TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Trump has no idea what he is doing. His decision to shut down America’s government is beginning to cause havoc across America. This happened Sunday morning. [The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed and cancelations in the coming days as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown.] Trump is using Ronald Reagan’s tactics. He refuses to negotiate with Democrats, telling them, “it’s my way or no way.” Can you say, “malignant narcissism?” This arrogance and moronic attitude can only result in disaster. I was employed by an airline at LAX between 1967 and 1977. I often worked in operations. My job required close verbal contact with pilots. Everyone has some understanding of the importance of Air Traffic Controllers, but they are more critical than you might believe. Not only ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Trump nominated Paul Ingrassia to head the Office of Special Counsel. This was intended to be a “watchdog” agency, but when Trump places one of his like-minded cronies into any position in his administration, their purpose is to rubber stamp his fascist agenda. After members of both parties railed against Ingrassia’s open racism and his own admission that he has a “Nazi streak,” knowing he would not be confirmed, Ingrassia withdrew from his nomination. Democratic leaders expressed their concerns in a letter. "Mr. Ingrassia’s loyalty to Donald Trump over the Constitution, his calls for imposing martial law and celebrating violent January 6th insurrectionists, and his close associations with antisemitic extremists all make it clear that he lacks the temperament, experience, and fundamental constitutional fidelity required to lead this office," Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) wrote in the letter. "He is not simply unqualified—his c...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Trump ordered a government shutdown. The reason? To amass more power by weakening Democratic positions in our government. His total apathy for working-class Americans is revolting and obvious. The most disgusting fact about this current, moronic situation is that the men and women who are responsible for how fucked up our government truly is, continue to receive their paychecks while those who actually worked are struggling to pay their mortgages. If you find these government shutdowns as idiotic and reprehensible as I do, let’s make this one unforgettable. Let’s shut down the entire country for one day. Regardless of where you work, or the nature of your job, with a few exceptions, call in sick. Air traffic controllers and TSA employees are forced to work, but are not being paid. Just imagine what would happen if every one of them called in sick on the same day. Not a single airplane would be airborne, including the private jets of the super-rich. For those who...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart This is for the very old man in the White House. I have a can’t fail plan which would save our government more than 96 million dollars each year. It would also greatly improve the efficiency of all three branches of our federal government immediately. In the beginning of our country, all members of the federal government were basically volunteers: they refused to accept monetary remuneration for their services to our new nation. Including yourself, 435 members of the House, 100 Senators, and 9 Supreme Court Justices, we are currently wasting a minimum of 96 million dollars in base salaries alone. Adding benefits, that number is well over 100 million dollars. Let’s face it, we taxpayers are not getting what we pay for in the 21 st century. A volunteer government would remove the need for term limits. Most of our founding fathers served only a single term, making way for new ideas and new ways of looking at a growing nation, as they returned to their jobs in the ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Trump’s supporters are suffering from Trump’s many failed and destructive policies. Most remain loyal members of his cult. These are “Trump’s people,” and the only men and women in America who do not reject his attempts to replace democracy with fascism. I doubt most Americans are aware that today the United States is a plutocracy/oligarchy. Trump and his 902 billionaires/oligarchs control everything in America today, without exception. Fact: a plutocracy cannot be sustained in a democratic society. Only a fascist regime can maintain the status quo. This is why Trump fears and even hates well-educated and informed Americans. The truth is his greatest enemy, and only those who choose ignorance over fact could possibly support Trump after all the damage he has done to their futures. We cannot forget the facts. In 2020, Trump was solely responsible for the massive number of American lives lost related to Covid-19. His ignorance and apathy could have prevented the l...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Another member of Trump’s corrupt and incompetent “family” who will be remembered as the worst in history: Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy’s father was a great man who would have become our nation’s 37 th President if he had not been murdered on June 6, 1968. However, his son is a science denier and a practitioner of witchcraft. His policies are opposed to the realities and practices of every medical professional in the United States. Kennedy is anti-vax. If the vaccine preventing Covid-19 had not been developed quickly, America would surely have lost many more lives than the one million caused by Donald Trump’s incompetence and apathy. [More than 1,000 current and former Health and Human Services employees penned a letter demanding Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s resignation. [The anonymous signees, who provided their names to Congress, say that Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda and removal of top scientists has continued to “endan...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The truth: the American people have not had an effective and caring government since 1981. Under the Reagan administration, the government created by our Founding Fathers between 1787 and 1789 became nothing but a memory. The idea of a “Democratic Republic,” where sincere deliberation and compromise solved many of our nation’s problems, simply disappeared. What was a two-party system ceased to exist. Democrats and Republicans barely spoke to each other. The focus shifted from the people to winning elections and maintaining power. The situation is far worse today than anyone could have imagined. In 2017 it was very clear that one of Trump’s primary goals, agreed upon between him and his Russian puppeteer, was to divide our nation’s people and our government to a level not seen since the Civil War. “Divide and conquer” is Trump’s administration’s mantra. What began 38 years ago was complete. What hasn’t happened in those 38 years is a travesty. The same problems w...