TheWiseOldFart

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart In a display of both desperation and advancing stages of mental decline, Trump went off script during his hate rally in Pennsylvania last evening. Saturday evening was intended to be a “campaign reset” after the President ended his campaign, and Vice-President Kamala Harris became the new leader of the Democratic Party. However, once again, displaying a low level of intelligence, Trump ignored his teleprompter and began attacking Harris with baseless and humorless adjectives and adverbs. During his disheveled speech, Trump called his opponent both a communist and a fascist, while claiming she has “the laugh of a crazy person”. Pitiful. Once again, Trump proved that he has no understanding of politics or the basic structure of Governments. He was clearly unaware that “communism” and “fascism” are virtual antonyms, although I’m positive he doesn’t know what an “antonym” is. Communism: “a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart When I was a little boy, family gatherings were attended by all family members, young and old. I remember several things which impressed me, even at the age of six, seven, or eight. Three of my uncles had recently returned from World War II, and flag-waving was common. Therefore the subject of politics frequently entered into the conversation. I remember that all of my uncles, and my grandfather, had little trust in politicians. I also remember discussions about things which seemed very important to them. By the time I was a junior in high school, I developed an interest in our nation’s government, and therefore politics. I had followed the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960. I watched his speeches and read about what he was doing for our country, and compared everything to the problems facing our nation which were discussed in some of my classes. As a senior in 1963, I was devastated when the man I admired was murdered in Dallas, Texas on November 22 nd . By t

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The 2024 IRS budget is 14.1 billion dollars : 1.8 billion dollars more than 2023. It is fair to claim that this system is far more expensive than  it’s worth.   The tax code consists of 6,871 pages. 99 percent of those pages involve exemptions for the wealthy and super-rich as well as large corporations. These advantages are better known as “write-offs.” The basic rules for at least 50 percent of all Americans can be found in the first few pages.   Maybe I’m crazy, but it appears that the primary purpose of the IRS is to assist the wealthy and corporations in their efforts to evade paying their fair share of taxes.   Over my 77 Years Several Suggestions Have Been Made to Create a Simpler and More Just System   Our government is incompetent, and I am not referring solely to what happens on Capitol Hill. Along with the IRS I believe there is enormous incompetence and corruption in the FDA, the FCC, the Consumer Protection Agency, the Justice Department, wh

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I am writing this article on the morning of January1, 2024. I am celebrating the end of one of the worst years in my life, and remembering some of the good. As a political writer, I mourn the end of truth, the rejection of facts and acceptance of blatant lies as reality. I am saddened by the increase in corruption in our government, and its complete incompetence to perform its function and duties. I fear the rise of fascism not seen in America since the dark days of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. I am completely disgusted by the irrefutable fact that America has become a nation void of laws. The rich and powerful continue to be immune from being punished for their crimes against the people of the United States of America. Only indigent Americans pay full price for their crimes. America now ranks last in quality of life. The 2010 Decennial Census and the 2020 Census revealed that adjusting for inflation, the income of the average working man had declined, no

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Between 2017 and 2021 our nation moved backwards. During the same time period, the rest of developed nations moved forward in areas of social responsibility and quality of life. A recent survey revealed hope for our nation’s future, revealed by the values of millennials and generation ’Z,’ ages 18-38. The average age for all Americans is 38.2 and I trust that our nation’s youth will move America forward and force the changes we desperately need. [The values that Americans view as important have shifted over the last two decades, as younger Americans place less significance on patriotism, religion and having children.] This according to the Voice of America News. The truth is that old, white men, who have led our country for 247 years, have failed miserably. Even some of our founding fathers were incompetent as our nation’s leaders. The United States remains a young nation, and giving control of its future to old men who amassed enormous power without