Yesterday I was in a coffee shop in Rhode Island. As I was waiting for my order, I heard two older men who were sitting at a table discussing politics.
“Biden is not doing anything, besides, he is a Communist,” one said to the other.
I did not turn around.
“Ya,” said the other, “and all the Democrats are Communists too.”
I gasped at what was being said. That was an audible mistake on my part because then all they spoke about was how Democrats are either Socialists or Communists.
“I wonder if these two older gentlemen receive Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, and if they know that these were Democratic Socialist ideas. I wonder if they know what Democratic Socialism is? I wonder if they would blame the Democrats when the Republicans succeed in cutting Social Security and Medicare, as the Republican budget shows,” I thought.
Democratic Socialism is when citizens pool a small portion of their money for the greater good of their community, WHICH THEY VOTE FOR IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS AT LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL ELECTIONS.
This immediate moment is a time to vote for keeping the Democracy we currently do have in the United States of America. We have not lost our Democracy. Do not believe the lies that you need to physically fight. You have an extremely important role at the voting booths.
It has been proven that there was no fraud, discovered by numerous re-counts by those people stirring the pot of fear, with their faux “facts.” There are powers at play that want to manipulate you. They want your vote. Scare tactics are what they used to get to you. Many of the Republican base believed these lies. Please do not go along with the ignorance some of them profess.
Go with truth. Discover what the truth of the matter is. You count. Your vote matters. You are important.
It is never good to make the exception be the norm. That would be the same as that old adage of punishing the entire class when one person does wrong.
We do still have checks and balances. However, we are close to giving our Democracy away all by ourselves, through ignorance, fear, greed, and misinformation. I see that many people are being used as pawns in an autocrat agenda worldwide.
On one hand some people think the government is looking into every citizen’s personal life. On the other hand, we tell on ourselves in social media daily, where we live, pictures with our family and friends posted with details of everything. We tell personal details about ourselves to the world. Our credit cards leave records of every purchase, in every state, which we freely decide to use.
No one stole the government of the USA away from anyone. Instead, some misguided and misinformed individuals have been hurt by corporate greed, by companies who have not paid their fair share of taxes These huge corporations have laid the tax burden on the middle class so that they do not have to pay one cent. These huge corporations do, however, want their roads plowed, and their city and town water and sewer systems working on the taxpayer’s dime.
How do you like paying extra so that corporations to not have to pay anything?
I’ve seen politicians trying to confuse their base by using complicated financial language and fear techniques. Don’t fall for it. Do the research yourself. Social media, including YouTube, is not the place to discover accurate information from people claiming to be doctors, and other “experts,” for example.
The one stealing from the citizens of the USA are the corporations, who are also lying to the Republican base in order to keep them towing the party line of lies and misinformation. How else can corporations keep beating the drum of lies for their own profit at your expense? How else do politicians keep lining their pockets with huge corporation money? They all want to keep their jobs, at the expense to telling you anything that will keep them there.
Oligarchs all over the world would rather deal with autocrats in government positions rather than Democracies that freely and fairly change their leadership possibly every two to four years. The push we see of disfunction in the political leadership of the USA is the fault of misinformed citizens buying the lies they are being told by politicians who wish to keep their jobs at all costs. Misinformed citizens only puppet the information they are being told without checking it out on their own.
“I don’t watch the news anymore. It is too confusing. I don’t know what to believe, so I just stay out of it,” are the comments I hear in my area of the USA.
If you do not know how to find the truth on any of the subjects mentioned below, simply click on the blue-lined items. It’s easy to read.
Most of the good people of the Republican base do not fully realize who their enemy is. It is not the Democrats. It is the oligarchs in other countries pushing the buttons of otherwise good Republican leadership who unfortunately have been bought out and/or lied to, in my research and opinion.
I do watch the news daily. I do research what is going on and why things are happening the way they are. I keep up with daily changes and watch their patterns. One of my first jobs was for 20 years as a newspaper reporter and feature writer for the town of Mendon, Massachusetts, for the Milford Daily News.
Research is important. Do not just keep telling people what you hear from your friends, God love them, who are often mightily misinformed. Pride is running the show of so many people who are so invested in the party lines that they cannot see the forest for the trees.
What is growing in the USA at this time is homegrown terrorism, fueled by misinformation and lies, told to them with such force that they feel it is their duty to act as if they need to protect the USA.
Stand down.
Now is the time for integrity, honesty, investigation that includes listening to all sides of the issue, not just one slanted and misinformed side, no matter which politician, family member, or friend is whispering in your ear. Just because you know them, or like them, does not mean they have the truth and you do not.
Egos talk very pompously and loudly, sure signs to watch out for.
Truth of what is going on is not impossible to find out.
This also requires humility, to acknowledge that you have been lied to, like when you discover that the huge corporations care more about themselves and those who will keep their money flow going to them and not you. That is who is taking your jobs, your homes, and your money away from you, not the immigrants, nor the poor among us requiring the public assistance they need for everyday life.
