POLITICS and what People Want Solved
Once again, election season is upon us and “the sky is falling!.” Whether Democrat, Independent, Republican (or none of the above) there are things we all want. Once again, the things which WE want have been pushed to the background. Candidates want us to get hyped up about single issues (like abortion, or the border) and vote for a whole candidate who supports that one incomplete thing. You could make it into a ditty: “Vote for me and I’ll take a pee.” How stupid we are when it comes to elections! There is one thing politicians have in common with car salesmen … they want us to focus on the wrong thing (“What’s your budget?”) We aren’t really given a choice, thus we aren’t really doing anything democratic. Your vote’s purpose is to cancel someone else’s vote. I suggest we do something with a higher purpose … ask where your candidate stands (not just lip service) on these issues … What they have DONE always speaks to me.
You should have a LONG LIST of issues … and here is just a short list for you to think about…
1. SAFETY and SECURITY. Sure, some want to defund the police because they see only the evil that can come from those who are tasked with the difficult job of securing law and order. That doesn’t mean those same people don’t want safety. They do. They just think there is a better way to achieve it. Others want to defend the police. Either way almost everyone wants safety.
2. SENSIBLE IMMIGRATION. I didn’t say “reform.” What we want is to do immigration in such a way as there is an orderly and safe process. Very few feel that the millions who crossed the border in the past 10 years were handled properly. There was no order. There were no jobs awaiting them. There was no safety for those who crossed. There was no control over whether criminals or the insane crossed. Some want more, some fewer immigrants. Few want it this way.
3. GLOBAL WARMING (which reporters misidentify as “climate change” even though the entire issue is about warming). There’s been a failure to communicate. People want to know what will be the total personal impact. We are tired of the “one more thing”-ness of it.
A second problem with Warming is that the world health organizations are working hard to eliminate diseases which help to control the global population. If we solve Hepatitis and Malaria we risk speeding up Warming. Which do we want?
4. INFLATION. This issue is harming everyone. You can’t have an inflation rate of 25% over four years and expect it to have no impact! The average inflation rate is around half that. Wages can’t keep up and the result is an overall poorer America. Thus, EVERYONE wants a much lower inflation rate going forward. The politician who has the best inflation plan might gain the support of the average Joe and Jane, no matter the political party.
5. SENSIBLE VEHICLES. Cost as the number one issue with cars. Like me, others want a vehicle which allows the cheapest ride per mile for the first 100,000 miles. The bottom line is MPD (Miles Per Dollar). Clearly a lower purchase price, fewest repairs, lower maintenance costs, low fuel costs, and lowest insurance rate makes a great car! Give me an inexpensive 40 MPG car that doesn’t break down or need 7,000 batteries and I’ll be happy.
6. GROWTH OF NATIONAL DEBT. The US government is going into debt at one of the fastest rates in history. People know this cannot go on forever. In fact, it can’t go on at this rate for very much longer. Countries have gone bankrupt before. Ours is not immune. So, whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent there is a serious desire to see the rate of debt expansion reduced. Debt will increase. It doesn’t have to increase this fast.
7. RETIREMENT. Nearly 40% of Americans have saved nothing for the future. The government keeps waffling on programs which could make saving easier. Government should do more to support savings plans and investments in our economy. Make it easier for the average Jane and Joe. For one, the government should create a retirement account which neither taxes the money put in, nor the money taken out. Limit total investment to $50,000 and only allow distributions once a person has reached their Full Retirement Age. The money would be taxable for non-spouse heirs. This could be a game changer for those who have saved nothing.
8. EDUCATION (Actual and Measurable Improvement). We all know that public schools have gone backward in recent years. If you don’t know it is because they haven’t been honest. This was the case prior to COVID, and is far worse now. What almost everyone wants are better educational results. We have tried agendas. They haven’t given us the edge we desired. Apparently agendas don’t work in the field of education. What we really want are well educated kids who know stuff and can do things. We did better at that in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Sometimes we have to go back to go forward.
9. CANADA. We all wonder what to do about Canada. Should we keep it as a pet or absorb it? (Actually, very few wonder about this issue. I just threw it in to see if you were paying attention and completely as a joke.) I have heard some people express they are uncomfortable having a nation to our north which now seems to share so few of our values. We expect that of Mexico, but Canada and the USA used to be close “buds.” (It was only a joke, don’t take everything so seriously!)
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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Politics is important, yet every politician treats us (the voters) as if we are single-issue fools.
Meanwhile nothing is done about the real issues.
Stand up, America! You are more than a vote.
Just spoke with a self-proclaimed “Democrat” at the store. He said he thought “Defund the Police” was ignorant and not useful.
See! Everyone wants safety and security in their own homes, on the streets, at restaurants, … and they even want it for their children at school. Thiis is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It is an American issue. We all want it SOLVED!
The powers that be want to make sure we remain divided. When I was a kid my mother, who wasn’t particularly political, once mentioned in passing that both parties are made up of people who want the same things, but just have different ways to go about getting them. Obviously that offhand comment has stuck with me, and it may have been more true than that is now that rabid hatred has been injected into the equation, but overall, we are more the same than we are different in most ways.