TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Today, six members of the Supreme Court of the United States are right-wing extremists who support the fascist policies of their Fuhrer, Donald John Trump. Our Founding Fathers were not perfect: they made many mistakes. These mistakes were the result of their mistaken belief that their successors would improve what they began. They underestimated the faults of mortal men and their desires for money and power. The only reason for giving Supreme Court Justices lifetime appointments was to prevent them from becoming politicized. They believed that if they were not required to run for reelection, they would remain impartial. They were greatly mistaken, as we can all testify to today. America’s government is a system of checks and balances. The three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial, were given ‘separate but equal powers.’ However, in 2025 the executive and judicial branches are abusing their powers, while the legislative branch is doing nothing, with t...

And Beyond Repair   Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart This is another “only in America” story which proves that the government of the United States is the most corrupt and incompetent in the world. Democratic countries elect governments to represent the needs and wishes of their people. Until 1981, America’s government functioned in this manner, although in a barely adequate manner. Today’s pretenders are entirely dysfunctional. Every country must pass an annual budget at the beginning of each year. The American government is unique, but, as always, not in a good way. Every year, they must agree to a “debt ceiling.” What this means is that arguments ensue based on political positions regarding which issues will receive funding and how much that might be. Although a budget had been agreed on by both parties, it meant nothing. “Politics is the worst profession in the world.” That brings us to where we are today. A government shutdown is in its fourth week. But it’s not a total governme...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Under orders from their Fuhrer-in-Chief, the United States military has been sinking Venezuelan boats and killing civilians. Trump claims that they are drug smugglers, while the government of Venezuela says they were pleasure craft. Members of the National Guard are invadeing blue states as Trump attempts to enact martial law to prevent protests against his fascist policies. Maybe Trump wants to give the Pentagon a much-needed victory They couldn’t defeat the North Koreans, were forced to retreat from Vietnam permanently, and lost to the Taliban and Iraq’s army before the conflicts began. Our military is not trained to fight in those types of wars. Hell, they couldn’t stop Trump’s Nazi army from invading the Capitol Building on January 6. Martha Gellhorn, a famous war correspondent, once wrote: "Governments are all bad everywhere, only differently bad. I've known that for a long time". This quote reflects her long and varied experience covering con...

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 If you thought our government was in chaos, this is just the beginning. Not a single member of the Trump administration has any idea what they are doing. When their leader is an old, obese, vengeful, mentally challenged, and ignorant loser, what would you expect? Trump is a dictator, but he’s failing at this effort as he has everything else in his life. He and his Nazi Party can say anything they wish about the historic protests on October 18, but the truth lis clear. Real Americans, real patriots, will never live under fascist rule. By the time Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, he had the support of more than 95 percent of the German people. Trump’s supporters are decreasing in number. His support, at the highest estimate, is about 30 percent and in decline. these masked villains are not fully vetted, and many cannot pass drug testing or the physical requirements. The truth is clear: the federal government of the United States has a single purpose today: serve Fuh...

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 The Supreme Court of the United States has a single purpose as defined by the Constitution: to protect the Law of the Land. Their only job is to ensure that laws, regulations, rules, and policies made by governments at all levels comply with the intention of the Constitution. However, six members of today’s Court are rewriting laws to serve the demands of their Fuhrer: Donald John Trump. I want you to remember the names of these six traitors who are pretending to be Supreme Court justices: John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Our Founding Fathers were idealists, and idealism and naivete often run hand in hand.   Not too long ago, I wrote an article which may have been controversial, but was also the absolute truth. I claimed that if there is a God, He or She made one huge mistake by creating mankind. With free thought, all the evils of humanity compete with our conscience and responsibility to do ...

