A Message to the 545 Pretenders Who Run This Country: Shut Up and Listen

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

A message to all professional politicians: shut up and listen. The only thing each of you has in common is how much you love the sound of your own voice. You were elected to serve the people, but you expect us to serve you.

It took only 11 years for America’s government to become totally corrupt, and therefore dysfunctional. Extreme partisanship has eliminated the purpose of a Democratic Republic.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

This situation did not begin with Trumpenstein. In 1981, Ronald Reagan’s first action involved his political party. He demanded absolute loyalty from every Republican in Washington. Not a single man or woman on the right side of the aisle was allowed to question the policies or actions of their leader. The truth: Reagan was America’s first autocratic/fascist president.

When Trump was given the presidency in 2016, with the assistance of Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and the Mainstream Media, the end of the former Grand Old Party became unstoppable. With the assistance of six biased and corrupt Supreme Court Justices, Trump was given powers unintended by our Founding Fathers. This lifetime criminal was placed above the law of the land and became Fuhrer Donald Trump.

Trump and his Nazi Party think all Americans are ignorant. They are wrong. Over the last 11 years, all men and women calling themselves “Republicans” have become enemies of all true Americans. We know them: we read about fascism when we learned about WWII in American history class. They continue to impose their anti-American policies on every man, woman, and child in our country.

FAKE DEMOCRATS ARE IGNORING THE PEOPLE

It is no secret that right-wing politicians support special interests, bowing to lobbyists who represent our nation’s 989 billionaires.

Democrats who identify themselves as “moderate,” are in reality the Republican Party of 40 years ago. Although they claim to be the party of the working class, supporting women’s rights, minorities, the LGBTQ community, and the First Amendment, they are lying.

Recently, men and women who support the ideas offered by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been winning primaries in blue states. Moderate Democrats are angry, and that anger is based on fear.

They are not paying attention to the wishes and needs of the people. Democratic Socialism is a fight for equality.

Only one American President can be called “great.” From 1933 until his death in 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fought for the rights of all Americans. He was the “people’s president.” No one has followed in his footsteps since.

THE WORST GOVERNMENT ON THE PLANET

As an octogenarian, I remember America. As I grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, women, minorities, and the underprivileged began to experience an increase in their quality of life. Policies and laws focused on social issues used our nation’s revenue to improve the lives of all Americans.

The middle class flourished and became the largest demographic in our nation. Today, in 2026, at least one-half of all Americans struggle in the low-income or poverty levels. Income inequality is a growing problem across the nation. Our major cities, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, and others require family incomes of six figures and more.

Although the orange buffoon promised to “end inflation on day one,” the problem continues to grow. Affordable housing does not exist for most Americans. When I was in my 20’s, a house payment or rental required about one week’s pay each month. Today, that number is more than one-half of each resident’s monthly income.

WORST IN THE WORLD

A study which rated each developed nation on the planet in 15 categories placed the United States last in the most important category of all: quality of life.

The largest component in the study’s evaluation was healthcare. America is the only country without universal healthcare. We have the most expensive and least effective system when the subject is about necessary services of a Doctor of Medicine, or a from a “for profit hospital.’

THE TRUTH ABOUT DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM

Right-wing politicians and their Fuhrer portray Democratic Socialism as a synonym for communism. Untrue.

“Democratic socialism is a political and economic ideology that combines a democratic political system with a socialist economy. It seeks to replace capitalism with public or cooperative ownership of major economic enterprises, ensuring that ordinary people control both society and the economy through democratic processes.”

This system would ensure that the working class would benefit from their efforts. Today, the great majority of inflated profits enjoyed by large corporations are divided among the board of directors and shareholders. America has moved on from being a capitalistic society. Our country is now a plutocracy/oligarchy.

I leave you with a quote from one of our nation’s most revered Founding Fathers.

“Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.”

― Thomas Jefferson

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Sources: psychologytoday.com: Why Are Our Political Leaders Failing?

brookings.edu: How Washington Made Itself Irrelevant

ktla.com: What it takes to be middle class in 2026: New study