WHAT WE BECOME

by Ruth A. Sheets

Five years ago, descending on a “golden” escalator came reality star, self-proclaimed “great businessman” Donald J. Trump.  That day, the lives of many Americans as well as citizens of the world changed, and not always in a good way.

Donald Trump informed us and the many paid audience members (out-of-work actors will take almost any job so they can eat) that day that a new era of incivility was about to begin.  He claimed he was the guy who would “make America great again.” 

Mr. Trump told us that racism could now raise its head again with dignity, (as though it has ever really been hiding).  He, of course had no real plans, just a lot of platitudes and blaming, both of which we have come to know well.

That day was more than 20,000 lies ago, a series of white terrorist acts ago, a collection of unarmed black people killed by police ago, 121,000 lives lost to COVID19 ago.  We have begun to understand what “make America great again” actually means in practice; it means rich white people who are already privileged far beyond people of color get even more.  What does that look like?  How can one begin and truly hit even the high points?

- hundreds of inept, partisan, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic judges have been appointed to the Federal court system around the country and they have already begun their task of dismantling our justice system even further.  They have become the handmaids of a Conservative entity that is for its own continuation but has an agenda of “the parts of the status quo we like.”

- Armed white men are brazen enough to walk into a state capitol to demand businesses be reopened despite a deadly virus, and no charges are brought.  Those white armed men have become, in their own minds, the guardians of the needs of white people.

- Protesters who have had enough of the abuse by police are arrested while white vigilantes are allowed to roam after curfew.  For Mr. Trump’s gang, the protesters have become the enemy while the vigilantes become the guardians of the peace (or something like that).

- Executive orders are issued by Mr. Trump to force people back to work, but not to get protective equipment manufactured for the front-line workers.  The front-line workers have become the sacrificial lambs to the gods of “free market economics.”

- Mr. Trump has a terrible record with women, yet women seem to fawn over him.  He seems to find women who are willing to lie for him (his female press secretaries), to harm disadvantaged children for him (his female secretaries of Homeland Security and Education), for example.  Were these women always willing to lie for their men, to be so callous regarding other people or did they become that way by hanging around Mr. Trump and his male colleagues?   

We all know these things and so much more, but what concerns me is that this era of Trump as impacted the American character in some really unpleasant ways, thank goodness, in some good ways too.  This is how it has affected me.  I suspect others have experienced similar transformations.  I worry that we as a nation are not becoming what we could be, mostly because we are driven to go along.

- Before Donald Trump’s entrance into the presidential campaign, I rarely swore or used words harsher than damn or hell on occasion.  Now, I have a rather extensive swear vocabulary that even includes the “f” word.  As I was reading about something Mr. Trump did yesterday, I caught myself and am promising to curb this new speech, but I suspect curbing it is going to be really difficult.  I don’t really like what I have become in terms of anger and frustration.

- I regularly think and say REPUBLICANS DON’T CARE and REPUBLICANS ARE EVIL.  I have read a lot about how our brains work and that a lot of our actions as a social species pull us toward belonging, fitting in.  Donald Trump is the new game in town for them and they are drawn to him like a moth to a flame.  They love him for things they hated in Mr. Obama or other, Democrats, but when Mr. Trump says it or does it, “How profound.”  I still can’t seem to forgive them for voting for someone they knew was a racist, misogynistic, lying cheat.  I keep asking myself, “In what world would this kind of person be an acceptable leader of anyone?”  I have become someone who can’t forgive people I don’t even know for their ignorance and drive to preserve their privilege, but even more for their unwillingness to listen or think beyond their bubble of security.  

- Mr. Trump as given Evangelical Christians permission to be exactly the kind of people Christians are taught to try to change, to convert to be loving people in the image of Christ.  Some media covers them as though they are all of Christianity and the Evangelicals believe they are.  They have been joined by Roman Catholics who are having their own problems with who they are and what they will allow and still call people Catholic.  They have become smug and I, as a Christian minister,  have become resentful of their power in our government and the media.

- I have always been something of an activist, speaking up, getting into some trouble and causing some trouble at school, in the workplace, and in general.  Mr. Trump’s actions have forced me  to become even more of a supporter of the people standing for rights.  My physical blindness and fear have kept me from being in the streets, but my heart is with Black Lives Matter, and I push voting with my students and with people I meet.  I am becoming a fighter and I like that role.

