political stance. Wrong, right, simple.

Don't believe there's T-shirts? Google it.

Finally, just one more thing. Throw out corporations. No more corporate sponsorships or hands in the cookie jar. Corporations need to be completely removed from politics because they have no interest in the people, only their bottom line. By the people for the people... it hasn't been that in generations and corporations are why.

So there you have it. Hate me all you want. Flip out over your political identity if you want to. I'm sure I'll be called un-American too. But you know what? It's an idea and I have my rights to have ideas just like you do. Oh well.

Reflecting on the Presidents of my Lifetime

I was born in 1970 during Richard Nixon's run as President of the United States. Naturally, since I was a mere child, who he was mattered for zilch to me. I had no reason to care. But lots of people did care since the man resigned over the whole Watergate thing. But I wouldn't learn about that for 10 years yet, give or take a couple. You know,because of a thing called History class.

I had no reason to care about Gerald Ford either. I was in kindergarten and my circle of focus was very small. As it is for any kid really. What matters to you at that age anyway? Food, clothes, school, a few friends, and that's about it.

But if you look at Ford's presidential report card (so to speak) you see something interesting. I'm going to take a quote from the page, but you can read all about it HERE.

Ford's presidency, then, was marked by three elements. First, Ford faced extraordinary challenges, especially involving the nation's economic woes, which he struggled to solve. Second, Ford had difficulty navigating a demanding political environment in which Democrats (from across the ideological spectrum) and conservative Republicans found fault with his leadership and his foreign and domestic policies. The combination of these first two elements helped bring about Ford's defeat in 1976. Just as surely, though, a third dimension of Ford's presidency deserves recognition: Americans, by and large, believed that Gerald Ford was an innately decent and good man and that he would (and did) bring honor to the White House. Although this sentiment proved too little to bring Ford to victory in 1976, it is an assessment that most Americans and scholars still find valid in the years after his presidency.

Take note that Congress was controlled by Democrats and that created severe adversity for him as President. Take special note of that, please. It bears historical significance.

I was 6 years old in 1976 and here was Jimmy Carter (actually took office in 1977). I remember seeing him on television, but that's about all I remember of him. Of course I was in maybe 1st grade by this point. So once again, who this man was mattered not at all to me. But to look back from today, Jimmy Carter inherited a very similar state that Obama did. How? Well HERE and here: 

Carter took office just thirty months after a President had left the entire federal government in a shambles. He faced epic challenges—the energy crisis, Soviet aggression, Iran, and above all, a deep mistrust of leadership by his citizens. He was hard working and conscientious. But he often seemed like a player out of position, a man more suited to be secretary of energy than president. Carter became President by narrowly defeating an uninspiring, unelected chief executive heir to the worst presidential scandal in history. The nomination was his largely because in the decade before 1976, Democratic leadership in the nation had been decimated by scandal, Vietnam, and an assassination.

Because of this and his struggles he was viewed as a "weak and inefficient" President. But today, I hear people say "Now that was a real President." It's funny to me how most of those people aren't any older than I am. Many of them are younger. That means they had no idea what the world situation was like and it sucked. I know that Carter tries to advise Presidents of today based on his experiences, but they usually ignore him. That's what you get for being a moral man in an immoral world.

In 1980 I was 10 years old and Ronald Reagan took over. Now here was a man everyone thought would get things done because "he's not a politician". Sound familiar? He wasn't a politician either, until he ran for President. I don't care who you are, if you run for President, you are a politician. Congrats! Yeah, he was an actor. Well, guess what actors do for a living? Being a politician is a snap next to that. One point still stands that he didn't really matter to me. He mattered to my parents. He mattered to adults. But I really saw no differences in life. 

But you know what? That man actually did get things done. Thanks to the meetings between him and then Russian leader, Gorbachev, the cold war essentially ended. Read about that HERE.

Quoting:  

Reagan's economic legacy is mixed. On the one hand, tax reduction and a tightening of interest rates by the Federal Reserve led to a record period of peacetime economic growth. On the other, this growth was accompanied by record growth in the national debt, the federal budget deficit, and the trade deficit. Defenders of Reagan's economic record point out that a big chunk of the deficit was caused by increased military spending, which declined after the Soviet collapse and created the context for balanced budgets during the Clinton years. Even so, the supply-side tax cuts did not produce the increase in revenues that Reagan had predicted. The economist Robert Samuelson has suggested that Reagan's main achievement in the economic arena was his consistent support of the Federal Reserve, which under Reagan's appointee Alan Greenspan, followed monetary policies that kept inflation low. Reagan also succeeded in a principal goal of reducing the marginal income tax rate, which was 70 percent when he took office and 28 percent when he left.

Before anyone jumps on me, yes I know that there were a lot of people fighting for rights of all kinds during these administrations. Take notice that those subjects are NOT what this post is about. 

Reagan held his post for 8 years and did well enough that when George Bush (prior Vice President) it seemed like the way to go for voters. I was 19 and joining the Army at the time. Again, I give you a link to read up about his Presidency and it's legacy HERE. 

But this quote seems to say it all for how that went, never mind his famous "read my lips" business:

Generally the Bush presidency is viewed as successful in foreign affairs but a disappointment in domestic affairs. In the minds of voters, his achievements in foreign policy were not enough to overshadow the economic recession, and in 1992, the American public voted for change.

For me, I remember a lot of complaining about ol George, even from fellow soldiers and drill sergeants. But I wasn't involved in politics. I wasn't even voting yet. I didn't even register to vote until the Clinton era (if memory serves). No one taught me that I should vote. I knew next to nothing about it. But I did see strife in the common person. That was enough for me. 

Ask yourself this question: How do you earn a second term as President? By doing something right by the people. You have to admit that if a President really did screw up that badly, the common person would not vote for him again. History seems to support this. It's why Reagan held his post for 8 years and why Clinton held his for 8 years. Clinton wasn't your typical democrat as you can read HERE. 

And to quote a section:  

Clinton managed to remake the image and operations of the Democratic Party in ways that effectively undermined the so-called Reagan Revolution. His "New Democrat" Party co-opted the Reagan appeal to law and order, individualism, and welfare reform, and made the party more attractive to white middle-class Americans.

Clinton was the first President that actually mattered to me. He was reported to have held up more campaign promises than any President since JFK. And I still didn't know much about what being President really meant. I was young yet, in my early twenties. What do you care about in your early twenties after all? It seems interesting to me, as I look back, that we have a repeating history of someone who makes a mess of domestic affairs (who only gets one 4 year run) followed by someone who has to play clean up and earns two runs. Trend? Who knows. The Clintons may have been a family of great scandal, but they did do some things right. It was that scandal that changed things back to the Republicans when Al Gore ran for President. That paved the way for a whole new set of disasters.

Let's face it, if Clinton could have kept it in his pants, he and his wife would probably never have been scrutinized so closely, destroying their reputation completely. And we would have a very different political environment today. 

I have to admit, in his first four years, George W whupped some ass. No, he did. Of course LINK. 
He was responsible for the No Child Left Behind program that set way for astounding changes in our educational system. He responded to 911 without hesitation (do NOT start throwing conspiracy theories at me).  But this quote probably says it best:

As President, Bush became a lightning rod for controversy. His controversial election and policies, especially the war in Iraq, deeply divided the American people.

He's still heralded a hero to the upper class because he made things rosy for them. But everyone else was really feeling the pain by the time of his second term (that he earned by his war mongering). How? Well they refused to call it a "depression", but that's about what it was that went hand in hand with the housing collapse that our country still hasn't fully recovered from. You know, the one that put millions of families out of their homes with no legal recourse? It was Bush Jr. who set my views of the Republican party. His forcing of welfare recipients to "work" whether they were physically able or not paved a way to distrust from the entire disabled community. It was found unconstitutional and discontinued (thankfully for a lot of people). These events practically destroyed the middle class and were the beginnings of the divisions we see people blame Obama for today. It was after seeing people in wheelchairs with oxygen tanks forced into slave labor that I decided I would never vote for  a Republican. NEVER. Mind you I don't like either side of the system, but I've been hurt by the Republican party personally so... let's get on with it.

That's what really taught me how politics can affect people. So when Obama came along and I learned about him. I voted for him. But then I would see new disappointments. Unfortunately the Miller Center didn't have a page for him for me to link. Of all the elections of any level that I had witnessed, I never saw political mudslinging like I saw directed at Obama. Even now, people are still screaming that he wasn't and isn't an American citizen. It's been proven that he is and was, but it continues. That behavior and my past experiences only served to concrete my vote for him both times. 

But he did step on some toes to put it lightly. The Affordable Care Act was not received well by insurance companies, so they turned around and screwed a lot of people to save their own budgets. That, of course, received no corrective action. Like Jimmy Carter (remember the historical significance I mentioned above?) he came into office with a Republican controlled Congress that shut down the government twice with their temper tantrums over Obama. Was there also racism or religious hate against him? Absolutely. People on the net still blast him for being "Muslim" when we are supposed to support Freedom of Religion. He did piss people off though, especially the upper class with the whole "redistribution of wealth" idea. Socialism is a very scary word, especially to the extreme Republican. Oh, but please note the educational pic I'm adding. Very interesting and accurate. 

Yeah, he pissed people off, but he was also the most opposed President in office in our recent history. Opposed more than Jimmy Carter was. Every single thing he did was automatically blown out of proportion and rebelled against. But you didn't see him tweeting about it.

