This week alone, 22 people were killed and 44 injured by guns in mass shootings, as 2022 is shaping up to be one of the worst years for gun violence in recent history. Six people were killed at a Walmart in Virginia by a store manager, and three days later a 22-year-old opened fire in an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs, killing five and injuring…
The GOP is Coming for Social Security
Now that Republicans have gained control of the house, you can bet that they’ll push legislation to make cuts to Social Security and Medicare (they’ve been eyeing cutting or privatizing these programs for years). However, with Dems in control of the Senate, passing such legislation into law will likely meet with some serious roadblocks. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is the #1 cheerleader for…
Washed Out Wave
The predicted midterm “red wave” really turned out to be a washout. Up until Tuesday, polls around the country, from FiveThirtyEight, to Quinnipiac and CNN, warned of a massive GOP red wave that would nab dozens of seats in the U.S. House and Senate. GOP Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted on Tuesday “the red wave has begun,” but as of this blog…
Cliff Hanger
On November 8, we will see which direction our country will be heading. I myself am filled with both trepidation and dread as Christo-fascist candidates and 2020 election deniers gain momentum in the polls. Such candidates include climate-change deniers, QAnon conspiracy theorists, and those who decry a woman’s right to choose, seek to outlaw gay…
A Price Too High
I was literally in shock while watching a reporter interview a woman from Arizona who plans to vote Republican down the line because the price of eggs is (in her opinion) too high. Our democracy is in peril, and this voter is more concerned about the price of groceries. Never since the Civil War has our country been so…
Fear of Losing in America
It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. Aung San Suu Kyi Although I’ve always been a registered Democrat, some might say I have no business stating the following: The GOP has…
Look Behind the Curtain
Although in the past I have focused my voting concerns more on both US and state candidates, this year I’m more concerned about candidates running at the state level for secretary of state. These individuals are responsible for overseeing elections in their states, including the enforcement of qualifying rules, and the establishment of election-day procedures. Next month, 27 secretaries of…
Choppy Waters Ahead for Democracy?
In a recent poll conducted by NBC News in August, American voters ranked “threats to democracy” as the most important issue facing this country, followed by the cost of living then jobs, and the economy. This is a remarkable result, especially when the economy and jobs have historically been a foremost concern among U.S. voters. We are in very different waters now. Our nation is experiencing a jaw-dropping number…
A Great Divide
Last week, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General opened the meeting of the General Assembly in New York with a stern warning: The world is in danger, we are more divided, and countries are teetering on the edge of totalitarianism as a result of economic inequity and we are suffering from the effects of climate change. He said in his address, “divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider,”…
Political Humbug
There are less than 50 days before the 2022 mid-terms, and the campaign ads are moving into full swing. I find it both ironic and puzzling that many Republicans running for office are marketing themselves as champions of freedom and small government. During the height of the pandemic, GOP governors such as Ron DeSantis in Florida vehemently opposed business and school shutdowns, fought tooth and nail against mask and vaccine…