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart All Republicans are hypocrites, liars, serve Trump, not the American people, are totally incompetent, and corrupt. That is common knowledge. However, no one can fully describe Democrats. The reason we don’t know who or what they are is simple: they are cowards who are afraid to do the right thing. They are more focused on winning elections than serving the needs and wishes of the American people. Another problem is that Republicans have no problem with committing crimes and fighting ‘dirty.’ After all, the old, obese man they choose to follow and serve has been convicted of 34 felony counts based on fraud. Democrats in Washington are mostly useless. However, Democratic leaders in several states are willing to match their Republican counterparts and take less than ethical actions to halt Trump’s destruction of our country. [Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, speaking in Chicago this week. “This is not the Democratic party of your grandfather,...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart First, a little advice: don’t get old. I begin with personal observations. On my next birthday, if I get there, I will become an octogenarian. I’m lucky that my brain works as well now as it did decades ago. However, I never thought I’d see the day when I became incapable of simple things like walking out to get the mail, taking out the receptacles on trash day, mowing the lawn, being able to drive a car, washing my sheets and remaking my own bed, and cleaning my shower, among many other normal duties. I’m not good having to rely on my bride to care for me. She has asthma and during Covid-19, I did all the shopping. Today, the best I can do is tag along with her. She does everything for me and never complains. However, this article is not about me, it’s about my country and whether or not it will survive the existence of a fascist who is defiling our White House for a second time. I remember 13 presidents. There were 14 inaugurations but Trump should not be coun...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The two vices which result in good men becoming bad people are undeniably great wealth and great power. The very reason the United States exists is because one man, with ultimate power and wealth beyond imagination, made a final decision which was unacceptable to men of great morals, great principles, and a dream. King George III declared that the Anglican Church was the one, true religion of the British Empire. The number of American Presidents is now 47. However, the number of American Presidents who performed their duties as described in the Constitution, and as expected by the American people, can be counted on just seven fingers. In my humble but carefully constructed opinion, they are George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I rate these men based on their loyalty to their country, respect for all Americans, devotion to the meaning of the Constitution, and ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart When I was very young, I believed the lies politicians continue to tell us today: “America is the greatest country in the world.” Our nation is young, and continues to have problems which must be addressed before anyone can consider that claim valid. The fact that not only the worst president in history won two ‘rigged’ elections, but also the worst man in the world, proves that our country is far from ever becoming a great and respected nation. Our government began its decline in 1981, and today is the worst and most corrupt in the world of developed nations. This situation began with Reagan and the destruction of the dream of our Founding Fathers was completed in 2017 with the inauguration of Donald John Trump. Stop pretending: you know what I know. Not a single person willing to tell the truth can find anything good to say about the obese 79-year-old man pretending to be your president. It is an undeniable fact that between 2017 and 2021 Trump committed crime...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935, it was the only perfect bill ever passed by congress. Its funding would not come from the taxpayers. It would be fully funded by contributions from employers and employees. Payments would be based on total contributions until the age of 65. To this day it has never been reported that any individual has lived long enough to receive the total of their contributions. So, it seems that the fund should have a surplus. However, when governments become involved, everyone suffers. After the Social Security Act became law, lawmakers began to embezzle funds which belong solely to the men and women who contributed to the program which was intended to provide retirement funding for all Americans. They added other programs, expecting to pay for them with the contributions of the working class. The correct and honest thing to do would have been the creation of new, separate programs. However, the gov...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The issues listed above exist. They receive a great amount of lip service, and nothing more. Washington D.C. was once a great city, a city every American would like to visit. For the majority of my 79 years I was proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. Everything changes. Standing still, accepting the status quo is not possible. Doing nothing is moving backwards. All of the above problems have solutions. However, all three branches of our government are playing politics. Therefore, an entire nation is being forced to accept the current situation, which literally means 340 million people are moving backwards into America’s dark past. Every one of these problems has one simple and fair solution, with the exception of Immigration Reform. This problem can only be solved through lengthy, sincere, and honest discussion and eventual compromise. Placing anyone who is not pure white in concentration camps is moronic and fascist. The remaining issues involv...