That's how it all came to be for me. I don't like our current political system. I think the whole Dems versus Reps is exactly what's tearing the country in half, like it did for the Civil War. As I look back at past Presidents and their elections, it seems to me that at least there was a candidate worth looking at. I didn't want Hillary any more than Trump. Neither side can be reasoned with without degenerating into slurs and fighting. I'm sure someone will attack me for what I've written here and I'll be called a Libtard (I am not a Liberal) or Obama lover (also not). But I know that those attacks seem to come exclusively from Republicans, and to that I will say, while I don't agree with the Democrat side either, I have never been attacked by them, bullied by them, put down by them, etc. Yes, I see what they've done in riots and I don't agree with that either, but my point stands. If you want me to listen to you and you call me names, it won't happen.

Sorry this is so long, but it seemed to need it. Peace out.

Why I won't vote for Trump or Clinton, no matter what.

Even if it means throwing my vote to an independent or (gasp) not voting at all; I will not vote for Trump or Clinton. No way, no how, and I'll tell you why. Some of you will get all bent out of shape and that's on you. I don't care. Vote for who you want to vote for, it's your right to help steer our country to any path of destruction you desire. It's one more thing in my long list of why I hate politics. People becoming a bunch of raving two-year-olds over anyone who doesn't agree with their voting strategy. Well, I won't be hurt if you don't like my vote. If it makes you feel better to insult me over it, again; that's on you. Now I'm going to make a statement that some people might actually be surprised at, but mark it well:

We need to start holding our politicians to a higher standard and soon.

Now let me expand on that with my explanation of why I won't be voting for either of these disastrous people.

Let's start with Trump.

People have given me the following reasons that they want to vote for Trump and think that he'll be our savior. "He's a businessman!" "He's made billions of dollars!" "He knows how to run things!

So basically, you think he's a professional? Not by what I've seen. Let me give you the latest turn of Trump events. The first I've even pointed out before.

- In the New Hampshire Primary Trump won the GOP vote with 32% of the total votes. Sure. He won. But that also means that 68% of Republicans voting didn't want him. I wish people would stop and think about that for just a second or two. Trump sure has.

-Now Trump is throwing a big temper tantrum claiming it's all about "Cruz says mean things about me... WAAAAAA!" and now is threatening to leave the Republican party and go back to being an Independent. You know, maybe if he can't take it he shouldn't dish it? Even so, he's also threatening to sue Cruz which takes the whole issue to a whole new level of ridiculous. It's like no one has ever seen political mudslinging before. Well, apparently Trump thinks it's okay only if he does it. LINK (and there are plenty of them on this same article so have fun fact checking).

-As a third point, and all I'll really need to form the rest of my choice I'm going to quote Trump from one of his rallies regarding the Syrian refugees:  "If I'm elected, you're going back."  Hold on a second. Several countries took in these refugees at direct request of the United Nations and that includes us.

Conclusion: Trump is a great big spoiled brat celebrity, used to having everything HIS way. If he can't have it HIS way, he throws lawsuits around like dollar bills at a strip club and stomps his feet and shakes his fists. And if you're voting for him, you are basically saying that you want a President who sues everyone he doesn't agree with, defies the United Nations and tells our allies to go screw themselves, and insults everyone else to get his way. Yes, if he defies the UN he is telling our allies to screw themselves. If you think he won't apply that same reasoning to every other issue he deals with, you are dreaming. Is that really what we want in the behavior of a PRESIDENT? Do we just not care anymore? Apparently not.

He's a thought: if he's ready to quit his nominating party that fast, how long will he last as President? Think about it.

Now for Clinton.

All I see when I see this woman on the news anywhere is someone so mad for power she's drooling. He whole deal is getting into office by any means necessary. She'll agree with anyone, even if that means changing her stance like a circus contortionist at any given second. All to be the "first woman President". Everyone knows she's been under investigation for billions of missing dollars and evidence that conveniently vanished. You don't have to look far for the ego driven history of Hillary Clinton. This article has a comprehensive list and you can fact check it all you want. There is so much conspiracy and shadow and power madness to Hillary's entire history, that I can't fit it all here. I can't make a bullet point list because of the sheer magnitude of horrible things attached to her. But apparently, again, people are willing to put her in control of our country. How nice.

These are not the qualities of leadership in any way or form. They are qualities of greed. I won't vote for them.

Yes, I will be voting for Bernie Sanders. If I cannot, then I will throw my vote at an independent or I won't vote at all. I can't bring myself to be directly responsible for the damage that either of these people will do to our country. That' doesn't mean I think Sander's is an angel, but compared to either of these two monsters, he comes pretty damn close.