Ever heard the phrase "I'm of two minds" about something or other? Welcome to America, where many people are of two minds about what they want from their government, me included.
I certainly don't want new cars to cost more, but I totally support the UAW push to give autoworkers and their families better lives after a period of record profits allowed the folks at the tippy top to ... well, buy bigger boats and take more exotic vacations.
And here's the "of two minds" for the workers on strike.
1) Trump, as president, stacked the Supreme Court with anti-union justices and packed the National Labor Relations Board with officials who reduced the power of workers to organize. He also tried to add ten anti-labor activists into the Federal Service Impasses Panel. That's about as anti-union as you can get, and moves like that have long been on the Republican agenda.
2) But the UAW's leaders won't endorse Biden -- the most pro-union president in recent history -- because of his climate-based push to replace gasoline motors in cars with electric ones, which need fewer workers to produce. And many UAW workers, given where they live, are likely gun owners, certain that the Dems will rip their guns out of their hands at any second, and they kinda like the anti-woke drumbeat that the MAGA-folk are using as a smokescreen these days.
Sooooo, what to do, what to do?
For years, I've been registered as an independent, and I took certain pride in measuring out the candidates I voted on.
I've often asked myself what issues among the many that affect me are most important, not just to me, but also to my family, my friends and my community at large. Is the person I'm voting for credible on these issues, is he moral and ethical in general and can I expect him to fight for the things that I think are important.
Many of my decisions were based on two words: Money and Trust. Does the candidate support the use of government funds to help people who legitimately need help the most, and do I think the candidate will be careful and conservative on how that money is used. Finally, do I trust that the candidate cares more about working hard for his constituency than for his own good.
Given those two prerequisite, I've sometimes found myself voting for Republicans and sometimes for Democrats, depending on the timing, the history of the candidates and the issues involved. I want my government to be very careful with my tax dollars, but also to care for the people it represents (all of the people, mind you, not just the rich ones). But these days, even though the Dems can go off on terrible tangents and I'm not so confident of every tax dollar they spend, they clearly care the most about helping the people I care about the most.
And, frankly -- think this through, folks -- can anyone really trust Trump to do anything but help himself as president? The words Trump and trust just don't go together.
Anyhow ... yes, I'm of two minds politically. But for now, the Democratic part of my mind is in solid control.
Well phrased. Yes, very depressing. I recall grandfather telling me when I was about 12 that the time we enjoyed as a "liberal" democracy was slowing; "the pendulum is swinging the other way. That was in about 1962. Yiikes. He was a corp atty, then assistant to state supreme justice, then teacher and had with his son presented at the US Supreme Court.
My politics really allow me to work with what I can see, touch and feel: local politics. It is such a small steering mechanism. But useful to me.
The voting process produces such slow motion change. The ignorance and dissonance of the afore mentioned individuals, one from CO, is shocking, but not unexpected when so many in America are really disenfranchised (hence the continued popularity of heavy metal and like music genres). Getting the public back into politics in their interest is the real trick. How will that happen?
Reminds me of the phrase, “you promote that which you permit.” We...the people...who are supposed to be “our government” are getting what we vote for. Yes, the system is broken, yes we can fix it...but we don’t.
Ever heard the phrase "I'm of two minds" about something or other? Welcome to America, where many people are of two minds about what they want from their government, me included.
I certainly don't want new cars to cost more, but I totally support the UAW push to give autoworkers and their families better lives after a period of record profits allowed the folks at the tippy top to ... well, buy bigger boats and take more exotic vacations.
And here's the "of two minds" for the workers on strike.
1) Trump, as president, stacked the Supreme Court with anti-union justices and packed the National Labor Relations Board with officials who reduced the power of workers to organize. He also tried to add ten anti-labor activists into the Federal Service Impasses Panel. That's about as anti-union as you can get, and moves like that have long been on the Republican agenda.
2) But the UAW's leaders won't endorse Biden -- the most pro-union president in recent history -- because of his climate-based push to replace gasoline motors in cars with electric ones, which need fewer workers to produce. And many UAW workers, given where they live, are likely gun owners, certain that the Dems will rip their guns out of their hands at any second, and they kinda like the anti-woke drumbeat that the MAGA-folk are using as a smokescreen these days.
Sooooo, what to do, what to do?
For years, I've been registered as an independent, and I took certain pride in measuring out the candidates I voted on.
I've often asked myself what issues among the many that affect me are most important, not just to me, but also to my family, my friends and my community at large. Is the person I'm voting for credible on these issues, is he moral and ethical in general and can I expect him to fight for the things that I think are important.
Many of my decisions were based on two words: Money and Trust. Does the candidate support the use of government funds to help people who legitimately need help the most, and do I think the candidate will be careful and conservative on how that money is used. Finally, do I trust that the candidate cares more about working hard for his constituency than for his own good.
Given those two prerequisite, I've sometimes found myself voting for Republicans and sometimes for Democrats, depending on the timing, the history of the candidates and the issues involved. I want my government to be very careful with my tax dollars, but also to care for the people it represents (all of the people, mind you, not just the rich ones). But these days, even though the Dems can go off on terrible tangents and I'm not so confident of every tax dollar they spend, they clearly care the most about helping the people I care about the most.
And, frankly -- think this through, folks -- can anyone really trust Trump to do anything but help himself as president? The words Trump and trust just don't go together.
Anyhow ... yes, I'm of two minds politically. But for now, the Democratic part of my mind is in solid control.
Well phrased. Yes, very depressing. I recall grandfather telling me when I was about 12 that the time we enjoyed as a "liberal" democracy was slowing; "the pendulum is swinging the other way. That was in about 1962. Yiikes. He was a corp atty, then assistant to state supreme justice, then teacher and had with his son presented at the US Supreme Court.
My politics really allow me to work with what I can see, touch and feel: local politics. It is such a small steering mechanism. But useful to me.
The voting process produces such slow motion change. The ignorance and dissonance of the afore mentioned individuals, one from CO, is shocking, but not unexpected when so many in America are really disenfranchised (hence the continued popularity of heavy metal and like music genres). Getting the public back into politics in their interest is the real trick. How will that happen?
Thanks as always for your comments.
Reminds me of the phrase, “you promote that which you permit.” We...the people...who are supposed to be “our government” are getting what we vote for. Yes, the system is broken, yes we can fix it...but we don’t.