Slowly yet surely, step by step, (there is an old movie scene here I think) I see the eyes opening

 

On the online website: ”Salon” there is this article written by Brian Karem titled “GOP is finally running out of people to blame”.

Now Salon is a left leaning publication and most of this article deals with the failure of Trump and the Republicans. Mr. Karem picks apart the Trump administration and the Republicans in general for the various madness they are subjecting the country. You can like this or not like this based on which side of the coin you land.

What was significant to me is Mr. Karem made some interesting statements.  The first statement is:

“…..Who do you think the American public will listen to? The GOP’s pitch was, roughly speaking, that they could use extreme methods to take care of the cleanup on aisle seven. They have obviously failed. Now other folks are making the same claim from the opposite side of the court. I remain skeptical that any political party in this country can affect real and lasting positive change. They’re too busy demonizing each other, …..”

So even others with normally a side to support are realizing the truth I speak regularly. And to finish the article he states:

“These midterms promise to be fun: the old and befuddled far right versus the young and arrogant far left, vying for attention and a chance to feed at the public trough.”

Now this is not what I call the Democrats and Republicans, however he recognizes neither side truly represents us and is more attuned to power than working on what the people need. 

Mr. Karem states to make his points about the Republicans that the paint is peeling, to me he shows us in a small way the paint is peeling on both parties ineptitude to govern anymore.

Cheers

Here is a short story I am working on, please let me know your thoughts and if where I am is recognizable

 

                                                               Did I miss my exit?                                             

 

I parked in a parking lot, for maybe a business. I step out of the car or I feel I do. It is late in the afternoon of a fall day. There are leaves all over the parking lot. There are other cars and maybe some people there, but I don’t feel comfortable especially with the people, yet I cannot put a finger on as to why or exactly where they are in the parking lot. Or are they over by the business or in their cars? When did I stop?

Again, the parking lot is full of leaves, all drenched in bland fall colors, not the bright oranges and yellows you want to see, more of a dull orange or dull light brown. I looked up and the trees were the same way. The canopy of trees is thick so not much sunlight is getting through. All around the parking lot are trees blocking any direct sunlight from reaching the ground. I look over and not sure if the one-story small building I thought I saw still existed. Did I see one?

I continue to look around. Off to one side of the parking lot is a small ravine and then on the other side is a hill that goes up. Due to the trees, I cannot see how far the hill goes up. I think about walking over to the ravine to get a better look, yet just stood still looking at the ravine. It has me fixated for a moment, but for how long I cannot remember or did it? I can not tell.

I turned back towards where I think the business had been, yet there is something there, but now it appears to be more of a mound up against the other side of the parking lot from the ravine. There are trees standing over it and a hill going up behind it with trees going up the side of the hill so you could not see how far it went up.

Not only is the ground of the parking lot covered with leaves, so is the ground all around the parking lot. I turn around and around looking for the entrance to the parking lot or the road that led me here.

The leaves cover the ground going up the sides of the hills on either side of the parking lot. I decide I want to leave so I reached into my pocket for my keys. I cannot find my keys. I walk around or am I walking and now it seems there are less cars and the cars that are there are in states of disrepair and missing doors or other body parts. I look for the people I thought I had seen earlier or had I just felt their presence.

It still seemed like it is late in the day. I can look up through the trees and see blue sky and some light filtering through all the trees. It had that look like the sunlight isn’t directly overhead. I cannot figure which direction the sun is though. I ask myself long have I been there. It cannot be long since it is still light. I start to worry about it getting dark so I begin hunting around where I stand for my keys. I realize I cannot find my keys much less my car.