- I have introduced concepts of leadership and activism into my curriculum.  I actively work to stir my students to action.  I try to serve as a mentor, but I have a particular goal, that my students will have the rights they deserve as human beings in a society that would prefer to toss them away into permanent jobs at McDonalds or Wal-Mart, cells in for-profit prisons, any low-paying crap job that “no white person would do.”  Learning about American history is not enough.  Claiming the rights that should come with being created equal demands the students’ energy as well as the energy and efforts of all of us.  I am becoming even more of an activist teacher.

- People are taking to the streets in ways they have not done since the 1960s.  Back then, many of us were hopeful that the necessary changes would happen quickly, but we as a nation got distracted with a senseless destructive war, we elected a lying cheating Richard Nixon who damped down the energy through his illegal acts that led to his resignation.  We lost momentum.  There will be a lot of pressure put to stop the momentum this time too and scared rich straight white men will be in the forefront.  Today’s young protesters have enormous energy and are becoming even stronger because they have the “right” on their side.  We older adults need to become even more supportive of their actions.

- We have allowed our United States Senate under the direction of Mitch McConnell, self-appointed guardian of the frightened conservative white people, for many years to make sure that as little aid as possible gets to those most in need, and as much as possible to the least in need.  The Republicans in the Senate just can’t stand up to him.  I keep wondering how these mostly men, but a few white women, elected by hopeful constituents have become such cowards, so against what the (in their eyes) sacred founders intended.  Does it take one selfish bully like McConnell to cause the transformation or were those Republicans already prone to cowardice and uncaring before they were elected or even elected because of those qualities?

- We know from their past that people like Steve Miller and Trump’s various cabinet members are hateful or just dismissive of people of color, immigrants (often seen as the same), women, LGBTQ persons, liberals, protesters, children, low-wage workers, and pretty much everyone but rich, straight, mostly Christian,  white men.  They became who they are long before they hooked up with Mr. Trump.  He just gave them a larger audience for their hate and fear tactics.  I can’t help but wonder what this amount of undeserved power will enable them to become and who else will be hurt.

Mr. Trump wants to become Dictator Don and his Steves and Mikes want to be his henchmen, steeping in Mr. Trump’s power and money.  They have become addicted to both which means they regularly have to get their fix.  When they do that, all of America suffers, even the rich straight white ones because there will come a reckoning and it might not be pretty.  A whole lot of Americans have had enough.  Many are becoming more willing to tear some things down to make something new and hopefully more equal for all Americans.  I’m with them in spirit if not in body.  Knowing this, what will Mr. Trump’s entourage become?  What will they be willing to do?  We already know they won’t hesitate to lie, cheat, destroy the media (except for FoxNews, of course), fill concentration camps with kids and others they don’t like, dismiss criminal charges against their friends, and more.  What are their next steps and what will we need to become to stop them?

SHOPPING FOR AN ECONOMIST

by Ruth A. Sheets

How is it even Democratic leaders keep picking as advisers, economists who center their principles solely on business interests?  Mr. Biden’s current economic adviser is Larry Summers, former Wall Street hero and definitely not one to help this nation move into the new economy we will need post COVID19 and in the midst of Black Lives Matter.  The old model of corporation-centered, worker who is used solely to benefit the corporation, stockholders,  and Wall Street is going to have to change dramatically.

These unfortunate choices of economists make no sense because Democrats have for more than 80 years been the party of workers.  Just because a man, mostly men, has graduated from a "prestigious" school in Economics does not mean he understands or cares one wit about workers.   It generally means he has only corporate interests in mind, after all, aren’t those universities the path to riches for privileged white boys through corporate life?

Mr. Biden, you are going to need an economic adviser who stands for workers, understands their needs and their rights.  The truth is, if workers are taken care of and do well, corporations will do well too, despite corporate whining that the workers are “robbing them blind” or some such nonsense. 

Here are a few things that can help workers as well as corporations, but it is going to be hard to shake the traditional economists who truly believe “the bottom line” is the only thing that matters and that if workers don’t buy into that, they should be fired. 

- On every corporate board in this country, we need workers represented who understand their job and how that job fits into the task of the corporation.

- A progressive tax structure is essential to both  begin to level the playing field for all Americans and to close the financial gap between CEOs and workers.  Corporations suck out our resources at an alarming rate, then pay next to nothing compared to what they rake in. 

- We need people in government with a vision of what a new economy could look like and who can help our nation understand it and move toward bringing it about.  There is no going back.

- Global warming is with us and will be possibly for centuries and we need to foster research and development that can help us do what is necessary to stop emissions of greenhouse gasses.  This problem should be at the center of everything we do.  If corporations aren’t on board, they will need to be phased out or retooled to the new system.

