For readers who don’t remember: “both sides” are not to blame
Friends and family on social media, and sometimes even the professional media, blame both political parties for the divisiveness in the United States. This is a false equivalence.
The source of the divisiveness in our government is the Republican party and the Republican party alone. They started it in earnest in the 1980s, with the administration of Ronald Reagan. Then they did everything possible to make sure Democratic presidents couldn’t succeed and their policies could.
Let’s consider a little history. I’ll cover it president by president.
Nonsensical, aggravating stuff
It’s not just about politics
So. Today Joe Biden was declared President-Elect, and Kamala Harris is Vice President-Elect.
Joe has asked us to be nice and leave the anger behind.
And all over Facebook, I’ve seen people saying we have to make peace with each other.
I’m not having it. At least not yet.
Because this isn’t about “just politics.” This is about decency and compassion. And 70 million people have just shown that they are not decent or compassionate. And some of those people are family and people I thought were better than that.
A poem
Remember the poem If by…
And I will persist
I am a volunteer Democratic activist. I worked harder on this election than I ever have.
This is what volunteers do to help candidates win:
- I volunteered at the County Democratic HQ and a Democratic candidate’s HQ at least 12 hours a week.
- I handwrote 200 postcards for our Democratic candidate’s campaign for Congress. That included 175 cards to selected district voters and a couple of dozen postcards to friends, family, and neighbors who are Trump supporters.
- I delivered dozens of yard signs for multiple candidates.
- I put about 1,500 miles on my car driving around the county for Democrats.
- …
Complete with armed thugs!
Note: All photos used with permission of the photographers
A few weeks ago the Indivisible group in my small Pennsylvania town scheduled an anti-racism march. The event was called “Racism Has No Home Here.”
Greg Hayes, a candidate for the state House, got wind of it somehow. He posted on his Facebook campaign page that we were “busing in” Black Lives Matter protesters.
Why I lost my temper, and how I found it again
Joe Biden visited Erie, PA, today.
We Democratic volunteers were elated when we learned he was coming! I live in a rural area south of Erie, and I was determined to see him.
But then we were disappointed to learn the event was limited to a tiny group, by invitation only, because of coronavirus. Of course, because Joe and the Democrats believe in science and safety.
The woman who coordinates Dem volunteers in Erie emailed us all with the location and time of Biden’s visit because we wanted to be there to greet him. …
There will be discomfort
I am tired of young women in tech who cry about how sexist their workplaces are, and how they had to quit tech because they couldn’t stand it.
Well excuse me all to hell but I was a woman in tech before these youngsters’ parents were in the workforce. In the 1970s. Talk about sexist workplaces.
But I stood up for myself. Refused to accept my turn making the coffee, because that was only expected of the women in the office. Called guys out for referring to their women co-workers as girls. …
Consider it an investment in the future of the USA
Did you know that the last five presidential campaigns have all cost over $2 billion? Yep, that’s billion with a B. Going back 20 years.
Did you realize that Representatives in the House have to run for office every two years, and some campaigns cost millions of dollars?
Did you ever imagine that Senatorial campaigns, every six years, would cost millions of dollars?
I think we’d all like to get “big money” out of our elections, but when political races cost this much, it’s very hard. And to achieve electoral…
Can I quit sugar?
I’m addicted to sugar.
In the grand scheme of life-destroying addictions this may seem like a petty complaint, but I need some perspective from other people who suffer from addictions. Please hear me out.
First, me
I have lost 53 pounds since May of 2018. I am 5'3" tall, and I weighed 219 pounds that month.
I count calories using an app. The pounds have come off slowly but surely, a pound every couple of weeks, with a plateau now and then. It’s worked pretty well for me.
I still ate too much sugar, but my calorie-counting helped me understand how many…
“Did You Ever Love Me?”
Joe Luca issued a challenge, and what a challenge it is! Joe, you made me cry.
Dear reader, first read his challenge to learn why I’m telling you so much about my family.
Given a mysterious opportunity to call one, and only one, person from my past, my immediate thought was to call my mother. She died in 1996.
I’d really rather call my father. I miss him so much. He died in 2002.
I was with Dad when he died, along with a nurse at the care home. His breathing was raspy, rattly even. He was there but not…
Prickly Pam
Retired IT pro, BA Philosophy, small business owner since 2003, bleeding heart liberal, recurring MDD sufferer, & proud mom of a brilliant queer woman.