What happened to my car? I look around the parking lot and now I am not sure it is or was a parking lot. Are there any cars still here? There are leaves everywhere and some stacked high like maybe they are covering something. I look up. It is still daylight and it appears it isn’t changing. I see small amounts of sunlight filter through the trees and glimpses of blue sky through all the leaves. I start to try and figure out why the trees have all their leaves and yet there are so many on the ground. That thought did not hold long. I keep standing in the same spot trying to look for something to orientate myself. I think if I should try to climb one of the hills to get a better sense of my surroundings. For some reason I still stand here. I do not want to say I cannot or unable to walk forward or just not motivated to walk towards the ravine or any of the hills. It seems everywhere I look around there are hills covered with trees so it is hard to determine how high is each hill. All the trees have the same coloring of leaves with that dull orange or light brown. It even appeared they are all the same size, yet I cannot tell if all the trees are the same type. Well maybe some are taller than others, but that did not determine if the classification of the trees are all the same. Now that I have been here awhile, I notice everywhere around me is a forest, not too thick, but seeing off into the distance is hard or up the hills all I can see are trees.

I cannot believe what is happening to me. Yet I don’t feel it like anything is happening at all. How can things stay exactly the same with so much change? Surely there is an answer. Did I get tired while driving and pull over to sleep a moment? Have I awaken yet?  I felt awake. I am consciously thinking and observing my surroundings. So I cannot be asleep and I don’t feel like that dream sense of not controlling your surroundings. I feel I can walk if I want to, but not sure which direction to head. I look for my car again. I must be dreaming and am still in the car so that is why I cannot see it. I try to will myself awake. Otherwise why is the world around me so different from just a moment ago? Surely there is an answer and I just need to collect my thoughts and get going again.

 And as time goes on I keep worrying about what I need to do when evening then night comes. I look up and the sky has the same amount of light it had when I first arrived. I don’t panic about night coming yet, but it is a concern. I try to determine how much light is left in the day. I cannot tell. I know it is still daylight, yet seeing the sky clearly is difficult through all the foliage on the trees overhead. I cannot tell if there is a cloud in the sky or not. The light seems the exact same as when I arrived.

Nothing is stopping me from going anywhere, yet nothing is inspiring me to trek through the forest to climb one of the hills. I want to walk, yet I stand there constantly turning to face one direction then another. The idea that I was once in a parking lot is there, but it has long since disappeared with the building, my car, my keys, the other cars and the people I had thought were there when I first arrived. Now there is just me, some flat ground that was the parking lot. Wasn’t there a ravine on one side? I see some mounds of ground I presume, leaves collected into mounds, the trees and then the hills going up to who knows where. All around me is this same dull color, nothing that stands out, just this constant foliage of dull brown or dull orange giving off the appearance of some contrast, yet very little.  The sunlight continues filtering through to let you know it is still day, but the light of late afternoon only. I cannot believe this is real. Again I think I am in a dream and will wake up soon.

And now I cannot tell if I am disappearing into the environment or just observing it. I wondered why everything around me is evolving or changing, yet time keeps still. This is madness. I need to kick something. I want to hit something. I cannot find anything to kick. I think about kicking the mounds of leaves. I get scared. What if I kick something and hurt my foot? I shouted or I think I shout. There is no echo. I want to scream at everything around me. There isn’t anything to scream. I don’t know what to scream. I run in circles, well it feels such. Why am I not seeing anyone anymore? I feel anger and don’t know for how long I have felt it. I keep wanting to scream and scream and scream. I hear no sound from me. Maybe I hear something faint from far away. Why can’t they hear me scream? What is wrong with this world?  It changes and stays the same no matter I long I stand here. I am not dreaming, this is a nightmare. I try to pinch myself. Wake up I think I yell. I look around and it is still light out, the leaves are all around, the trees are all around and somewhere just past the trees are those hills I need to climb. I get resolute and think I should march there now before it gets late, yet I am scared to leave my spot because all I want is to go home. Frustration wells up inside me as I think about home.  Just let me go home I think I scream.