- We need someone with an understanding of what our economy has been doing to and for various segments of our society.  It has clearly been helping white men, particularly those who have had every advantage from birth.  It has not been that great for nearly everyone else.  That too, can no longer continue. 

- Polluting and dumping in poor communities is unacceptable.  Businesses have gotten away with this for a long time and it must stop.  Before products can come to market or “services” can be performed we need ways to deal with the results of the process, whatever it is that does not disproportionately impact poor communities.

- We must have in place at all levels of government people who can help corporations with hiring (not computer algorithms), particularly employing more Black workers at all levels.  Companies need to unbias  their whole hiring process.  Black Lives Matter and it is time our economy reflects that at all levels.  This is non-negotiable! 

- Every employee must earn a living wage.  We need to find ways to acknowledge that janitors work  at least as hard as the white collar  bosses who employ them.  Therefore they should not have to hold down two jobs just to survive. 

- Caring for a family and members who may be ill or need special help needs to be recognized as essential, and should count  toward receiving benefits in times of disability and old age. 

- We need some kind of universal health care. 

- We need more unions and it must be easier to create them in all kinds of businesses.  Where there are unions, everyone does better.  Unions need to be truly worker centered with the goal of excellence from entry-level worker to CEO.

- Signing non-disclosure agreements or forced arbitration with rules set up by the business, nearly always to the detriment of the worker must be a thing of the past.    

- Child care and family planning services must be part of every contract giving men and women essential choices.

In short, Mr. Biden, you need new economic advisers.  Perhaps you should vet and interview  prospective candidates the  way you will a vice presidential partner.  The economics adviser will be critical in getting out the message of what you stand for and the direction you want the country to go.  We can't go back, and alas, Larry Summers is an economist of the past and too tied to Wall Street, America's casino during the pandemic.  Shop around.  Talk to some economists like Paul Krugman to help you find someone or several someones more appropriate.  Mr. Summers can toss in his ideas here and there, but should not be at the center of any economics decisions you make.  You can be the vanguard of a new post-COVID19 society, but only if you let go of the economists and most economic ideas of the past. 

ANOTHER INAPPROPRIATE APPOINTEE, WHAT ELSE IS NEW!

by Ruth A. Sheets



In the interview process, anyone hoping to get a job in the Trump administration, must profess or otherwise demonstrate racism at a higher level than most Americans could do.  Those in power have done a great job all along making sure that every position they nominate for and that the Senate Republicans approve is filled by a qualified racist, usually a sexist, homophobe, and xenophobe too.  That makes them even more valuable to Mr. Trump and Mr. Steve Miller, the architects of the RWHF (Racist White House Front, as I refer to them).  And, they are all proud members of this not too exclusive group with their overt acts of lying, cheating, deception, and other nefarious deeds proudly performed, then quickly denied through their excellent gaslighting skills.  



While the country is embroiled in protests over ongoing police brutality based on systemic racism, I am not shocked to see that Trump callously placed former Maine Governor Paul LePage as the head of the recently formed Seafood Trade Task Force (another useless board).  Yes, another despicable white man in a job he is not qualified for other than his newly-minted membership in the RWHF.   LePage has a documented history of racist remarks and policies in the lovely state of Maine. This, of course, is what got him nominated and will get him approved.  I would demand the removal of LePage from consideration for this position of power, but it will not happen.  He is the perfect person to represent Trump, Miller and the rest of the RWHF team in whatever post they create for him.



Since taking office, Mr. Trump has done to this country, acts that would never have been permitted under another president.  Trump began with calling Mexican immigrants rapists, then he tossed out the raw meat of the Muslim Ban in his first month in office, just to feed his base, and the Supreme Court (several members belong to RWHF) went right along. 



Trump’s racist sympathetic comments for white supremacists after the brutal 2017 murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, VA fit his racist style of trying to “sound fair and balanced,” but clearly communicating to his base that his white supremacy conviction is still intact.   Then came the attacks launched at NFL football players who protested racism and police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem.  This is a right that should be available to all Americans, but not Black Americans who were summarily blacklisted for not behaving as “The Donald” wants them to behave. 



As Trump got more ensconced in the white house and the RWHF was branching out, he and Miller thought it would be OK to tear immigrant kids  away from their parents arms and throw them in cages (and, remember,  those folks were not from Germany or Norway).  When Trump wanted a photo op to show his scared white base that he still had their backs, he had protesters outside the white house in the path of where the op would take place pepper sprayed (possibly also tear gassed).  He then dutifully tied his racism to evangelical Christianity by holding up a Bible, (upside down, but for the “base,” the gesture is all that matters).  He was trespassing on the grounds of a church where he had no permission to be, but that couldn’t get in the way of his racist message to his white evangelical fans.   



