TheWiseOldFart

A short list of reasons why America will never be a great country.   In the general election, your vote may not count. As long as the Electoral College exists, states will choose our presidents. The popular vote means nothing. Therefore, if your candidate does not win the majority of votes in most states, your opinion does not count. I believe this is a violation of the intent of the First Amendment. The United States is the only developed nation which fails to provide universal healthcare. At least one-half of all elected officials in Washington do not believe that you should have the same access to healthcare as they do. In support of billionaires/oligarchs, they consistently vote against any measure which would provide the best healthcare available for all Americans. Most developed nations provide free or low-cost higher education for all of their people. Not America. Only the wealthy can afford to attend a college or university in 2025. Each year we lose thousands of our nation...

  I grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s. There were many imperfections in America’s government which I learned about in high school. However, I was proud to claim the title of “American citizen.” I was positive that our Founding Fathers believed good people would improve upon their dreams. They were noble, but failed to understand the weakness, greed, and avarice of human beings. Everything drastically changed in the 21 st century. The demise of the once Grand Old Party began in 1981 with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. Most Americans believed that Ronald Reagan was an old man who would serve his country well. I, and others who voted for him were fooled by a talented actor. Reagan was power mad and a religious extremist, who had plans beyond anyone’s imagination. Reagan remade the Republican Party completely. He demanded unwavering loyalty. His proposals and policies were to be supported without question. He began the current policy of unity to the point of eliminating free ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The United States of America remains a very young country. Recent surveys reveal the fact that America remains behind all other developed nations in several critical issues, most importantly the quality of life for its people. Politicians claim that “America is the greatest country in the world,” but this is far from the truth. There have been times in my life when I felt that our country was on the path to greatness, but each time we stumbled and lost our way for a while. Between 2017 and 2021 America took the wrong fork in the road, and our nation moved backwards into some of its darkest days. However, President Biden placed us back on the right path, and once again hope was on the horizon. AMERICA MUST LEARN FROM ITS PAST MISTAKES Our country has many things to be proud of. However, some of our greatest mistakes continue to be problematic. America remains a nation where racism, bigotry, and prejudice is prevalent in every area of our country. These are learne...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The worst result of the “ Trump Effect ” is found in red states. Trump’s extremist policies are so vile and disgusting, right-wing politicians in these states continue to pass laws which are fascist, and diametrically opposed to everything America once stood for.    Everything from laws allowing voter suppression, placing doctors and women in prison for abortions, radical attacks on the LGBTQ community, and encouraging domestic violence have been passed, or will be in the near future .    A s I predicted, today’s fake Republicans continue to support Trump although he was convicted in his hush money trial on all 34 counts and may face time in prison. How low can these Neo-Nazis go?   IF YOU LIVE IN A RED STATE AND ARE NOT A SUPPORTER OF FASCISM, WHY NOT MOVE ?   The fact is that if you are a real American and live in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Iowa, South Dakota, or any other red state, thanks to the Electoral...

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 I must begin with an apology to the state of Arizona. No matter how hard you try, you can never be a part of the deep South. You can be as regressive as they are, but you didn’t exist as part of our nation until February 14, 1912. You have no idea what the Civil War was all about. As far as states go, you are a juvenile although you have an aging population. TRUMP WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE REGRESSIVE AND ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENT Trump attempted to destroy all the advances made in America over the last 80 years in four years. He had some success because he has a large number of supporters who choose ignorance over reality. Looking at every social issue, he is opposed to any effort to improve the lives of most Americans. Recently he revealed his position on one of the most important issues in 2024; well sort of. He said it should be left to the states. A presidential candidate must take a stand and be pro-life or pro-choice. However, the only right answer from anyon...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart “America is the richest country in the world:” “America is the greatest country in the world.” The former are two phrases professional politicians use ad nauseam. The second claim is absolutely 100 percent false: it’s not even close to the truth. Our country is far behind other developed nations in many areas including healthcare and education. However, the only one which matters, is quality of life. We are last in the world. As for being the richest country, this only applies to about five percent of our nation’s people. At least one-half of all Americans struggle in the low-income demographic or with incomes which are below the poverty line. The middle class is diminishing. Earnings for a middle class in the U.S. ranged between $43,350 and $130,000 annually in 2021. It has become extremely difficult to find employment which offers what is now a middle-class income. You must remember Trump’s only accomplishment over four years was a tax cut. However, the only p...

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 ...