As we approach the New Year.

I’m disgusted with the Conservative Opposition.

There was a time when we could agree on the facts. Those days appear to be over. The truth as I see it.

• The Republican Party refuses to recognize the events of January 6th as an attack on our democracy worthy of bipartisan review. In this area the Republican party has not only lost the high ground, by the continued support or acquiesce to Donald Trump. This man lost the election. Every completed audit has agreed with that fact, including the Arizona partisan audit which cost the Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars. For a party which claims to be fiscally conservative this waste of money to support false claims is just plain inconsistent with their stated goals and values.
• The Republican state legislatures are attacking our democratic institutions. Georgia is in the process of decertifying bipartisan election boards in democratic leaning areas. So now in Georgia a single party has control of the election process.

Let’s talk about the old Soviet Union. Elections were based on a single party system. Republicans are attempting to rewrite election law which limits access to the ballot box to those with similar ideologies. This is a form of authoritarianism. An attempt to limit access to the government. It is a direct attack on the idea that “all men are created equal.” Not only is this wrong, it is closer to communism than anything proposed by the Democratic party.

The choices we are making.

Democracy or Autocracy

Do we want a society were everyone has a voice or do we want a system where our leaders can jail those that disagree. It is what makes Donald Trump so troubling. He has obviously skirted the law. He has used both his office and his money to his own advantage. This is not what a democracy needs in their public servants.

It has been often pointed out that Donald Trump demands loyalty to himself. What every oath of office requires is loyalty to the constitution and not to a single person. Donald Trump is an autocrat by nature.

I chose democracy as my form of government every day.

Capitalism or Socialism

We must understand that this is not a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. This is a choice about how we organize our economy.

We have seen recent examples of how capitalism fails in the Texas ice storm and the California power struggles. One with a Republican controlled state government the other with a Democratic controlled state government. Our power infrastructure is not working using capitalistic methods.

Our health care system and our social welfare systems are riddled with inequities. The very arguments which are used by the anti-vaccers are the same argument I would use against our current health care system.

In our current health care system, insurance companies hold the winning hand. Insurance companies make major money based on treating but not curing disease. Cancer treatments make insurance companies money. It is not in the interest of the insurance companies to cure cancer. It is in the interest of the insurance companies to expensively treat cancer.

The only way to change this is to fundamentally change the system. Capitalism has failed.

For many of our needs Socialism is a better answer then Capitalism.

I chose socialism for the following sectors of our economy.

• Health care
• Education
• Military
• Police
• Fire Department
• Infrastructure (Roads, Water, Power Grids, Waste recycling/disposal, Internet)
• Scientific Research

This would be a start. It should be noted that Education, Military, Police, Fire Departments are already based on government control and are socialistic in nature.

Big Government / Small Government.

I urge the small government folks to act cautiously.

I recall I time in my life time where the Androscoggin River in Maine was one of 10 most polluted rivers in the country. My family and I crossed this river often. It was normally covered by a brown foamy scum. The river and the area around the polluting paper mills smelled awful.

Over time river and air quality has improved significantly. Without government regulation would capitalistic forces drive us to clean and maintain clean air, water, and ground. Capitalism in its purest form will never spend an unnecessary cent since profit is the driving motive.

What I am certain of is that government serves a function.

It is time to look forward for solutions. Most improvements are not perfect the first time they are implemented. We need to remember that nothing worth while is done is a day, as most things are improved over time. We need leaders who want to build on the past to create a future, not tear down recent programs and go back to a past which was never as good we now envision it.

Dirty Words.

Republicans have long defined Democrats as dangerous by making liberal and socialism as dirty words. All Democrats are considered as liberals. The use of government to promote opportunity through education, health and social welfare makes them socialist.

It is time to reject socialism and liberal as dirty words. We should praise the liberal open minds which champion those in need. We need to recognize that many Republicans no longer believe that “all men our created equal.” Our democracy is not under attack.

The true dirty words are autocracy and the greed which drives profits in a capitalistic society.

Where to from here.

Many leaders are saying we are at an inflection point. As currently constituted the Republican Party no longer stands for smaller government. They stand for a stronger presidency and a reduction of many of our civil rights. Gun owners, make no mistake about it. In the future an autocratic government will remove your gun rights quicker and more completely then anything currently proposed by the Democratic Party.

What is currently in the works by the Republican Party, puts the constitution, our democracy, and all of our rights in jeopardy. Now is the time to reflect on the consequences of the next several elections.

While Donald Trump’s endorsement holds the key to nomination for the Republican party, any vote for a Republican puts our democracy in jeopardy!

This is also true as long as the extreme conservatives hold the Republican party hostage.

I urge everyone to vote for Democrats.

It is a vote for our democracy and a vote for our future.