It still is light, the same light it has always been. I look up. I look down and the light doesn’t change. I think there should be someone around to speak to about where is my car, where am I, where does this madness end and when can I go home? I promise myself whatever caused me to park here I will fix. I just need to find someone to show me what happened. Do I need to call someone to come get me? I still want to scream, yet that doesn’t seem to be an answer to this predicament.  I just need to find someone and then work out the details. This cannot be a problem especially if I find my car. My wallet must still be in it. I feel I am waiting and it never goes away. Waiting for what I ask myself? Somewhere there is a solution so I scream again or I think I do. Am I still asleep? Is that all this is for now? Where in your brain do you go to for your brain to break through this madness? Surely some part of your brain is functional enough to know to create a lifeline out of here. And what is here besides a valley maybe, small one at that, does water run through that ravine I saw earlier, yet cannot see again. Speaking of which, am I thirsty?

I cry. I look at the dullness of the leaves. I cry. I look at the sunlight I cannot see. I cry. I cannot stop crying. I don’t want to do anything. I look through the trees to find the hill I must climb, yet why make the effort. I just stand there for how long. Does it matter if I move? Does it matter about me? Why can’t I wake up?  Why does the day never change, but I feel I am changing? What process of thought must I endure to escape what is in front of me? Why won’t my brain, my synopsis figure something out so I can move.

I don’t want to move. I stare at the dull brown and orange leaves. I see. I smell, not sure what. Or am I smelling? Don’t leaves smell, doesn’t rotting foliage have a smell? I see the leaves on the ground. Shouldn’t they be decaying? I shrink into my brain. Am I not seeing, hearing or smelling because the world around me is disintegrating?  I think this is not my fault.  Whatever happened I hold no accountability. I got stuck. Nothing else happened. The frustration, the anger, the confusion is all gone now. I sit in solace knowing it doesn’t matter anymore.  I sit. I don’t care.

I don’t know how long I sit or am I standing. I just don’t know what is happening. Maybe I will be rescued. I laugh. That is a futile thought. Does anyone know I am missing?  I think of home. Home is beautiful, full of color, off white walls filled with scenic landscape paintings much more distinct than what is around me. There are family pictures, the smell of fried chicken cooking, the laughter ringing from all the rooms as kids play. I love home. How long will it be before I see home again? There is no worry if I can go home. All I need is to go home. Whatever this moment is about, it won’t matter when I go home. I cry missing home, but not a sad cry, maybe a bit sad, yet more of longing and it being too long away.

For some reason I keep waiting for something to happen. At times I get angry again because the world is the same. Everything I first remembered is gone and has been for untold amount of time since the light never changes. Still the same late afternoon feel to the light so why doesn’t it change? Why is it not darker by now? I keep thinking maybe it is a dream, yet it feels like one long dream. Yet isn’t that the way dreams work. There is no time, they just happen and then they are over. I think again maybe this is a dream. I look around. How many times have I done that?  Has time settled into the area where I sit or stand or turn? I don’t know which and trees above me with those annoying dull brown and orange leaves, tads of light filtering through, trees all around and just beyond it appears hills leading upwards. It seems like the world has always been this way.

I look around again. Again nothing changes. I look to see if I have a watch on, I can’t remember if I had one on today. Seems surreal to say today since so much has changed and nothing has changed, but it still must be today since it is still light out.

At times it feels like I need permission granted for me to move around. I don’t know why this feeling is present. I look, I see nothing different. Do I hear a voice? I wait.

What I wait for I do not know.  I sense something coming or is it just wind. I think finally a breeze. I cannot remember feeling a breeze this whole afternoon. It feels pleasant, refreshing. Yes I do feel a breeze. I look up. I don’t know why. Is something or someone calling me. Am I ready to move? Almost, maybe, I think.  I think it would be great to shower. I don’t know why, yet a feeling of cleansing falls over me. I feel elated, fantastic like never before.

I run. I run up the hill. I see the light becoming brighter with each forward motion. I cannot run fast enough. There is no labor to my breath as I run. Everything comes easily as I approach the light coming from the top of the hill. I see the beauty of the light, a beauty that cannot be described. The tears are flowing. They are tears of joy.

