VOTERS FINALLY GOT NORMALCY IN VA

Most people who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 did so because they didn’t like Hillary Clinton. Then, they decided they really didn’t like Trump all that much so they voted for the only alternative—Biden. But neither president has had much appeal for ordinary people. Trump’s name calling, orange hair, frequent firings and bizarre phone calls didn’t look or sound very presidential. By the same token, Biden’s hair smelling, whispering, hiding in the basement, and breaking wind at the COP26 climate summit, don’t exactly make us proud. Finally, the voters got what they’ve been looking for in the VA gubernatorial race. A normal, middle aged guy. No pancake make up. No napping in public. No hair spray or fake smile. Youngkin came across as a down-to-earth person who calmly and clearly articulated the concerns of average men and women.

voters finally got normalcy in Virginia — VOTERS FINALLY GOT NORMALCY IN VA. They elected an ordinary middle aged man with common sense.

I’m really hoping this trend will continue. Trump accomplished a lot during his presidency, but then he messed up the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. In his defense, I’m not sure anyone else would have handled it any better, because no one had been through such a crisis. However, Trump continues to draw crowds and give speeches. He undoubtedly has a base, but as the saying goes, “every dog has its day.”. Why can’t he be content with that and go on with his very privileged life?

Everyone knows that Biden’s election was mostly due to a strong disapproval of Trump—especially among women voters. But honestly, I believe several of the Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination could have won. And it seems to me that someone like Amy Klobuchar would have done a better job with border security and handling of the pandemic, for starters. And I doubt she would fall asleep on television during important meetings.

Okay, it’s done. Our country will survive the current chaos in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the US government. We’ve been through worse. Time to move on and elect younger, smarter, common sense candidates who can unite and inspire us. And it won’t hurt at all if they don’t wear a shirt and tie when campaigning.

Voters finally got normalcy in Virginia. We have it here in Indiana with Governor Holcomb. Hope it’s a coming trend throughout the United States of America.

October 8, 2021October 8, 2021

WE MAY NEED A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE

For the past two presidential elections, most American’s voted against one candidate–not for. Even Trump was surprised when he beat Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election. But the fact is, lots of people didn’t like her at all, for various reasons. Misogyny, mainly. But others disliked her defense of her husband’s affairs, and the way she threw the women he targeted under the bus. And there was Benghazi, when our American ambassador was left hung out to dry while she was Secretary of State. And then came election 2020. By then, Trump had made so many ridiculous gaffes and mistakes with the Covid-19 pandemic, that people were willing to vote for anyone who opposed him. Hence, we elected a 42 year political hack who never had what it took to run for president—until now. Seems the Democrats and Republicans are so mired in their own party politics that they can’t come up with a truly appealing candidate. Makes you wonder. We may need a third party candidate.

We may need a third party for America to come to its senses. — We may need a third party candidate, since Democrats and Republicans can’t come up with an appealing one..

I’m an independent voter which has it’s disadvantages, because you can’t vote in the primaries. But I’ll be darned if I will go all out for any politician I don’t think would do a good job, just because I want to be part of a crowd. In the days before internet dating sites, young people used to join politically active organizations as a way to meet members of the opposite sex. Remember, those were the days when you were supposed to be a joiner if you were looking to find a spouse, Churches and political parties were fertile mating grounds.

The majority of young people I know vote Democratic. They love causes, and joining protest groups. Give them something to march about , and they’ll be there in rain, sleet and snow. Most older people are fairly quiet about their opinions, which more often than not are conservative. Middle age conservatives are a bit more vocal—driving around town with American flags and signs that say f*** Biden. But the truth is, neither party has produced a truly dynamic, appealing candidate for the past two elections.

I don’t know how anyone could support either party’s platform 100%. Do we really believe that all Republicans oppose abortion rights, and all Democrats want open borders? I don’t think so.

It may be time for a third party. Call it Common Sense, or whatever you like, but let it be centrist. And please, come up with an intelligent inspiring, candidate

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021

SOME THINGS CAN’T BE FIXED.

There are some serious disasters affecting our country right now. California wildfires. The Covid-19 pandemic. Our disastrous withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan. And now, Hurricane Ida. Once upon a time, historians looked upon wars and natural disasters as nature’s way of controlling the population. However, no one thinks that way anymore. We look to our leaders to prevent such events, or get them under control once they occur. Unfortunately, some things can’t be fixed.

