The Real Reagan Legacy - Disrespect of Government

Republicans love to talk about the Reagan legacy in glowing terms, and there is indeed a Reagan legacy.  Some of that legacy has been good for the country, but some of it not.  

One of the worst aspects of his legacy is the "Me" generation, which has become the "Me" attitude of much of the populace. This focus on what is in my interests to the exclusion of the interests of others, let alone the common good, and to see one's own interests as disconnected from the common good, has created a self-centered citizenry.  

This attitude is not in line with the American social contract that developed in the early 1900s.  That social contract conferred not just rights with citizenship but also an obligation to respect the rights of others and support the government (through taxes) in its efforts to improve the common good.  Actually, as early as 1858, Abraham Lincoln said that, "each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases ... so far as he in no wise interferes with any other man's rights;"

But worst of all, it is Reagan who legitimized and spread disrespect of our institutions of government.  And it is this disrespect that ultimately has resulted in Trumpism and the far-right agenda of dismantling much of what our government does to protect the common good, which is its proper role – to ensure that the rights of citizens are secured.  

During his first inaugural speech, Reagan said that "government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem."  There you have in a nutshell what has become the mantra of the far-right and of the base of people (at least a third of the population) who are devoted followers of Trump.  It should be remembered that Reagan was a prominent speaker against Medicare as "socialized medicine" in the early 60s before Medicare was enacted by Congress; he also spoke against Social Security. 

Reagan followed up that statement by saying that government is run by a group of elites rather than by the people.  Meaning that government is the problem because it is not being run or directed by Congress, the elected representatives of the people, but is instead being run by federal employees – the agencies – who by implication were a liberal elite.

But as noted above, contrary to the Republican mantra, government is there to protect the public, to act in its interests.  Why then do Republicans say otherwise?  Why don't they say that to serve the people, government must be improved?  Because it provides them with an appeal to disgruntled and disappointed voters, and because it is in furtherance of the interests of big business, which during the 20th century became the guiding force for Republicans.

There are so many inaccuracies involved in this view of how our government works that it's hard to know where to start.  But here is my rejoinder to Reagan and the far-right.

First, while I agree with Reagan that government is the problem, it's not for the reasons that he suggests.  And it is "run" by an elite, but not the elite he suggests.

Our government is, in fact, run in large part by major corporations.  Because they have a huge impact financially on election campaigns, they have major influence in Congress.  That impact is increased by their lobbying Congress regarding the passage and even writing of legislation.  In this way, corporations often have far more power than the people in determining the laws by which we are all governed.  That is the problem of government today.

This is a problem because corporations are solely concerned with maximizing their profit and freedom to act; corporate interests are thus often opposed to the interests of the average person, the common good.  There used to be a widely held opinion that, "What was good for General Motors was good for the country."  That line of thought was long ago discredited, debunked. Corporate-influenced legislation is rarely "for the people."  Indeed, it is often against their interests.  Even if the final legislation is still in the public interest, it will have been watered down by corporate lobbying to reduce the negative impact on corporations and thus the benefit to the people.

Not only do corporations often control the passage of legislation, but they are also largely to blame for the stubbornness of our recent high inflation.  The reason why prices were not responsive to the Federal Reserve's raising interest rates substantially is that corporations found during the pandemic that they could raise their prices without much impact on sales, and so increase their profits.    And so they continued to raise prices to increase their profit, even as the Fed increased interest rates.  

The second Reagan inaccuracy is that government is controlled by elites - the inference is that the people who staff government agencies are liberal elites.  First of all, there are plenty of conservatives in the civil service; they aren't all liberals.

But most importantly, most federal employees – civil servants – are regular people.  They are not elites.  They struggle with the same things that most people struggle with, albeit their jobs are more stable and they have better health insurance.  And while more of them have college degrees – 32% bachelor's degree and 21% advanced – that's not that much higher than the general population – 40%.

And as for higher-level appointed personnel, they represent the party that won the last election – so they are typically liberal under one administration and conservative in another.  They thus represent the people's will in that presidential election.  They may all be elites in some sense, but I don't think that Trump and his allies are complaining about the conservative elite, it's just the liberals they don't like.

Unfortunately, such is the power of demagoguery and hearing something repeatedly – what the Nazi propaganda chief Goebbels called "the big lie" – that Trump supporters believe anything he says.  Regardless how outrageous, his words are the truth.  So the fact that this charge against government is wrong, that this argument is against the people's best interest, and that while there is an argument to be made against government, it's a very different one – none of this will make any difference to the committed Trump voter.

While Democrats countered Reagan's statement that government is the problem, they have never, to my knowledge, countered Reagan's reasoning, explaining why it was faulty. This truth about government must be broadcast by Democrats, even if it upsets the corporate support that they too depend on.  