The list goes on. Now we have the appointment of another outwardly racist person to lead a new “board, agency, or whatever it is” while we are fighting for justice for Black Americans and our communities of color.  This is an unforgivable move. But Trump can’t make it right even by withdrawing the nomination immediately.  He can't because the "base" will not approve of that.  The former appalling governor is so perfect for the RWHF’s purposes.  Trump will yell to the highest rooftops and tweet to the depths of his supporters’ souls that this is the MOST wonderful man the MOST qualified, the BEST person for this extremely important job he knows nothing about, but will learn so fast because he is such an amazing person, and the rest of the BS the RWHF pumps out with each nomination.  And, today’s Republicans, being such good little puppies just smile, nod, and silently salute the RWHF’s continued success toward bringing down our democracy.



I would urge the Senate (or whoever must approve this nomination) to change course and deny it, but I know it will do no good.  Who could be more perfect for the RWHF and the Republican lack of a moral compass than LePage, whom even mostly white Maine couldn’t stand after a while?  The Republican racists on the national level have a new hero.  Maybe they’ll erect a statue to him on the grounds of the capitol.

DEAR DEMOCRATS

by Ruth A. Sheets



Hey Guys!  What are you doing?  Who is advising you as to how you are reaching out to your fellow Democrats ONLINE and in other media?  What I can say is, you all need new advisors.  If others are as frustrated as I am, you all/we as Democrats are in trouble.



I receive between 100 and 200 emails per day from various Democratic candidates and organizations.  If they provided something new or interesting or compelling, they would be worth the time to read them.  Most of them DON’T.  They whine, beg, exaggerate, guilt, threaten, and otherwise dys the Democrats who choose to open them.  They are filled with fake polls, fake petitions, “breaking” notices that contain news sometimes from weeks in the past. 



I get two messages next to each other; one says Mitch McConnell is winning (STUNNED) and the other that he is losing (AMAZING!).  Who is your audience?  Do you think if a person skips the first, they will be moved by the second?  That’s insane!   I get it that candidates can’t collude with PACs and should not, but maybe the Party together needs to make some decisions about the messages sent out and a set of formats.



Candidates need to state their positions, not make their whole message a disparagement  of their opponents.  We already know their opponents are mostly sycophants and rich white men (and a few women).  Where do you stand on the issues of the day?  What will you do to make life better for those on the margins?  What will you do to make this nation more fair?  I get it that these are fund-raisers, but I’ll give you a hint, trying to guilt someone into supporting you is not a good look and probably not as successful as some other strategies.  Find those other strategies!



Organizations, we don’t need more than one message from you a day.  Also, if we have given to your group or are monthly givers, it is not kind to keep acting like we haven’t given enough, so you can pound us every day.  My reaction is to stop my contributions to your organization, and plan to do that for one of those I supported until the comments like, “You don’t care” or “We’re sorry, goodbye, Ruth, you’re for Trump?”  When I receive these messages, I dismiss them out of hand and determine not to waste my money on such garbage when I could support organizations that are actually doing something to help this country beyond emailing for money.



It sounds as though Democrats have been employing Republican strategists, perhaps believing that if they won so many seats over time, they must know something.  They did know something.  They knew how to cheat and lie, and to sew defeat and helplessness in Democrats, particularly people of color and white women.  Well, times have changed.  These groups are “woke” and don’t need the threats of complete and utter destruction to get them moving.  They need direction and ways people can make a meaningful difference.  If all your organization has is its ability to email people for money and you are doing nothing to produce real action, get out of the way, join with a group that is actually working for a more just nation. 



Nearly every week, I am confronted with a new organization spouting a lot of junk that everybody already knows, then begs for money.  It seems to me if you want money, you should be giving evidence of what you are actually doing with the money beyond fundraising for something, often not clear. 



It is going to be really hard to defeat Republicans this fall.  They are doing everything they can to keep Democrats from voting.  They have all the billionaires to whom they gave a half trillion dollars, just in the three months of the pandemic.  They are a bottomless pit of money.  We can’t compete with that, so we have to be smarter.  Republicans think money solves everything.  Well, it hasn’t solved the problem of police killing Black Americans, or maybe that is exactly what their money was designed to allow.  It didn’t solve COVID19 and didn’t save the lives of 113,000 people the virus has taken so far.  In neither case did money serve the American people. 