Governor Newsom is undergoing a recall election in California right now. He’s getting blamed for a lot of things, and one of them is the wildfires. . They say he could have prevented them if he’d managed the forest growth better. Newsom promised to clear underbrush and thin forests with prescribed burns and other techniques, Wow. Should our governors go all over the states chopping down trees ? That would be an unimaginably complex undertaking, involving a lot of private and public property. I don’t follow California politics, and I have no opinion as to Governor Newsom’s competence. Nevertheless, I think the extreme heat was the main cause of the wildfires.

The Covid-19 virus was a political football from the git-go. President Trump didn’t take it seriously. He predicted the epidemic would be over by Easter of 2020. And even though he pushed through the development of a vaccine, it wasn’t enough for the voters. Consequently, he lost to Biden, who everyone thought would get the virus under control.

Biden’s doing his best to get everyone vaccinated, but we’re still in the midst of a pandemic It seems to me we’re expecting miracles from our presidents and state governors. They can try, but they can’t outwit nature.

And now, we have Hurricane Ida. Homes destroyed. Three weeks without power in New Orleans. No way to cook or run your air conditioner. The misery goes on and on. Yes FEMA can step in and help rescue stranded people, provide food and supplies and shelter. But in the end, the damage was done by an act of nature and there’s nothing any one could have done to prevent it from happening 20 years after Katrina..

Remember the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 29 AD? The city of Pompeii and surrounding cities were buried under volcanic ash. Thousands were killed. Titus was the Roman Emperor at the time, and he organized a huge relief effort to help the victims of the disaster. But there’s no record of anyone complaining that he didn’t do enough.

Some things can’t be fixed.

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

2020 WAS the worst election year I can ever remember. And that’s saying a lot, considering my age. Politics got all mixed up with health care. President Trump went into denial, saying the COVID -19 pandemic would be over by Easter. Not true. New York Governor Cuomo was more afraid of Trump’s criticism than the lives of nursing home patients. Instead of taking advantage of a Navy ship sent to accommodate covid-19 victims , Cuomo shipped them out of hospitals into nursing homes. What a mess. Locked up at home, we binged watched the internet, listening to our TV cable news station of choice. It was exhausting. Now that the pandemic is nearing the end, do yourself a favor. Quit thinking about politics.

Don’t predict the dire outcome of Biden’s presidency before it’s even started. Let it spin. There’s nothing you can do and if you believe you can foresee the state of the USA in 2024, you’re kidding yourself. Already, Trump is saying Biden’s first month was a disaster. No one can know at this point in time whether the Biden presidency will be a success. A lot can happen in four years. Looking back on the history of our country, who could have predicted Pearl Harbor? The 9/11 attack on the world trade center? . The 2008 recession? The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021?

This is what I know and believe: No matter who is elected as President, the United States of America is–and will remain—strong. . We are a nation of immigrants, with the courage to leave their native country, and the resilience to start a new life in spite of all the hardships they had to endure in a new land. Yes, some presidents do a better job than others. But: four years isn’t enough time to ruin all the marvelous things that we have achieved in the past four centuries.

So do yourself a favor. Return to school or work at home. Get some exercise. Play games. Take your family on a picnic. Have some fun. Turn off the news and enjoy your life.

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021

HAPPY TO LIVE IN FLYOVER COUNTRY

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who couldn’t wait to get out of town. She thought big cities like New York and Los Angeles sounded far more appealing as a place to live out her adult life. But after college, she didn’t have more than $50 in her bank account, so she settled for the nearest big city—Chicago. After that, she moved to Miami, and then the 1972 meltdown brought her back home to Indiana with her young family. And somehow, she never left. And now, in the midst of all this upheaval in our nation’s capitol, she’s happy to live in flyover country.

That’s not to say that people in the Heartland don’t have strong opinions. We’ve lived here long enough to have family and friends at both ends of the political spectrum. They will passionately argue and defend their viewpoints. We see trucks flying American flags rumbling through the city. And there are Black Lives Matter signs in many quiet, middle class neighborhoods. So yes, people do care. But riot in the streets? Storm the courthouse? I don’t think so. There’s no big city anonymity here. Having grown up in the same place, most of us have friends and acquaintances from grade school on up through college and the workplace. We’re not going to start rioting against our fellow churchgoers, relatives, colleagues and friends.