“If the poor want to die, let them do it, and decrease the surplus population,” says Scrooge. Let us all be like Scrooge at the end of the movie, when he realizes who it is that is the poor among us.
“There but for the grace of God go I,” said Preacher John Brandford, who died in 1555.
Also realize that if you are living on Social Security and Medicare, or financial assistance of any kind, that these are Democratic Socialist programs, which is different from Socialism and Communism. Learn the difference between Democratic Socialism and Socialism. Ignorance is not bliss.
Before touting the Republican party line of lies against President Joe Biden, take a moment to learn what he has done thus far.
What Has Joe Biden Done As President? The Full List Of His Accomplishments
As of October 2021
Domestic Policy
Biden negotiated an agreement to open California ports to 24-7 operation to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks
Biden signed a law providing a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans disability benefits
Biden signed the K-12 Cybersecurity Act which protects sensitive information maintained by schools across the country
Biden declassified previously secret 9/11 documents
Biden directed Treasury and HUD to implement policies to increase the supply of affordable housing
Biden signed legislation that provided Congressional Gold Medal to the Harlem Hellfighters, the Black soldiers who served in World War 1
Biden restarted posting White House visitor logs after Donald Trump had stopped doing so
Biden ordered multiple agencies to enact policies that will increase the supply of affordable of homes in America
Biden signed a law expanding access for veterans to therapy dogs and service dogs
Biden cancelled student loan debt for more than 300,000 Americans with severe disabilities (over $5.8 billion worth of debt)
Biden increased food stamp benefits by 25% to directly help needy families
Biden canceled $55.6 million in student debt for students of for-profit schools
Biden has the narrowest pay gap between women and men in the White House of any president
The Biden administration released rules that protect patients from unexpected medical bills
Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered a halt on federal death penalty executions
Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (aka COVID-19 Stimulus) providing $1.9 trillion of relief to the American economy
Biden signed an executive order to make the Department of Justice work on reducing the use of “ghost guns”
Biden signed an executive order expanding access to legal representation for the poor
Biden (and Vice President Kamala Harris) released their 2021 tax returns, after Trump refused to release his for his entire four-year term
Biden ordered the Department of Justice to produce a rule clarifying when a device marketed as a gun brace turns a pistol effectively into a short-barreled rifle
Biden told the Department of Justice to produce model “red flag” legislation for all 50 states so that they could enact such laws against gun violence
Biden increased the minimum wage for thousands of federal contractors to $15/hr
Stimulus payments from the American Rescue Plan were sent via direct deposit just 24 hours after the plan was signed into law
Biden directed $2.5 billion in funding to specifically address America’s mental illness and addiction crisis
American Rescue Plan extended a 15% increase to SNAP funding, helping children who qualify for free lunch
The American Rescue Plan restores funding to veterans programs, including programs to assist veterans’ mental health, that had been cut under Trump
The American Rescue Plan adds boosted funding to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), providing new options for people who need health insurance and lowering costs for people already insured
American Rescue Plan provides money to the airline industry, preventing tens of thousands of aviation jobs who will no longer be furloughed
Socially disadvantaged (including Black, Latino, Asian-American, and Native American) farmers will get $4 billion from the American Rescue Plan in debt relief, while another $1 billion will create a racial equity commission
Biden will be nominating three Democrats to the USPS board of governors, which will lead to the removal of Postmaster Louis DeJoy
Biden issued an executive order that will make American supply chains less reliant on foreign companies
Biden revoked a Trump executive order mandating stricter work rules on people seeking welfare help
Biden restored labor rights to workers at the Department of Defense
Biden got rid of a Trump order that used COVID as an excuse for deregulation
Biden undid a Trump-era mandate that said federal buildings had to be constructed in classical style
Biden revoked a Trump order that suspended federal funds from going to purported “anarchist jurisdictions”
Biden got rid of conservative officials stashed at the Voice of America and other broadcasting-related entities of the government
Biden issued an executive order requiring political appointees to take an ethics pledge
Biden signed pension relief, keeping more than 100 pension plans solvent and providing retirement benefits to millions
Immigration/Border
Biden ended workplace raids that targeted undocumented immigrants
Biden raised the cap on refugees being admitted to the United States to 62,500 from the 15,000 set by Trump
Biden terminated contracts with companies to construct the border wall
Biden reversed a Trump ruling and extended protected status to 100,000 Haitians
Biden revoked Trump’s order banning Muslims from certain countries entering the U.S.
