TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Let’s talk about tax revenue, and how our government wastes more than 50 cents of every dollar. Let’s talk about the fact that our nation’s richest citizens and largest corporations pay little or no taxes thanks to a tax code which is 6,871 pages long. 99 percent of those pages are ways in which the super-rich can avoid paying their fair share. The national debt in 2024 is estimated to be $34.59 trillion dollars. However, Trump and his party of cowards and hypocrites continue to propose additional tax cuts for less than one percent of the American people, who just happen to donate to their campaigns. I ADD ONE ISSUE WHICH CLEARLY DISPLAYS THE INCOMPETENCE OF OUR GOVERNMENT Each year our government passes a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. However, there exists a situation unique to our failed system. America has a “debt ceiling.” It is of no concern that the amount of money to be spent in the upcoming year was agreed to, this is a separate situation, and eac

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Just once more, at least for today, read the First Amendment carefully and take special note of the last line. [ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances .] In July, our nation will celebrate 248 years since the Declaration of Independence began the creation of the United States of America. There have been occasions when our overpaid government has accomplished great things. However, most changes which benefit all Americans were the result of demands from the people. From labor protests to the demands of younger Americans to end the illegal war in South Vietnam, to the peaceful marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which were followed by recent Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality against minorities, Amer

Op -ed by TheWiseOldFart   Most Americans Continue to Struggle   I begin with a serious question: when will the quality of life for all Americans become the focus of our nation’s government? I am an original baby boomer. I learned at a very young age that the end of WWII was the beginning of the next military conflict for America. As long as I can remember, our government and its military have been preparing for the next war.   America has Never Prepared for Peace   The truth is that in 2024, the American people pay the least amount of tax in the world of developed nations. Many of our wealthiest citizens and largest corporations pay zero dollars in taxes, or a very minimal percentage of their gross income s . The truth is that the United States tax code is 6,871 pages long. Most of those pages are “loopholes” for the super-rich, allowing them to reduce their tax liability.   The United States Spends Five Times More on its Military than All Other Nations Combined   America’s ann

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   America’s government loves wars. According to politicians, “they are good business.” However, since the 1950’s our military has proven that we are not very good at military confrontations. In fact, we have lost every war since WWII. The wars waged by our government have cost much more than the lives of our finest young men and women, they have prevented funding for social programs which would greatly improve the lives of all Americans. The cost of waging war has damaged the quality of life for every working class American for decades. Waging unwinnable wars has divided our nation and destroyed faith in leadership; deservedly so. Loss of life WWII until today. WWII, 405,399 Korean Conflict, 36,516 Vietnam War, 58,220 Gulf War, 294 Afghanistan, 2,325 Iraq, 4,492 If I eliminate WWII, a conflict not initiated by the United States, I ask a fair question: “what did our nation accomplish in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, or Iraq? The truth is, we left eac