When Democracy Works

Democracy, when it’s working correctly, is slow, boring and struggles to hold anyone’s, except for those of us who, “marinate,” in applied politics, attention.

Democracy, it turns out, works best when Democrats are able to get it done.  

See:
Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box; How the Performance of Our Presidents has Impacted Your Wallet, by Bob Deitrick and Lew Goldfarb, Published by ADVANTAGE, 2012.

https://epiaction.org/2024/04/02/economic-performance-is-stronger-when-democrats-hold-the-white-house/#full-report   

https://epi.org/press/new-report-finds-that-the-economy-performs-better-under-democratic-presidential-administrations/  

Voters get bored because they don’t see what’s being accomplished on their behalf. Democrats aren’t good at explaining or otherwise spending the effort needed to make what’s getting done known in a brief, understandable format. 

So, voter, make brief contact with your elected office holders and ask them about issues that you care about.  Yes, most do read and reply.

There are two issues that I think would be of interest to nearly everybody:
1. Why has the federal, minimum wage stayed at $7.25 per hour for 20 years?  My calculation is that at least $25 per hour would allow a single, childless, adult to live in modest comfort.
2. Why is the USA the only advanced economy in the world where a person can be bankrupted by health care costs?  Single Payer/Medicare for All, properly implemented, could completely eliminate that cause of personal bankruptcy by making medical care much more efficient, effective and, therefore, affordable; can, and is, being done in every other advanced economic (OECD) nation in the world.

Just these two things would grow the US economy for everybody in these United States of America.  When everybody can afford to live, save and invest the economy grows for everybody.  Only the megalomaniacal, enormously wealthy, aristocrat wannabes will complain, because they have the unenlightened perspective that they alone should be the beneficiary in any economy, to say naught of a good economy.  

The Republican criminal syndicate (RCS) has been purchased by the aforementioned aristocrat wannabes to work to the benefit of only those who already have far more than anyone will ever need.  The Republicans were actually a useful alternative perspective prior to the 1960s, but now they are purchased to set neighbor against neighbor to distract from their owners pursuit of their own unenlightened, self-interest and their criminal activity; see, also: Epstein, kleptocurrency, FTC, SEC, etc… investigations.

There was an insurrection against the United States on January 6th 2021 that was incited by the 45th President. That president was sheltered from responsibility and consequences by the RCS in Congress and some of the SCOTUS justices.  There are consequences for every participant in said insurrection, outlined in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, that have not yet been applied to the deserving RCS elected and appointed public officials.  Law enforcement needs to be put on notice that those consequences must be applied to the aforementioned insurrectionists. 
 
Vote for the candidate of your choice (make a decision, not an excuse), and communicate, courteously, what you expect from your elected office holder.  Get what you need, or vote for some one else when the next elections happen.

Restoring Actual Family Values

I recently became a Grandpa, and am helping the new parents when they ask.  

Let's see what could happen to make parenting, and grand parenting, easier in a culture where three generations rarely live in the same home (or in an ADU: additional dwelling unit; upgraded RV on the same lot);

More (better, employer/publicly funded and longer parental leave); better minimum wage (>$25 per hour); free, public day care; free, public pre-K; free public schools (all free, as needed); etc...

Y'know: Socialism.  If that concept bothers anybody we can let your paved street deteriorate; no first responders in your neighborhood; no public schools for you; no minimum wage; no social security; no ACA, Medicaid or Medicare...  Gettin' a picture?

Socialism built the biggest and best, most equitable, economy in the world, that lasted from 1946 - 1976 in the USA.  First, Socialism picked up the pieces of the economic disaster that was the Gilded Age (private credit overreach).  The Gilded Age that caused the Great Depression.  The narcissist and megalomaniacal (N&M), unenlightened, self (only) interested, aristocrat wannabes, tore down the economic progress that had benefited everybody.  The N&Ms wanted the entire world to turn around only for themselves, because... Well, just because!

The voters will have to change out a great many legislators, because they (mostly the Republican criminal syndicate - RCS) won't use the tools already available to them to fix the politics of Citizens United (legislate limits to political donations and spending) and insurrection (Section 3 of the 14th Amendment) for 45, who incited, and the congress members who are complicit when they conspired to vote against convicting 45 for inciting said insurrection on January 21st of 2021.

Recovering  a Democratic Republic from the current oligarchy is hard because the ginormously wealthy, aristocrat wannabes are throwing enormous sums of money at keeping their ill-gotten gains. 

Restoring actual Democracy, and the Socialism that made it great, is the only way we can help families help themselves.