It wasn’t/isn’t that difficult, why the modern disasters tick me off and so does this country

 

You read in the news the historically low lake levels in the west or the flooding in the Midwest as we head into hurricane season. Maybe we get lucky this year and El nino floods the west’s lakes and lessens the impact of hurricanes. Can we count on it?

No. You cannot count on anything with nature so you should always be contingency planning and that is without even thinking about climate change. Yet the short sightedness of our current political system is actually destroying us. And I am not talking generally about a two party system, but our current duopoly. And I do not care if you think I am beating the same ole drum because until you wake up and hear it I will continue to pound. And because it is this same duopoly that is destroying this country.

And all the people who still call themselves Republicans and Democrats will say no it is the other party. Which is one of the biggest aspects of the problem. The intense partisanship hate, finger pointing, yet even more important the lack of either side to actually figure out solutions to problems. So instead of finger pointing, stop for a moment and realize what has my party actually done. If you are honest with yourself, and I know this is a stretch because being honest with yourself is difficult, I struggle with it too, then you will see how little is done for you. Yet right now let’s talk about the country as a whole.

Starting 15-16 years ago I started writing ideas to alleviate what is exactly happening to this country today. Forget climate change, just think about things like an El Nino or other catastrophic climate events that happen without climate change. And if you realize climate change is a possibility then why weren’t you working hastily on alleviating some of the projected problems. No, instead you sat around with your nose in the air and told us the sky was falling and never created an umbrella. Complete silence on solutions or as what I did, offer ideas to combat the disasters befalling us. Everyone said quit pumping CO2 in the air and all will be well while watching the planet continue to consume fossil fuels like it is candy. You needed more and sat there and complained about the greed of the fossil fuel industry, which is undeniably a problem, but never ever said until this stops what are we going to do about potential disasters that existed even before potential climate change.

And others spoke of similar solutions, yet like me screaming into a partisan divide so large that our voices couldn’t even reach the canyon walls to even echo loud enough for the vast majority of the country to hear.

If you are a diehard Democrat or Republican you are part of the problem and not the solution no matter what you continue to say to yourself. We need new ideas, and at this point the ideas aren’t even new, they aren’t heard.

So if you are one of the people that thinks Trump can fix everything or one of the people who stick their nose up at the vast majority of the country and lectures us like a jaded community college professor; you are the problem. You have done more damage than you can imagine. And the vast majority who get stuck believing in either party because they dominate the political system get screwed by your ineptitude for public policy and general ability to think.

So again and again I say this we need new parties, or people in each party, I really don’t care, I just don’t see it in the duopoly to start thinking. And not just thinking outside the box, just thinking.

Again starting fifteen or sixteen years ago, I started proposing solutions with how to pay for it without just taxing us to death, yet it fell upon death ears. And again others have offered similar solutions, even those with greater credentials than me, yet the political earwax has clogged up the system so bad no one hears. And if you are reading this on Tumblr, Wordpress or Substack, the original blog is on blogspot or blogger. I started using the other platforms over time so go find the original and it is in plain black and white on your computer screen.

I feel for the vast majority of our country living with the flooding or concern for lack of water or the high price of electricity and I most emphatically put the blame on the duopoly lying to the people of this country just to hold onto a false sense of power. Absolutely abominable what they are doing to this country.

We can still rectify the problems if we can get past the partisan madness being shoved down our throats.

Does the MAGA rank and file know Trump is anti free markets? And the democrats are going to lose the 2026 midterms if they keep whining about Trump.

 

So let’s start with the first question. Trump is anti free market. It is plain and simple. And it is not when he says buy a certain computer or product and doesn’t promote everything. That is just Trump being Trump or possibly being unethical, a question for another day.

When Trump supports industries in general over other industries or when he uses the power of the government to have negative affects on an industry that is anti free market. Any time a new industry sprouts up or new ideas are created the markets are to determine if it is going to be successful. The government should play no part and specifically the President creating obstacles for that industry or idea to succeed is anti free market.

