TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Every action has consequences. In 1981, no one paid any attention to Ronald Reagan’s seemingly unimportant demand from his own political party. The mainstream media referred to it as “party unification.” What it really meant was the beginning of fascism within our federal government, and the repeal of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Reagan demanded unquestioned loyalty from every member of the Republican Party. Every member of the House and Senate on the right side of the aisle was required to support Reagan’s policies without dissent. Thus began the end of deliberation and compromise within the Capitol. This one action is the primary reason why our government is dysfunctional today. This unwritten rule for all right-wing politicians continued throughout the George H.W. Bush single term, the George W. Bush administration, and continues under Trump’s fascist rule. However, under Trump, his party has become extreme, openly displaying its plans to end democr...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The working parts of our government have been temporarily laid off. Trump claims that he will fire a large number of them before they have an opportunity to return to their jobs. Meanwhile, approximately 565 men and women who make large salaries and do nothing for our nation’s 340 million people, members of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, continue to receive their wages and benefits. The United States has the most corrupt and incompetent government in the world. Millions of Americans, including yours truly, were conned in 1980. We gave our votes to a second-rate actor who promised to lead our country with integrity, intelligence, and honesty. Like all Republicans, he lied. Immediately after his inauguration on January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan declared wars on the working class, women, and minorities. A short time later, he virtually made Christianity our nation’s “one, true, religion.” His fiscal policy was abysmal. The only Americans benefitti...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Yes, Richard Millhouse Nixon was a crook. However, he was also the last true Republican President. His accomplishments were many, and for all Americans, not just the super-rich. As the American President from 1969 to 1974, he was the last Republican “working president.” The following are some of his most important successes. Ford, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Trump can only claim two important accomplishments among them. Foreign policy: In 1972, Nixon reinstated diplomatic relations with Communist China. There had been no official meetings for decades. Nixon engaged in negotiations with Soviet Premier, Leonid Brezhnev, for the purpose of creating SALT, an agreement to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 1973, Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accords, officially ending America’s involvement in South Vietnam. Prisoners of war, held by the North Vietnamese, were released and allowed to return home. Aided Israel: During the 1973 Yom Kippur War...

When presidential historians and other politicos attempt to rate our nation’s 47 presidents, there are always a large number of opinions. As a writer who has been involved in American politics since 2012, I feel qualified to offer my opinion, based on years of reading historical fact and current articles from legitimate sources written by the world’s most respected journalists.   My assessment of our presidents is focused on the 13 men I have experienced in my nearly 79 years. I rate them by applying how well they served all of our nation’s people, their abilities to make decisions which positively affected all of our nation’s people, their loyalty to our country and their willingness to do the right thing every time, regardless of political consequences. Of the 13 men who affected me and those I love since 1956, I believe that only one could be considered great, five were good, and four were a disgrace to the principles and values of our founding fathers. The remaining three were ...

The undeniable truth is that neither political party exists today. The Party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt is nothing but a memory, and the last Republican president who led the Party of Lincoln was Richard M. Nixon. Yes, Nixon, just check his record. After Ronald Reagan’s victories in 1980 and 1984, cowardly Democrats feared losing elections and began moving away from their liberal principles and more to the right. The party of FDR has never been the same. In that same year, 1980, the election of Ronald Reagan signaled the beginning of the end of the Grand Old Party. Reagan proved that he was a better actor than most people believed. He fooled me and millions of others who were looking for a real leader to take residence in the White House. Reagan informed the entire Republican Party of what his presidency would involve. He was in charge. There would be no opposing opinions or arguments when he declared the party’s position on any issue. In other words, free thought and alternate ideas...

Two statements are accurate: “All Governments are bad, some are simply worse than others,” and “all humans are flawed, some by honest mistakes and some by choice.” Some people choose not to believe that evil is a reality and threatens everything that happens every day in America. These same people fear the inevitable advancement of Artificial Intelligence, AI, for one reason: computers are far more intelligent than any human being. Think about it. If you are a septuagenarian, as I am, you know that over time those we consider to be of great intelligence prove us wrong. Human beings are flawed; some more than others. We must study history, and we must learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. Republicans continue their attempts to hide the truth by erasing historical fact. Racism, bigotry, homophobia, religious prejudice, and misogyny would be removed from our history books if those who call themselves “Republicans” have their way. If you would like to experience the essence o...

Part of this story is about Joe Biden and Trump. But to put this in perspective, we must discuss the failures of four Republican presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and of course, Donald John Trump. When each of the failed men left office, their successors inherited a big, f**king mess. George H.W. Bush was faced with growing unemployment, and an escalating national debt, the result of Reagan’s disastrous fiscal policy, “trickle-down economics.” However, Bush 41 adopted the same policy and the situation worsened. After only four years in office, William Jefferson Clinton, a Democrat, was chosen by the people in 1992. After the abject failure of the two Republican presidents before him, Bill Clinton’s first job was to repair a failing economy and reduce the unemployment rate. He chose the most qualified men and women as his closest advisers, and when he completed his eight years in the White House, unemployment was at an all-time low, and the national debt had b...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Donald Trump and his pretend Republican Party fear one thing more than anything else: the truth. I am saddened that I don’t have a million followers who cannot wait to read my blog daily. However, I will tell you once again about the most important issue in every election year, the economy. I’m going to take you back to 1981. Republicans would like you to believe that Ronald Reagan was a great president. This is far from the truth. In my estimation, he is listed in the category of the five worst presidents in history. The Corruption Which Exists in Washington Today Began in 1981 The truth about Reagan is revealed in his domestic policy. Reagan was the first Republican president to demand unquestioned loyalty from his party. Free thought and opposition to our 40 th president’s policies were forbidden. The entire right side of the Capitol Building was united against the left side, and occasionally each other.. It was Reagan who began the wars on the working class...

Op-ed by TheWiseOld Fart   A recent poll of presidential scholars ranked our nation’s presidents 1-45, Grover Cleveland was elected twice, but not consecutively, from best to worst. I agree with one of their findings but disagree with others. My criteria are much less convoluted. I rate presidents by what they accomplished for the American people or for the damage they caused while pretending to be an American President.   Although it is very close , I will always believe that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the greatest president in history. Every action by the president who served longer than any other was in service of the majority.   Lincoln, Washington, T. Roosevelt, and Jefferson would follow, but this is where my differences begin.   Placing Truman in sixth place is an honor he does not deserve. Other than the fact that he was well-known as a racist and bigot, in my estimation he was the greatest mass murderer in history. He made a single decision based on ex...