I was born in New York City, but the great depression drew my family back to the safety and security of the family farm. Still, I often dreamed of what my life might have been like had we been able to stay. Now, I’m very glad we didn’t. Did you know that people are leaving New York City in droves?

Here in flyover country, I’ve lived in a state where Democrat Evan Bayh was a much loved Governor and Senator. He was repeatedly voted into office by both Democrats and Republicans. Our current Republican Governor Holcomb won re-election by a landslide. Both men are known for their common sense approach to government, and have a down to earth persona that appealed to people throughout the state. There was nothing in the temperament of either man that was– or is–likely to incite a riot. So yes, I’m happy to live in flyover country.

January 4, 2021January 4, 2021

WHAT IF IT WERE TRUE?

In a couple of days, the electoral college will vote to certify the presidential election. A lot of Republicans are going to protest, saying there’s proof of voter fraud in several states. I doubt if that effort is going anywhere, but it makes you wonder if they’re going to keep pursuing it, like a dog with a bone. What if it were true, after all? Would we have to redo the entire election?

This latest election has been a wake up call for many voters, who thought the voting process was uniform across the United States. In my state of Indiana, you have to have a valid ID, and a signature check in order to vote in person or by absentee ballot. That seems like a pretty reasonable requirement. However, I did not know that other states have different rules. You can vote by mail with no signature or identification. Paper ballots can be run off on xerox machines, and they will be considered valid. In states like Nevada, people can vote twice.

Up until now, I believed that real people counted the votes. I was unaware that the task had been assigned to machines. It really undermines a person’s faith in the entire electoral process.

If certain states have allowed these loosey goosey voting requirements to go on for a long time, then it seems that both political parties are at fault.. Somewhere along the line, someone should have stood up and asked for election reform. But since they didn’t, they have only themselves to blame for the current mess we’re in.

What’s happened now is that most American’s believe that our electoral system is deeply flawed. Many of us have lost faith in the entire process. That’s not good for our country in the long run. The Democrats may have benefited from the loopholes in the system this time around, but it could come back to bite them in future elections if the Republicans figure out ways to beat the system in future elections.

Again, what if it were true? What if proof of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election finally comes to light a year from now? Would we have a do over election? Would Biden have to move out, and Trump move back in the White House? There’s no precedent for this scenario, and no rules established. I guess the legislature would have to figure it all out.

December 23, 2020December 23, 2020

DID TRUMP DODGE A BULLET?

Did you ever experience a broken engagement or get turned down for a job? It was upsetting at the time, and it took awhile to stop mourning your dashed hopes. But then later–maybe much later– the lost lover turned out to be a bummer, and the company that refused to hire you went bust. Or, with a more positive outcome, you found a better job, or met the love of your life. Looking back, you realize that the loss you mourned was actually a blessing in disguise. You dodged a bullet. Now, Trump supporters are grieving the Biden win during the 2020 election. But maybe it’s not a bad thing, after all. Did Trump dodge a bullet?

The stock market is climbing on good news of the vaccine. . But at least one financial advisor is predicting a once in a lifetime crash. During this pandemic, millions of jobs were eliminated in retail, restaurant and other business. Many of these jobs aren’t coming back. How long can the government keep on printing money before we have massive inflation and higher taxes?

Instead of the robust economy everyone is looking forward to, we could have stagflation–slow economic growth, high inflation and high unemployment. They say inflation is under control, but I’m not sure what indicators they’re using. Right now, the cost of food and housing is skyrocketing.

The cyber attack last March may lead to something disastrous for the country. Who knows what a hostile power is going to do with all the information they have now. We could experience massive power outages. Suddenly, you have no telephone, internet, heat, light or running water. Nothing works. Most large organizations have generators that tide them over until the power goes back on. But what if it doesn’t? Generators can’t run indefinitely. Imagine being the president of the United States during such a disaster.

Those are just two scenarios that the next President could face. We avoided foreign wars under Trump. But the luck may run out with Biden, with so many countries desperate after being ravaged by Covid-19. Only time will tell if Trump dodged a bullet.