TheWiseOldFart

Since 2017, the label “conservative” has become synonymous with “right-wing extremism,” and more recently “fascism.” Trump and his anti-American supporters love to call real Americans “radical, liberal leftists.” Let me offer the facts, one more time. I am proud to be a liberal, or, if you prefer, “progressive.” I have many reasons, but two of them clearly define my beliefs. I cherish the principles contained in the Constitution, and I care about other Americans as much as I care about myself. Conservatives are first and foremost liars and hypocrites. They tell the American people what they want to hear: pandering to the worst. Their only goals in the 21 st century are increasing their own power and wealth by serving their masters: our nation’s 756 oligarchs/billionaires. America was not always this fucked up. In 1968, at the age of 22, I was planning to vote in my first national election. Like all men and women my age, who were in high school when John F. Kennedy was elected, voting ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I am registered as a Democrat, but only because if I am not, I cannot vote in the primaries. In reality, I have been a lifelong Independent, and believe that everyone should reject all political parties. Every voter should cast their ballots for the best candidate regardless of the party funding their campaigns. Voting for a party is an act of pure ignorance. What I am proud of is being a liberal, or if you choose, a progressive. If you are not a liberal, why not? Liberals care about others. We are concerned about the future of our nation’s people; all of them. We are also involved in the fight against climate change, a woman’s right to make decisions about her personal physical and mental health, and the right to have access to healthcare without excessive and life-altering financial burden. We care about the growing gap in income inequality, and will protect the Constitution: all of it, not just the Second Amendment. Unlike those who call themselves “conservat...