We Americans like our politics to be simple. You are either Red or Blue. You are Pro or Anti.
Politicians and their staffs work very hard at trying to comply with this simplistic view but the fact is, GOVERNING is very, very complicated and sometimes we have to take that into consideration before we vote for people to run all of the pieces and parts that make it work, from school board to president.
But I don’t want to waste your time with the complications of government. We don’t have time for that right now. Election day is approaching quickly. Early voting has started. And our already complicated discourse has gotten even more complicated.
So, I just want to focus on a few things that apparently need to be pointed out.
Roe V Wade made abortion legally accessible for all women in 1973 when I was 16 years old. Right wing Christians and opportunistic Republicans have been trying to get it overturned ever since. They finally succeeded and now over 50% of the US population no longer has a right that I had when I was a young woman. I don’t care one iota about your religious beliefs because I believe in the separation of church and state. I care about women who should be able to make their own decisions without your interference. Period.
If you are a person who can bear children or the partner, parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle of one – you need to vote for the party who is going to codify abortion and common sense reproductive healthcare into law. Republicans who were all worried about “states rights” when they were working to take this right away are now screaming loud and proud that they will ban abortions at the federal level once they are in charge. That means that it will no longer be legal in states that protect that right today, like Minnesota, for example. So much for states rights and settled law.
Vote for Democrats to make abortion safe and legal across the country.
I came into adulthood in the late 70’s. We had massive inflation at the time. When I purchased my first home the interest rate on the mortgage was 18%. EIGHTEEN. So please spare me all the hand wringing and pearl clutching about inflation. Joe Biden did not create inflation. It is a combination of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and corporate greed.
The Republicans have stated that they will undo the Inflation Reduction Act by basically holding the economy hostage with the debt ceiling. They also want to make the Trump tax cuts permanent. They also want to cut Social Security and Medicare. I’m not pulling any of this out of thin air. They have announced all of this just over the last 3 to 4 weeks.
The deficit has decreased. Unemployment is low. Trickle down economics has never worked but the GOP just keeps beating that poor dead horse over and over. And each time they try it, the deficit rises, the rich get richer and the rest of us become stagnant.
Vote for Democrats to keep all of the great legislation passed over the last two years, preserve Social Security and Medicare and make the economy work for the 98%.
If the Republicans are so great at managing crime then why do they ignore subpoenas, try to keep members of their party from paying the consequences of their actions and cheer for those who blatantly break the law? Why is it that whenever someone actually commits voter fraud they happen to be a Republican?
Republicans have used fear to drive people to the polls for as long as I can remember. And it’s a bunch of crap. I live less than three miles from Minneapolis. I ride my bike into downtown Minneapolis frequently. I go to businesses along Lake Street where most of the rioting occurred after George Floyd was murdered by the police.
It isn’t scary. Not even a little bit.
Is there crime? Of course there is. There will always be crime. There will always be homicides, burglaries, sexual assaults and robberies. But Republicans don’t have a plan to fix any of it. Their solution is to get more guns into the hands of Americans.
We have more guns than any other country on earth. How’s that working out for us?
Criminal justice is a lot more complicated than simply funding police departments.
Vote for Democrats who consider the underlying causes of crime and will attempt to minimize the effect those causes have on all of us.
We are not being invaded by hoards of “illegal immigrants”. I can’t even believe I have to spend time on this particular “issue”.
The majority of people coming to the southern border are refugees from Central and South America looking for asylum. They are doing it legally. Seeking asylum from dangerous places is LEGAL.
Vote for Democrats so they can pass common sense immigration reform.
I could go on and on but I promised to keep this simple. So, just a couple of more points:
Climate change is a serious threat to humanity.
History isn’t something we should censure. We learn by not repeating the bad stuff. So, we must teach the bad stuff even if it makes you uncomfortable. That’s how its supposed to work.
Scientists, medical professionals, educators, journalists and all other experts in particular fields are not your enemies.
Your enemies are the people who lie with impunity about everything from election results, Capitol tours, pandemics, and all the stuff I covered above.
Don’t vote for crazy people. Don’t vote for liars. Don’t vote for power hungry grifters.
That basically leaves you one choice and I don’t have to spell it out for you.
It’s not that complicated after all.
Strange Land 