Moving America Backwards Into the Times When Most People Were Uneducated and Completely Uninformed: No Intelligent Human Wants That

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

I must begin with an apology to the state of Arizona. No matter how hard you try, you can never be a part of the deep South. You can be as regressive as they are, but you didn’t exist as part of our nation until February 14, 1912. You have no idea what the Civil War was all about. As far as states go, you are a juvenile although you have an aging population.

TRUMP WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE REGRESSIVE AND ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENT

Trump attempted to destroy all the advances made in America over the last 80 years in four years. He had some success because he has a large number of supporters who choose ignorance over reality. Looking at every social issue, he is opposed to any effort to improve the lives of most Americans.

Recently he revealed his position on one of the most important issues in 2024; well sort of. He said it should be left to the states. A presidential candidate must take a stand and be pro-life or pro-choice. However, the only right answer from anyone, is this decision belongs solely to the woman who is experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. She must be allowed to choose the future of her own mental and physical health. This would not be an issue if Republicans had not surrendered themselves to the Christian Religious Right.

ARIZONA IS SUPPORTING A STATE LAW PASSED IN 1864 AS ITS POLICY TODAY

The Territory of Arizona voted to ban all abortions, without exception in 1864. There are no accurate figures for the population of what would become a state in 1912, but I doubt that there were any men or women of color, and all women were in the minority during the 4^th year of the Civil War. Men dominated the population and everything else in the mid-19^th century.

THE DEMOGRAPHIC RECEIVING THE LEAST PROGRESS IN 247 YEARS

It may surprise you if you are Black, Hispanic, or a member of any religion other than Christianity, but one group has been ignored by our government more than any other over our nation’s 247 years: women.

Remember, women were not allowed to vote until the Suffrage Act, the 19^th Amendment, was passed in 1920. However Black women were refused their First Amendment rights until 1965. Women’s right to vote in state elections was decided by each individual state.

RED STATES BELIEVE WOMEN ARE THIRD CLASS CITIZENS.

Arizona is considered a “purple” state. However, its legislature tends to vote with red states. Red states continue to pass legislation related to two issues, focused on Black Americans and all women.

Voter suppression is a primary focus for all right-wing politicians. They want to prevent all voters who tend to vote Democratic from their most precious right.

These same states are passing laws designed to discourage or prevent any and all abortions. Women are once again third-class citizens in the majority of our nation’s states.

THE ISSUE IS SIMPLE: GROW UP AMERICA AND REPLACE ALL INCUMBENTS

I often challenge my readers to ignore the “R” or “D” next to candidate’s names on the ballot. Until term limits are placed on all three branches of government, voters should begin their rejection of candidates with an “I” next to their names. “I” stands for Incumbent.

The average age all persons across America is under 39 years of age. However, the average age of our government is over 60.

I denounce agism, and this issue is far less about age, and more about experience.

I am nearly 78 years of age. I know that I am more informed and better educated than the average American. However, I have no idea what a 38-year-old man or woman thinks about the issues, or even which issues are the most important to them. Women and younger Americans are not represented fairly in Washington.

The biggest problem with America is its failure to move forward. We are far behind all other developed nations in most categories. The most important failure in America is quality of life. There are several contributors to this fact. However, the two which stand out are a corrupt government which places the profits of the super-rich and their corporations ahead of the majority, and this produced the second primary cause, income inequality.

SOCIALISM IS ALREADY A LARGE PART OF OUR NATION’S MOST IMPORTANT POLICIES AND LAWS

I do not support a socialist government anymore than I do a communist or fascist regime. However, Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, food stamps, tax exemptions for corporations including the petroleum industry, and other tax loopholes contained in our nation’s 6,871 page federal tax code, are all forms of socialism. There are many more which I cannot recall at this moment.

Social programs are important if the United States of America is to grow and move into the 21st century. Another category in which our country is last is caring for older Americans.

My wife and I are currently 77 and 73. Why should we be forced to pay for healthcare? We contributed to the program for more than 40 years each. Medicare is far too expensive: we cannot afford it and our house payment every month. Food, utilities, and other necessities have increased in cost by 30-60 percent. However, what I read tells me that our Social Security COLA will be under two percent in 2024. It feels like our government wants us to die sooner than later.

Until people become priority number one, America will never be “the greatest nation in the world,” or the wealthiest per capita.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizona-abortion-ban-supreme-court-1864/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm