Here's only a tiny part of the current state of American politics. Each description at each link is extremely brief---
[Here are some of the "horrors of socialism" in the USA: national parks, public roads, public libraries, public health clinics, social security retirement, & anything else not privatized.]
[This borders on criminality perpetrated by Repub AND Dem elected officials & appointed bureaucrats. Perhaps arguably, it's child abuse.]
["The U.S. continues to hold 34 prisoners at Guantánamo. Only 11 of them have been charged in military tribunals." What an egregious shame on American national politicians. ALL humans have certain rights, including criminals, terrorists, SUSPECTS, & the like.]
HISTORY MATTERS---
The first political Parties in the USA were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (AKA, the Anti-Federalists). They were formed by the first political "bosses" about twenty years after the founding of our country. Alexander Hamilton was the Head of the Federalists, and they were in favor of a strong central government. When the USA was forming in the mid-1770's, Hamilton favored a monarchy for our type of government; he believed we should have a King. Thomas Jefferson was the Head of the Democratic-Republicans, and they favored strong States' Rights.
These first American political Parties were formed by the members of the social elite, the rich plutocrats of that time. Almost all of them "owned" hundreds of slaves, and believed only the aristocracy should rule a country. Twenty years prior to the formal organization of the two Parties, these same men formed our government. They did not favor a democracy, and often described same as "two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner".
They finally settled on a Constitutional Republic in which "all men are created equal", except of course, for slaves. Women couldn't vote, and members of the Senate were not elected; instead, they were appointed to office.
Time passed, and things changed. Now we're the "land of the free and the home of the brave". I agree we're brave. One has to be when putting up with politicians who favor mega banks, perpetual war, fossil fuels, policing the world, the American Empire, the rich & powerful, and Edward Bernays style propaganda. But, are you "free" - from debt, from job insecurity, from the rat-race, from pollution (e.g., the "forever chemicals" and the nano-plastics in your body), from a fractured and atomized society, from the super high cost of living, from a government too large to be managed properly, from "food deserts" scattered all across the country, from weather extremes which could have been mitigated on the macro-scale, from inflation (the hidden tax)? If not, then place much of the blame on a broken TWO-PARTY system which is largely run by Oligarchs and/or their influence.
Don't jump to conclusions. No one loves this country more than I do. It's a false myth which says if you love your country, then you must support the scoundrels who are running it. Plutocrats promote that baloney. The aristocracy wants you to believe such nonsense. As Warren Buffett once stated fairly recently: "There's a Class War going on in this country, and my side is winning.". So true, Mr. Buffett.
It doesn't have to be that way. Stop drinking the propaganda kool-aid coming from Repubs AND Dems. Overwhelmingly, they are on the same Team (except for a few social hot-button issues), and it's not yours. They are on Team Oligarchy.
So, what's to be done?
1. If you're a Democrat, don't ever vote for one of your "centrist/moderate" candidates (unless he/she is running against someone like Trump). They are NOT centrists; they are corporatists. They are part of the Big Business Establishment. Instead, support Progressives. They have their flaws, but they're the closest thing to being democratic (with a small letter "d") in the Corporatist Dem Party. The Dem Party of the past is long-gone, replaced by neoliberalism.
After Sanders was completely shafted by the DNC, it's amazing to me that any Progressives remained in the so-called Dem Party. They all should have dumped it. I'm guessing they believe they'll change it from the inside. That's highly unlikely. It's a rigged game, rigged by billions of dollars.
2. If you're a Republican, be aware that the Repub Party also is long-gone; it has been co-opted first by Neoconservatives, and then by Neoliberals. They support Big Biz over Small Biz. They egregiously promulgate Corporate Globalization and monopolies. The only thing they want to conserve is Rule by Plutocrats. They favor industrial farming over smaller family farms. They abhor competition in the marketplace. They don't give a damn about your religion, your ethics, or your belief in conservatism. In short, you've been bamboozled.
Your best hope is to dump the so-called Repub Party, and become an Independent or perhaps a Libertarian (although, you probably won't care for the liberal side of libertarianism). You're fairly well shafted, partly because most likely you don't know much at all about Russell Kirk, the Founder of Modern Day Conservatism. Without knowing it, you allowed genuine conservatism to be replaced by neoliberalism.
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Not only my opinion. Be Well