Biden reinstated the Central American Minors Program, a program begun under President Obama that allows minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to reunite with a parent living lawfully in the United States
Biden terminated a 2018 Trump agreement that put up roadblocks to families trying to help undocumented immigrant children
Biden stopped ICE from targeting undocumented immigrants at COVID-19 vaccination sites
Biden will allow migrant families that were separated under Trump to be reunified in the United States or their country of origin
Biden revoked a Trump executive order suspending the issuing of visas that used the pandemic as an excuse to do so
Biden canceled the National State of Emergency which had allowed Trump to divert federal funds to his border wall project
Biden changed ICE rules on arrests and detentions so fewer people are kept away from their families
Climate Change
Biden ordered the EPA and the Department of Transportation to rollout increased fuel emission standards that will lead to 40-50 percent of US cars being electric by 2030
Biden allocated $5 billion from FEMA for communities affected by climate-related disasters
Biden returned the United States to the Paris Climate Accord
Biden revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline
Biden blocked drilling at the Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
Biden ordered a stop to the issuing of new leases for oil and gas exploration on public lands
Human Rights
Biden was the first president to proclaim Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Biden signed legislation increasing the amount that can be spent providing assistance to Americans returning from Afghanistan from $1 million to $10 million
Under Biden, the U.S. State Department added a third gender option to passports
Biden appointed a Special Envoy, Jessica Stern, to advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons
Biden had the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) recognize that laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also apply to LGBTQ+ people, reversing a Trump’s policy
Biden rejoined the United Nations Human Rights Council, after America left it under Trump
Biden withdrew the federal government’s support of an anti-transgender lawsuit which sought to block transgender girls from participating in sports
Biden extended federal fair housing protections to LGBTQ Americans
Biden created a Gender Policy Council at the White House, rolling back the Trump administration decision to end a similar program under Obama
Biden has more women and minorities as part of his Cabinet and key advisers than any other president
Biden raised the cap on admitting refugees to 125,000 after the number had been dramatically lowered by Trump
COVID-19
Biden had the Department of Defense double the number of military health teams assisting hospitals with COVID-19
Biden expanded COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs
Biden ordered the TSA to double fines for travelers who refuse to mask
Biden instructed the Department of Education to pay teachers or school officials who had their pay withheld for instituting mask mandates
Biden required all educators in Head Start to be vaccinated
Biden ordered the Department of Labor to require employers with 100 workers or more to give paid time off for vaccination
Biden signed an executive order requiring all executive branch federal employees to be vaccinated
Biden ordered the Department of Labor to require companies with 100 or more employees to ensure full vaccination
Biden is requiring that the staffs of nursing homes are vaccinated or they will lose their federal funding
Biden extended the pause on student loan repayment until January 31 2022 due to COVID-19
Biden directed every state, along with all tribes and territories, to make all adults eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 2021
Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to accelerate vaccine development. This led to enough vaccine being produced to have supply for every adult American by May 2021 instead of the original date of July 2021
Biden brokered an arrangement between Merck and Johnson & Johnson to manufacture the single-dose vaccine
The Biden administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to health centers and food pantries
Biden directed the U.S. to donate $4 billion to international vaccine distribution efforts, as he promised during the campaign
Biden secured 200 million extra doses of vaccine for a total of 300 million available vaccine doses by July 2021
Biden deployed over 1,000 active duty troops to assist with vaccinations
Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to make vaccines and PPE (personal protective equipment) like masks
Biden sent more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries who need it
National Security
37,000 people were evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, by the US military in 8 days
Biden signed legislation awarding Congressional Gold Medals to Capitol Police who responded to the January 6 attack on the Capitol
Biden barred Donald Trump from receiving intelligence briefings, citing his erratic behavior and the possible danger to U.S. security
Biden told Russian president Vladimir Putin the United States would no longer “roll over” for his aggressive actions
Biden rescinded the Trump administration’s decision to designate Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist group. The designation was widely criticized by international organizations at the time
Judiciary
Biden threw out 32 last-minute nominations offered by the Trump administration. Included in the rejections were judicial appointments supported by conservatives.
Environment
Biden expanded the Bears Ears national monument (reversing Trump), restored the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and restored protection of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
Biden ended large-scale logging at Tongass National Forest in Alaska
Biden delayed a Trump administration rule that experts said could have led to the unnecessary death of “billions” of birds
Foreign Policy
Biden ended the 20-year long war in Afghanistan, evacuating over 120,000 people from the country
Biden created a Leaders Summit for Democracy, with the first meeting scheduled for December 2021
Biden sanctioned members of the Belarus government for their actions subverting democracy
The U.S. formally turned over Bagram base in Afghanistan to the government there
Biden sanctioned Russia for their attempts at election interference and for the SolarWinds hacking attack.
Biden had the United States rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO)
Biden levied sanctions against Russian officials in retaliation for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis.
President Joe Biden also ended a forever war in Afghanistan and evacuated a hundred thousand people.
President Biden signed into law an infrastructure bill that has been a goal of every administration since Bush.
Has vaccinated nearly 65 % of the country while keeping schools open. Has created millions of jobs.
The United States of America is a beautiful country, based on freedom and free will of the people, who have rights to free and fair elections, regardless of gender, race, skin color, age, ethnicity, or origin of their birth. Unless we are Native American, we are all immigrants, or decedents of immigrants.
Jesus was a bleeding-heart liberal.
There is one race, the human race.
Happy New Year