TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Fact: There are no true Republicans in Washington today. In 1981, Ronald Reagan forced every Republican to take an oath of absolute loyalty. This was the beginning of the end of the once Grand Old Party, and the destruction of our Founding Fathers’ system of governance. Reagan’s three successors, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, adopted the same failed policies initiated by Reagan: absolute loyalty without dissention and free thought, and the failed fiscal policy of “trickle-down economics.” When George W. Bush and his V.P. Dick Chendy ignored the warnings of our security agencies and went on vacation in 2001, refusing to take their admonitions seriously. The result was one of the darkest days in American history: September 11, 2001. It was George W. Bush who overreacted and in several situations, including his reelection campaign in 2004, used the outrage and fear of the American people to secure victories for his personal agenda. It was the ...

The national debt in 2025 is estimated to become $35,000,000,000,000. That’s a lot of zeroes and they will never be erased during my granddaughters’ lifetimes. Throughout our country’s nearly 249 years, it was not unusual for our presidents to leave office with the nation in debt. However, the numbers were miniscule compared to what has happened in the 21 st century. In 1981, Ronald Reagan’s policy of “trickle-down economics,” simply defined, this was a fiscal policy which gives money to the super-rich in the form of enormous tax cuts, hoping that they will become “job creators.” When Reagan left office in 1989, America was nearly one-trillion dollars in debt, and the unemployment rate was 5.5 percent and escalating.  George H.W. Bush succeeded Reagan, served for one term, and added more than three trillion to the national debt using the same, failed fiscal policy. Bill Clinton’s fiscal policy improved the situation. Over eight years, the national debt rose by just over one trilli...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The quality of life for most Americans is in decline. One small and exclusive group is responsible for this situation: America’s corporations. Something you will never hear from the mainstream media: most working-class men and women dislike if not hate the super-rich. They don’t care about us and live their pitiful lives spending huge amounts of money on things they don’t need, while most of us fear the possibility of a single disaster destroying our futures. The media claims that inflation is becoming less of a problem in our country. To put it simply and accurately, “they are full of s**t.” Greedflation continues. My grocery bills remain 30-40 percent higher than they were two years ago. Gas prices in my state continue to hover around four dollars per gallon. My utility bill rose 60 percent, and they will never be reduced. If you are like me, you rely on a fixed income. Although my cost of living has risen about 40 percent on average, my social security ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, our nation no longer had a deficit. He eliminated the national debt and left his successor with a surplus for the first time in many years. However, George W. Bush placed our nation in two costly and unwinnable wars. His fiscal policy, originated by Ronald Reagan in 1981, known as “trickledown economics,” failed miserably. These factors led to the Great Recession and the destruction of the housing market. However, the super-rich continued to receive huge tax breaks. Their numbers grew under the failure of another right-wing president. Trump reduced taxes once again on corporations and the wealthy. When he failed to lead our nation in the fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus in 2020, another recession neared and our economy crashed once again. He left the economy in shambles for President Biden to repair. He, too, chose a policy of trickledown economics. The lesson I give you is simple and proven by historical fact. ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   When I read the news this afternoon, I laughed out loud and celebrated a victory for all true Americans. The Joke actually began in January of 2023. The Republican Party in Name Only regained power in the House after the 2022 election, but only by the slimmest of margins. In January of 2023 Kevin McCarthy was nominated to become the next Speaker. However, a “Republican Party” in chaos was divided and for the first time in history it failed to select a Speaker on the first vote. In fact, after multiple concessions from the California Representative, McCarthy was finally declared the next Speaker after ballot number 15. History was made and I chuckled. I have believed that the once Grand Old Party has been incapable of governing since 1981. But that was just the beginning. McCarthy proved to be the worst Speaker in history. One of his concessions to the fascist Freedom Caucus was that a single congressman could make a motion to remove the current Speaker. On...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   While speaking with reporters in Kentucky Wednesday, Moscow Mitch McConnell appeared to ‘freeze’ once again. He remained silent for about 30 seconds. Photos from the event appear to reveal Moscow Mitch as a very frail 81-year-old man. Questions about his health began some time ago when he displayed what appeared to be a purple discoloration on his hands, arms, and face. Recently, questions about his mental acuity have risen. Our government has a serious problem with age, created by the refusal from congress to establish term limits for itself. 19 of our nation’s 535 lawmakers are 80 or older. 54 of our country’s 100 Senators are over 65. The average age of all members of the House and Senate is 64. I strongly oppose agism: I am 77 years old. However, I find it unreasonable that our nation, whose average age is 38.2 years of age, is governed by men and women who should be at home in their rocking chairs with their grandchildren or great grandchildren sittin...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Right-wing politicians would like you to believe that the most important issue in America is the reelection of Donald Trump in 2024. These men and women have renounced democracy and are planning a replacement for our democratic government in the form of autocratic rule. This is necessary to protect the plutocracy they created over the last 42 years. Please do not discount this fact. I abhor conspiracy theories, but I have been writing about American politics for 10 years and I pay attention. The very existence of our beloved country is questionable. Serious problems have been completely ignored by today’s Republicans In Name Only. Universal Healthcare, immigration reform, the high cost of education, growing racism, and the subjugation of women are among the issues important to most Americans. Republican simply don’t care. However, two of the most important issues have been completely ignored by politicians, the media, and will become a major...