I am,
continually, baffled with people I either know personally or those I have met at
work, college, groups or other places where conversation comes up about life’s
issues. What confounds me is the fact that, other than my social work alumni
and counterparts, 99 percent of people I have conversed with about social
policy and general political party policy vote against their interest and/or
their beliefs and values.
Allow me
to explain a bit. I live in Utah – a very, red state where the only democrat
elected to a federal office is nothing like democrats from either coast or
other blue states. No, this guy is what we Gen Xer’s (and older) remember as
liberal republicans or centrists. That picture painted for anyone reading
should help with understanding my argument.
Now, the
only reason I sat down to write about this is because I am becoming infuriated
with people who vote contrary to their ideals or value and disgusted with the
shit-show that is our current, political majority. I realize much of this
problem stems from a lack of education or understanding of the issues because a
large portion of the population forms their opinions from certain media outlets
whose standards have no basis with facts, rather, they are founded on money and
special interests. Misinformation caused or promoted by the fact that the
so-called president lies pathologically and despises any member of the press
who reports facts rather than the fake news that he creates and supports.
This lack
of critical thinking, common sense and knowledge combined with an
over-abundance of frustration and anger felt by everyone who has experienced
the cost of living grow out of control while wages stagnated, declined or
disappeared with the jobs that did the same created the perfect storm for a fecal
tornado like Donald Trump to become president. Making matters worse is the fact
that Trump is not the whole problem he is, merely, the sum of all the broken
parts. It is such an embarrassment that he is in this country’s most powerful
political office, which is the face of our nation to the rest of the world. It
is a great insult to this country’s injuries.
Enter
into evidence the individuals I am calling out who do not realize every time
they vote for a republican (local, state or federal) they are giving permission
and consent to eliminate affordable healthcare for every human being, increase the
deficit by cutting taxes on those who do not need any financial help as well as
corporations who have always and will continue to put profit ahead of job
creation and fair wages, eliminating or gutting every government program
created to help pay for education (general and higher) and help people who are
sick, elderly, disabled, poor or working poor.
Many of
these voters, actually, believe that democrats want to take away guns from people
who legally own guns and promote abortion as a form of birth control. Such ignorance
and insanity has made the United States the punch line to every other country on
the planet’s jokes. We are no longer a shining example of the goodness,
creativity and intelligence of human beings and the architecture of what
democracy done right provides for its citizens and others in need around the
world.
Yes, I
blame Donald Trump – but I, also, blame those in the congress who are equally
corrupt and soulless as well members who sit idly by while corruption, greed, dishonesty,
racism, misogyny and lawlessness carries on proudly out in the open while being
promoted as being the right thing to do for the country and its citizens. Finally,
when it comes right down to causation I blame every single voter who casts
their vote in ignorance and/or tunnel vision – especially when it runs counter
to their personal beliefs and desires for which the outcome of their vote is
supposed to support.
©February
2, 2018 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas