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 It is no secret that the last, true Democratic President was John F. Kennedy, and before him, the greatest American President in history, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR was the only president to place the quality of life for all Americans in priority number one without exception. This is the reason he was unbeatable and why the 22 nd Amendment was signed on February 27, 1951. I am an Independent. Since 2000, I admit to having voted for Democratic candidates exclusively. The reason is obvious: Republicans have not existed in their original form since the Reagan administration. This combined with the candidate offered by the GOP, George W. Bush, convinced me that voting for any “Republican" would have been in direct opposition to my personal beliefs and principles. Although the Democratic Party offered the American people two outstanding presidential candidates in Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, their platform was weak and somewhat ambiguous. Today, if yo...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart If this were a movie, it would never be released in the theaters, or on any streaming network. What George W. Bush and Trump have done to the United States of America is truly unbelievable. A successful movie must include a great script, adapted from a book or from an original screenplay. The topic must be believable and well-written. The characters and their development must appear realistic, and plausible. If the storyline unravels, or becomes totally unrealistic, it is doomed to fail. If the characters have no value, no substance, and appear contrived, it will fail. This is what happened to America in the 21 st century. Yes, America as I knew it is in decline. All true Americans are living in a very, very bad movie. As a novelist, I could never write this story, primarily because there are no characters who are interesting. There are no heroes to rescue the masses from slavery and punishment for rejecting the bully at the center of the story. Once trusted an...

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 Every morning I read the news. This morning I felt like our corrupt government was blowing smoke up my ass. Then I realized, that was what I felt yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. Like their fascist, illegitimate president, our government continues to lie to the American people, mostly by hiding the truth. I read a lot, and I know the truth. When our government attempts to protect Trump and themselves from exposure related to their failure to perform the jobs for which they were elected, they must be subject to close scrutiny and investigations for displays of cowardice, hypocrisy, and corruption. Then, they must be forced to leave Washington by your vote. It was during the George W. Bush administration when the unconstitutional Patriot Act and ICE were created. The Patriot Act violates the fourth and 14 th amendments. ICE has become a gang of thugs and Trump’s personal gestapo. This is the truth. I’m truly sorry you will never hear o...

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 Let’s get right to it. Law Enforcement and our nation’s Military are fascist organizations. Neither could exist without unwavering obedience to their superiors, and absolute loyalty is understood by all. This should not be a surprise. If you ever served time in the military, the concept of “chain of command” is repeated ad nauseam. The same is true in every law enforcement training facility. I have a confession to make. Before I was a junior in high school, I was ignorant, not because I didn’t read or ask questions, because the real world had been hidden from me. I learned that I had been raised in an atmosphere of white privilege. My life had been focused on church and school. The Catholic Church controlled my life. I never came in contact with a Black child until I left St. Bernard’s High School and attended Venice High School. I learned a new term, a new reality: our country was divided into “two Americas.” I was raised to believe in an illusion, I’m not talk...

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 Most of you are too young to remember my America: the country I loved and deserved my loyalty, respect, and trust. Sadly, that nation no longer exists, and I’m not sure if it will ever regain its position on the world’s stage. Humans are by far the weakest of all mammals. For the most part we are never happy with our personal situation. We want more, more, and more. We are also a lazy group. We look for someone else to do our work for us. John Adams: "Remember Democracy never lasts long". He further asserted that democracy "soon wastes exhausts and murders itself," and that "There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.” Abraham Lincoln: "if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide" Abraham Lincoln: “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart $270,000 per hour: that’s what it costs to operate Air Force One. More than $23,000,000: that is the amount of taxpayer money Trump spent using Air Force One for his personal pleasure in a little more than six months: lumbering around a golf course and partying at Mar-a-Lago. This does not include multiple additional expenses paid for by taxpayers. The total cost could reach $35,000,000. How much will he cost America over the next 42 months? Trump is in Scotland: not on our nation’s business, but promoting and playing golf at his latest acquisition, another golf course. If this is not a violation of the Emoluments Clause, my reading comprehension must be slipping. This is another reason why he must be impeached for the third time. Over the last six months, Trump fired hundreds of government workers, removed healthcare from tens of millions of needy Americans, and continues to ignore growing inflation, the war in Ukraine, and other critical issues faced by 340 mi...

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 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...