Democrats must give the people a chance to judge the falseness of what Trump and his allies have been telling them.

A Vote for Kamila Harris is a Vote for You and America

Why should you vote for Kamila Harris?  Let me count the ways.

If you're a man, vote for Kamila Harris because she possesses true human strength.  She is not a weak person and stands up for what she believes in ... and she does believe in things.  

Trump on the other hand is a weak person.  He sounds strong when he rages. but that is just a façade.  It is a mask for his insecurity, his need to be flattered, his need to be worshiped.  And he believes in nothing other than himself.

If you're a woman, vote for Kamila Harris because she stands up for the right of women to control their bodies rather than have the government tell you what you can or cannot do when it comes to the most important decision in your life – whether to bring a child into this world.  

Trump on the other hand wants to control your body, both through government rules - he was directly responsible for taking away your constitutional right - and through his own lecherous acts.  When he says that he will protect women, "whether you like it or not," it shows that he has no concern for women or what they think.

If you're a white middle-class worker, vote for Kamila Harris because central to her plan as President is strengthening the middle class by reversing the downward trend you have suffered the past few decades at the hand of big business.  She knows that the strength of America depends on the strength of the American worker.  And she will support workers through appointments, regulations, and laws to that end.

Trump on the other hand has no interest in helping the worker; he want's your vote, but after he gets that, you're nothing to him.  He talks a good game when he rages about the injustice you have faced, but he does not walk the walk.  Trump and the Republicans have never done anything to benefit the worker.  Their interest instead is giving corporations the maximum freedom to do what they want to do.  They are hypocrites when the say they are the party of the people.  They are in truth the party of the rich and big business.

If you're a Black, vote for Kamila Harris, not because she is Black, but because she has worked and will work to strengthen the educational, housing, and economic opportunities for Blacks and all Americans, and she will work to end the discrimination that you still encounter almost every day.  

Trump on the other hand has no interest in improving your lot in life.  He has not fulfilled any of his promises to you.  Trump and the Republicans have never done anything on your behalf.

If you're a Latino/a/x, vote for Kamila Harris because she respects you and other immigrants.  Even illegal immigrants are human beings and deserve to be treated as such.  She will be strong on the border but open up the heart of government to illegals who have been working hard, supporting the American economy, and paying taxes, and provide them with a path to citizenship.  And the opportunity economy she will build will enable you to improve your economic well-being.  

Trump on the other hand clearly despises immigrants, whether illegal or not.  He has done and will do nothing to improve your lot in life.  He is using you to get elected; afterwards you will be nothing to him.

If you're a Muslim, vote for Kamila Harris because she respects your place at the American table.  And she will work to end the war in Gaza and provide Palestinians with the right to govern their own lives.  

Trump on the other hand has shown that he despises and fears Muslims.  And he is an even stronger supporter of Israel than the Democrats.  He gives Netanyahu a blank check to do what he wants to do.  Palestinians will clearly suffer even more under a Trump administration.

If you love America, vote for Kamila Harris because she stands for what is best in America and will make it even stronger than it has been.  

Trump on the other hand is against all the values that have made America great and a guiding light to the rest of the world –  the values stated clearly in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  He will diminish America, both in its internal strength and its standing in the world.

Vote for Kamila Harris and Tim Walz

Workers - Trump Has Deceived You

There are two things going on in the Republican Party that workers need to be wary about. 

The first is that Republicans in the Trump era call themselves the party of the people, the party of the workers.  They, or at least Trump, make impassioned speeches about how workers have been wronged and vow to help them. 

But when they are elected, Trump has not followed through with his promises and has done nothing to help the worker.  That is because he and  his fellow Republicans are hypocrites.  The Republican Party has always been the party of big business and the rich, and that still is where their hearts are. 

Their electoral base now may be to a significant extent white working men, but that is not reflected in their actions.  They are using you to increase their chances of getting elected because without the support of working men, they would lose many more elections. YOU HAVE BEEN USED AND DECEIVED!!

The negative influence of Republicans on workers’ well-being is especially clear in the National Labor Relations Board’s decisions on complaints brought by unions against corporations and in their rule-making.  Whenever there is a Republican majority on the 5-member Board (members are appointed by the President for fixed terms), the Board tends to vote in support of corporations and against unions.

The second is that there may well be individual Republicans who honestly want to support workers at least on occasion.  The problem is that when the Republican leadership in Congress presses for a unified front against Democrats, those individual Republicans typically fall in line rather than risk a breach with the leadership and its support.

Some workers and union leaders feel that Democrats have come to take them for granted and have not fought for them.  It may be that for some time, the focus of Democrats has not been on workers or the middle class, but Democrats have nevertheless continued to push legislation that is friendly to unions - like the PRO act - and that supports workers.  