New industries and ideas are what made our economic engine explode for the last 150 years. The government or any person in power in the government has no business to stifle innovation. This causes loss of thousands of jobs and millions maybe billions in today’s world in investments lost to the economy.  Trump should have no say in what we invest in, what we develop so the consumer has more choices which drives down prices. Also new businesses help more wealth creation for more people instead of supporting only established industries and consolidating wealth. If a new business is not successful, so be it, but the President shouldn’t be deciding what businesses we can invest in or products to buy.

 

And one reason Trump beat Harris was because he kept saying he had answers. Sure it was just him talking, no real substance to anything he promised, yet he said he was going to do something. People want to hear positive, not whining. So much of the secondary news podcasts and other avenues are just whining about Trump and saying you need to vote democrat, yet offering no solutions to the current issues facing everyday Americans. And I am not hearing anything of substance from the democratic party.  They are going to crash and burn again just like in 2024 if they don’t start changing their tune and offering something people feel offers them an opportunity or hope things will get better. Their messaging needs to change because Trump isn’t on the ballot and most people are ticked off at Congress whether Republican or Democrat. If they want to win, they need to be positive, hopeful, strong and offer solutions. And secondarily realize whether they like it or not, most everyday Americans lean center to center right. And yes democrats they really do land in the center, no matter how much you scream democratic socialism is the answer. That won’t fly far with most of us. Again whether you like it or not you need to center your tune.

 

Cheers

I am going to say it, I told you so.

 

Today on CNN online there are two articles, well one is a video. The first headline is for a poll that says: “Majority of voters want to unseat most of Congress”

The second appears to be a follow up to the first poll stating American voters are hungry for a change.

Well, yes they are because the duopoly failed us. I just wish they had woken up to this reality sooner. I spent decades telling people the duopoly fails us and now we are in a political abyss. It is too late in most races to get qualified independents or a new major party going, yet hopefully this frustration carries over so people start preparing for 2028.

In a weird way Trump was the first sign voters were tired of the status quo. He was elected in 2016 saying he would drain the swamp. Of course he was all talk and no action, but it was what people wanted to hear.

Now he is part of the problem because the Republicans are worthless. Yet neither party has any new plans. Well the so called democratic socialists say they are new, yet actually they are ultra liberal democrats trying to wrap themselves up in new shiny paper. They are not new. They are not change, they talk a good game, yet the reality on the ground is we need political leadership that can make hard decisions and get really creative in public policy.

We have major problems, fixable yes, but major so we need people that can stand up to the lobbyists, the current duopoly, the billionaires, the extremists and settle us down with some very specific budget planning, resetting priorities, getting us out of this totally insane Iran war situation, rebuilding trust with our trading partners and allies and more.

If you read through previous posts over the years there are multiple ideas written and rehashed, hopefully to improve, and more. If I can think beyond the crap the duopoly dumped on us, I’m sure there are other ideas too that can be utilized to improve our current needs such as improving social security, healthcare (I know many want universal healthcare and honestly I am not a fan, but if someone can come up with an AFFORDABLE option, I am all ears), improving education, changing the tax code so it favors small and medium size businesses along with the working and middle class.

There is more and if you reread the above litany of issues, you will say isn’t that what the Democrats and Republicans promised they were going to do. And yes that is why you are frustrated because they haven’t done it. Over and over again we heard the same promises election cycle after election cycle and nothing changed because the duopoly only cared about re-election, not you.

So the polling shows what I warned you about starting in the 1980’s, people made fun of me. Yet the truth was showing as far back as then and after four decades of being lied to, we have a horrible Congress, a Supreme Court that cannot apply the Constitution to anything Trump does and a President destroying our country from the inside. 

Yes you want better and I am glad, just what are we going to do about it.

And what is scary, the first issue to work on is our budget because we need to get handle on that to know what we can do going forward. It may take a few years to level off the disaster the duopoly is leaving us.

Secondarily, we need to invest heavily in renewable energy because oil and it’s by products are poison to the human body. And it always remains a geopolitical nightmare and the current quagmire is more proof that oil is our enemy no matter what Trump and the oil industry tells you. We may never get completely off it, but over a decade ago I started writing ideas to transition us off oil that would make the economic change work.