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart You heard the term and probably dismissed it. It doesn’t apply to or interest you. However, age discrimination is one of the most serious and overlooked crimes in America. America was a capitalistic society, but has become a plutocracy: rule by the super-rich. If a group of Americans do not produce commodities, which result in outrageous profits for their corporations, they are of little or no importance in the 21 st century. I’m not saying that I, or any other older American has no use after the age of 65 or 70. Quite the contrary. Personally, I have become physically disabled, but my mind is as sharp or sharper than it was 20 years ago. However, I know for a fact that if my physical disabilities did not exist, no one would hire me at the disgusting age of 79. But Trump is your president, and he is three weeks my senior. Millions of Americans support an elderly man who is clearly suffering from dementia. In 2009 I was hired by the Decennial Census. After I com...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Okay, don’t allow your emotions to override your intelligence and your logic. Think about my title and be honest about what is happening in today’s America. Our government is dysfunctional, not because the system is not workable, but because the men and women who are simply taking up space in Washington are incompetent, and refuse to listen to the needs and wishes of the majority. As far as the right to vote, just look at the results. In two out of the last three elections, the worst, least qualified, anti-American, fascist won although his victory was secured with the interference of the President of Russia. American voters are the least informed voters in the world. And while we’re discussing changing the way we elect our nation’s leaders, let’s include the Supreme Court. Barrett, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Alito, and Thomas have the intelligence of a dung beetle, and are five of the nine most powerful people in our country. Our nation has changed and the truth is fr...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart For most of my 79 years, our nation’s leaders placed morality, and common sense in priority number one. This allowed the world to consider the United States the most respected nation ion the world. Then 9/11 happened. The second worst president in history, along with his Vice-President, who was opportunistic and a war monger, overreacted and altered the moral character and principles of what was once the most envied nation on the globe. The Constitution was placed in a dustbin, awaiting its destruction, as tactics of fear, anger, and hatred were used to secure power for one political party. Under the advice of the devil’s disciple, Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush approved radical and anti-American actions under the guise of protecting our nation from future terrorist attacks on American soil. This was all bullshit, and what became an effective method to control 330 million uninformed Americans, and win reelection. Hundreds, if not thousands of men who were...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart If you hate America and believe in Trump’s motto, “Make America White Again,” you should be celebrating tomorrow, July 4, and every day since January 20, 2017. Although you have been waiting since the 1940’s, your time has come. You have a dedicated fascist leader defiling the White House in Washington right now. You have many right-wing politicians to thank for your rise to power, but you must thank yourselves. On January 6, 2021 you attempted to retain power for your leader, Donald Trump, Although you failed, you were given another chance by a like-minded Supreme Court which violated the intent of the 14 th Amendment and allowed Trump to run for the presidency for the third time in 2024. You conspired with Trump’s American Fascist Party, Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mitch McConnell, and Elon Musk to illegally win the rigged election. You contributed to funding for Russian hackers who gained access to the voting machines in all seven swing states: this according to ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart First, an undeniable fact. Pete Hegseth is woefully unqualified to be Trump’s first Secretary of Defense. Without an iota of experience in any level of government, the well-known sexual predator, alcoholic, and a man who embezzled funds from charities involved with veterans, which he led, was given one of the most important positions on any president’s cabinet. Over the last five months, Hegseth has proven himself to be a moron who has no legitimate reason to be in any form of government. He is an embarrassment to himself, to Trump, and to his country. Trump doesn’t care, but the American people should. Hegseth is loyal to Trump, not to his country, not to 340 million people. He is lying about the effectiveness of the 14 ‘mega bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds, dropped on Iran last Saturday evening. Although Trump and his cronies united in the last two days to falsely claim that the attacks were completely successful, reports by respected authorities contradict...

The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of our federal government are completely dysfunctional and the situation is irreparable. Our military is useless. It is the largest and most expensive in the world, but hasn’t won a war since WWII. It was unwilling to protect our legislative branch from a violent insurrection, organized, planned, and executed by your illegitimate president. All of these complete failures continue to allow Trump to violate the Constitution every day, and commit the most egregious crimes in American history. In addition to violating the Emoluments Clause, he is holding America’s institutions of higher learning, the Department of Justice, and agencies whose only purpose is to expose government fraud hostage until they comply with his demands. Only in the story of America does a schoolyard bully win against all odds. Our “leaders” are cowards, frauds, and hypocrites. Next Sunday, June 15 th , and although he has no authority to demand their cooperation, Tru...

This promise gained Trump votes in the 2024 Election. However, it was just another lie from the man who has never told the truth. Legitimate Economists claim that the orange buffoon’s latest tariffs will raise grocery prices, causing more pain for the majority of our nation’s people. He doesn’t care. Everything is always about him. Every economist offers the same opinion: tariffs will destroy the economy and inflation will grow by as much as ten percent. When Trump was campaigning in 2024, he promised to ‘run our country like he runs his business.’ If you knew about Trump’s failures, you would never have voted for him. The only reasons he continues to have a business is because foreign nations rescued him and he used illegal methods to get undeserved loans when his world was falling away. For the latter reason, he is a convicted felon. Trump’s only tactic is no different from the schoolyard bully you might remember in elementary school. He threatens his adversaries, and lies to those f...