What Democrats in Congress have little ability to impact are the wages that workers are paid (apart from raising the minimum wage) and the price of goods, including food.  These are the result of dynamics that Congress has no control over.  We do not live in a Communist system where both prices and wages are controlled by the government.

Bottom line, workers shouldn’t trust Republicans and should continue to vote Democratic.  

Is Character No Longer a Practical Requirement for Public Office?

Elections in the United States have always been fraught with much emotion. And in the early days of the country there were plenty of shenanigans on the part of politicians running for office.  

But when it came to higher office, especially the president, people expected candidates to be men of character.  Regardless of the policies that the candidate favored, they were expected to promote themselves and their policies with honesty and to have a morality that was above reproach.

In today’s US, for many of Trump supporters, his breaches of good character are of no concern.  Many are blind to his shortcomings.  He is their leader, their almost-savior, and they feel he can do no wrong.  

There are, however, about as many who are well aware of all of Trump’s moral and character failings, but for them it makes no difference to their support and vote.  They like his policies and that’s all that’s important to them.  They don’t seem to understand what a person of his nature could do to this country, the damage he could inflict on our institutions and our democracy.

A large part of the problem I think stems from the attitude of the “Me” generation that has spread to most of the younger populace, their children.  That would be everybody 60 or under.  If all you care about is how something impacts you, what is in your best interest, and you have no concern about how the rest of society, or the common good, is impacted, then you would indeed have no concern about a president’s character or moral, so long as you see his policies as benefiting you.

If this nation does not have leadership that encourages people to think about the common good and not just their own immediate interests, if children are not taught in civics class in school (many states no longer have a civics requirement) the importance of being aware of the common good, not just your own interest, then we will have a further deterioration of the fabric of America, of the American social contract.  And that will mean a deterioration of the quality of life in the US and of our influence in the world.

Trump or Harris for Lower Prices?

Recently, I have seen lawn signs go up saying, “Trump - low prices, Harris - high prices.”  Is that a reasonable prediction for the next 4 years?

Many people think that Trump will handle the economy better and have lower prices because prices were lower during his term as President than they are now.  Whereas prices have risen dramatically during the Biden administration and so they think electing Harris will result in higher prices.  This is what Trump has told them.

This thinking is faulty.  Trump was president in the years before COVID.  That was a different world, economically as well as in other ways.  Prices were lower, but it had nothing to do with Trump and his policies.  As a matter of fact, his tariff war with China created a price spike for many products that came from China.

The Biden Administration, on the other hand, was impacted by the effects of COVID, which included dramatically increased prices for a number of reasons all stemming from the effects of COVID on the economy.  It had nothing to do with action taken by Biden and there was no way for Biden to control prices since we do not live in a Communist country where the government controls prices and wages.

So you can’t base your prediction on the economy and prices for the next 4 years based on the experiences of these two persons in office because they were dealing with different contexts.  Admittedly, there is no question that BIden’s infrastructure plan probably added some pressure on prices, but it also had a major impact on creating jobs which decreased unemployment.  So on balance, it was a good thing.

The question each voter must ask is what are the candidates’ economic program for the future.  Trump has no plan, only slogans, which sound good, but if there is no plan, they are only words.  Like when he wanted to repeal and replace Obamacare, but he and the Republicans never came up with a plan to replace Obamacare.  Harris, by comparison, has offered a somewhat detailed plan on what she plans to do to bring prices down for housing and food, among other things.

Beware political slogans.  Look for plans, facts. 

Why Blacks and Hispanics Should Not Vote for Trump - The Racial Divide between Democrats and Republicans

If you are Black or Hispanic and you think Trump will fight for you, think again.  Read on.

Historically, there has been a sharp difference in the racial makeup of those voting for the two parties.  During the last 4 federal elections (presidential and midterm) this was again the pattern.  On average during these 4 elections,  62% of Democratic voters were White, 18% Black, and 23% Hispanic ; 87% of Republican voters were White, 1% Black, and 6% Hispanic.

As a point of reference, the national demographic is 62% White, 12% Black, and 19% Hispanic.   So Whites are proportionately represented in the Democratic party, with Blacks and Hispanics overrepresented.  Conversely, Whites are overrepresented in the Republican party, with Blacks and Hispanics underrepresented.

This will be no surprise to most observers.  Pundits note this difference all the time.  But they only talk about it in terms of whether the numbers are changing in a particular election and how this disparity impacts whether a candidate wins election.

The more critical question is what this racial divide indicates in terms of the parties’ reason for  being, their mission, their emphasis.  

As background to answering this question, a little history is necessary.  Prior to 1964 and the passage of civil rights legislation by the Democratic controlled Congress under President Lyndon Johnson, every Congressmen from the southern states was a Democrat.  This was a holdover from Reconstruction days when the Democratic President Andrew Johnson supported Whites in the South and stopped the integration of Blacks into the political and social structure of the South after the Civil War.  These “Dixiecrats” stayed with the Democrats even as the party moved towards more support for Blacks, but they blocked any move for broader civil rights.  