Problems can be solved, who do we elect to solve them is the first step, yet right now it is not the Democrats and Republicans creating answers.

Here’s a strange thought

 

Donald Trump keeps telling everyone he is the only one that can fix everything.

If you know anything about Judeo-Christian teaching there is the obvious flaw. Only God can fix anything and everything especially completely. So what would God think about Donald Trump saying this?

God is forgiving so maybe he laughs whole heartedly at Trump and since he sees Trump so lost he shows Trump the truth and Trump listens and changes his ways. It is kind of what we all want, some saving redemption at whatever level we believe.

Or God invited Trump to Heaven and Trump went so rogue that when it comes time for the four last things for Trump that the fourth is staring down hard on Trump. Who knows?

 

 

 

 

And for those of you who don’t know, the four last things are death, judgment, heaven and hell.

 

And if you ask what about purgatory, well it is part of the heaven route. Purgatory just cleanses our soul to go to Heaven so that is why there are only four last things.

The irony of Republicans, Social Security and AI

 

We all know Social Security needs major overhaul to be a valid resource for retired Americans going forward. It is an ongoing headline in the news.

Republicans tend to suggest one solution or part of the solution is to raise the retirement age.

Nowadays people worry about job reductions overall in society due to AI replacing so many workers.

So shouldn’t we look at lowering the retirement age.

Why?

This allows gainful employment for workers in the prime years and protects the job market from being over saturated with the reduction in the labor force due to AI.

 

And how? And this how is just another reason our societal mindset needs to change. This isn’t socialism or just tax the rich to tax the rich, but to level out the long term playing field and allow people who create jobs etc to continue to do so, while allowing our society to continue to prosper overall and have even just a basic quality of life.

First and it is just a reality corporations and businesses need to accept. Wages need to increase. If people are making billions on top of billions the workers wages can increase. It is just common sense for a better society.

Second the social security top tax limits need to be eliminated and all tax brackets need to have social security contributions. You can say after a certain level you start reducing the rate or percentage being used. For example raise the full taxable limit to $250,000 or $300,000. ( and depending on a few factors we may not increase the employer’s responsibility past a certain amount or eliminate it entirely for small and mid size businesses, but then you are getting into how do you determine small and mid size companies,  something to be worked out in the details) I stole some of this idea from a letter to an editor and that person said regressive tax. I am not sure if that is the right definition yet generally you lower the percentage withdrawn up to a certain income level. So by let’s say $750,000 or $1,000,000 the percentage withdrawn is 1 or 2% and then is zero above that. Again the exact figures get worked out in the details.

Third you lower the potential age you can start taking social security. If people have done well and they want to do something different in life or even start their own business they would be young enough say 60 to start receiving benefits. You could keep the benefit amount on a similar sliding scale where you start at 60 with a percentage of full benefits then at a later age you receive your full benefits. And we even lower this to 65 maybe. And possibly if more are paying in, benefits might increase also. Again this is worked out in the details.

The biggest issue that needs addressing is most people that rely on social security are in service industry jobs or similar which historically have been on the low end of the totem pole. This is why the overall corporate pay rate needs to increase. More people paid higher allows them to save more, allows them to have more flexibility in their retirement and both the higher wage earners and corporations contribute to the overall health of society by allowing lower wage workers a basic decent end of their life opportunity. This is not socialism. This is society overall respecting the dignity of life.

The goal is not to say we cannot have rich people or AI, but to shift some of the responsibility of protecting their workers onto them and not just on the government protecting a workforce that is stretched to their limits under paid with no quality of life. Even rich people like going out to eat or whatever. They just need to respect the people that are there serving them and not treat them as serfs.

Or the people with excessive billions can be hated and eventually pitchfork economics come into play and that doesn’t do anyone any good.

 

And yes this is I don’t know how many ideas or variations of a theme (including my last post) I have to actually make social security work now and in the future.

Cheers