The passage of the CIvil RIghts Act of 1964 was the straw that  broke the camel’s back.  The Dixiecrats defected to the Republican party, thus creating the current dynamic of the clash between the two parties on all racially-related matters (this includes support for the poor who are disproportionately Black).  Prior to the inclusion of the Dixiecrats, the Republican Party was not ideologically against support for Blacks; for example, most of the northern Republicans in Congress (House and Senate) voted for the Civil RIghts Act.

With that as background, it is not surprising that there is not just a racial divide in terms of who votes for the two parties, but there is a real difference in the focus of the two parties, their view of the role of government, and the legislative measures they support.  Even pre-Trump, the Republican party was opposed to any government action to improve the lives of Blacks and the poor in general.  When it came to White “rights” v Black “rights,” their focus was on White rights regardless the impact on Black rights and the greater common good.  

The current Republican stance under the leadership of Donald Trump has taken that perspective and applied it to broader matters such as immigration.  He has also turned this perspective into a battle cry.  

However, with regard to working men, Trump has seen the advantage of taking a vigorous public stance in support of righting their grievances, which would involve government intervention.  But he did nothing while in office to follow through with those promises.  In terms of action, the Republican Party remains the party of business and the rich.  

His public stance is so vigorous, however, his rage in support of the working man so powerful that he has convinced not just White working-class men, but also increasing numbers of Blacks and Hispanics to vote for him.  Interestingly, this despite the fact that he rarely mentions Black or Hispanic causes and just addresses the general fears of the working class.  He has made himself into a populist figure who can do no wrong.

The point of this post is to make Blacks and Hispanics, and even poor and working class Whites, aware that the Republican Party and Donald Trump are not the answer to your problems.  Your best hope of improving your opportunities and status in life is to vote Democratic not just for President but for Congress (Senate and House) and local races as well.  If you elect a Democratic President, but the Senate or House is in Republican control, any effort by the President to pass legislation to improve your lives will be stopped by Republicans in Congress. 

The Hitler - Trump Analogy

Before you say this is over the top, read on.

Germans were very dispirited in the 1920s.  They had lost WWI, the reparations demanded by the victors crippled the economy, inflation was so massive that money was literally worthless.

Then along came Hitler who preached that Germany was great and he wanted to make it great again.  That they only lost the war because Germany was stabbed in the back by the German Jews.  They were the enemy and had to be cleansed from the country.  

He spoke as a person of towering strength and force.  And Germans were ready for a strong leader to lift up Germany and make them feel good about themselves again.  

The conservative leaders of Germany thought that Hitler was a maniac but that he could be controlled and wouldn't last long, so they supported him to advance their cause.

Hitler did make Germany powerful again, but only for a short time.  Ultimately, he deceived the German people and plunged them into a nightmare (the physical destruction of Germany by bombing) that they could not have imagined.   And those who thought they could control him found that they could not because he had the devoted support of the people.

Many Americans, mainly white middle-class workers, were dispirited as the 21st century began.  Their lives had been turned upside down by globalization, the loss of jobs, and if they had one, stagnant wages; prices were rising.  They saw the government paying attention to and drafting programs to help the poor and people of color, but nothing was being done to help them; they felt neglected.

Then along came Donald Trump.    He wanted to make America great again and restore the middle class to what was rightfully their's.  He blamed illegal immigration for taking away their jobs and bringing crime into their communities, ruining America.  And so he planned to deport millions of them.  He said that if he lost the 2024 election, the Jews would be to blame.  

Trump spoke as a person of towering strength and force.  He sounded outraged by what had happened to the middle-class worker and gave powerful voice to their grievances.  The middle-class worker had lost all trust in the government and were ready to follow a powerful leader who would restore their rights.  And he made then feel good about themselves again.

And so Trump could do no wrong.  Whatever he said, they believed.

Other Republican leaders and officials realized his instability and failings, but they thought they could ride to power on Trump's coattails.  Or they were scared of him.  And upper class conservatives didn't care whether he had no character and was an inveterate liar because he espoused policies that they favored.

And so we are once again in an election season where the country and the world waits with breathless anticipation of the results, with either dread or hope.  If Trump wins, there is no question in my mind that he will destroy the fabric of America and do great damage to our institutions of government.  And that all those who supported him will come to realize what a mistake they made.

If and when that happens, they will say what Pastor Niemöller said about his enabling of the Nazi's in Germany: "First they came to get the Communists and I said nothing.  Then they came to get the Jews and I said nothing.  Now they have come to get me and there is no one left to speak out for me."

I hope Americans planning on voting for Trump see the truth before it's too late and vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.