How can we do smarter?  We can:

- force the media to see us and our candidates and every time we are seen, we need to have a unified message.  I like REPUBLICANS DON’T CARE, but I suspect better ones can be found, and every time, the interviewee needs to be able to back up the statement; REPUBLICANS DON’T CARE, they’re OK with your employer putting you at risk for their profits.  They regularly underfund the Occupational Health and Safety Agency (OSHA). OR, REPUBLICANS DON’T CARE; they are OK with ripping kids from their parents and putting them in cages. 

- as a party, heavily support groups that are on the ground getting voters registered and checking to see who is being purged and informing the people of their new status as purged, then helping them fix it.

- only draw up REAL petitions and polls that are going to the people, agencies, or political bodies they claim to be for.  Getting people to sign petitions and complete polls that are only a front for fundraising is shabby and should be beneath us. 

- stop asking stupid questions on polls.  When I find one that asks me who I voted for in 2016, I ditch it because I know it’s not real.  When I read questions like “Are you OK with employers stealing your money?” I know it’s fake and just for the donation.  Stop this BS and if you want to conduct a poll, make it for real with intelligent questions that don’t presuppose the answers (or change the answers around to be sure the responder knows what the pollster is looking for – as if we can’t tell from the first question).  Then stop the “Submit and Donate” crap.  A poll with stupid questions requiring a donation is just wrong.  Stop it!  

- make sure that Breaking News” is just that.  Using that message for something everyone has known for a week or more makes what follows suspect. 

- avoid sending the same message more than once a day.  Democrats are not stupid and if your message seems worthy, they will check it out or set it aside  for later.  They don’t need to be hit with it over and over.  Then your message has become spam and should be ignored.

- tell candidates, if you are approaching people not in your state or district, you had better introduce yourself and where you stand on about 5 important issues immediately.  It would be best to send different messages to your constituents or potential constituents and the rest of the world.  I get messages all the time from people I have never heard of and I am not always sure where they are from, and generally don’t care. 

- remind everyone the US Post Office is mentioned in the Constitution.  Instead of crying that my 19015 post office is going to close, yell THE U.S. POST OFFICE IS IN THE CONSTITUTION, AND CONGRESS HAS AN OBLIGATION TO FUND IT AND STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH IT!!  

- stop the outrageous language:  “we’re stunned, shocked, terrified.”  Is that the message we want out there.  Dems are easily stunned, shocked, terrified by the things Republicans are doing?  Really?  We know them and their tactics.  They are not stunning, shocking, or terrifying. They are destructive, anti-American, unconstitutional, inhumane, unpatriotic.  We should rely on these words instead when commenting on Republican actions and stop the hyperbole. 

- remember that we have been conditioned to know that there is very little Republicans will not stoop to in order to obtain and keep power and money.  This week’s Georgia primary is the perfect example.  In white (Republican) areas of Atlanta, there were no lines, just voters moving in an out of the voting place.  In Black communities, the machines were broken and lines were 3 to 4 hours long, and in a pandemic that hits Black and other communities of color harder than white communities.  Message sent, message received!  The Republican project is devoid of meaningful ideas, so sabotage is the strategy.  Keep finding and reporting such incidents, and they are frequent.



I hope you Democratic organizations and campaigns will step forward and put your resources in places that will really help us revive our democracy.   It is important we tell all Americans that the Republican Party needs to be set aside until its members have time to grow up and get some positive character traits that will allow them to serve the American people instead of robbing us of our rights, our tax dollars (for their pet projects), our freedom, and our voice.

A NEW DEMOCRACY, POSSIBLE?

by Ruth A. Sheets



Furious, that’s the word that comes to my mind when I think about the way our democracy is being torn away from us.  We only occasionally hear the ripping sound, like when the Supreme Court says corporations are persons and THEY can put as much money into elections as they want because money is speech.  What!!



Another ripping sound comes when Black people are abused and murdered by police, often, followed by attempts to “prove” the victims were really criminals and deserved what they got, well, maybe not death, but the officer “feared for his life,” you know.  “I thought the guy had a gun,” while shooting the person in the back or choking him to death.



There are more rips that are not as noticeable individually, but are accumulating.  I just finished reading a disturbing book, Supreme Inequality, the Supreme Court’s 50-Year Battle for a More Unjust America by Adam Cohen.   The author identifies step by step the ways the court has removed rights from the American people and handed them over to corporations, police departments, rich white men, and conservatives, none of whom care what losing those rights means to the people.  There is a “war” against folks who are poor, working class, old, young, women, disabled, Democrats, and the rest.  Because it was done a snip at a time with a pause here and there when a stitch of a right or two were preserved, most people didn’t notice.  Well, African-Americans, poor people (particularly women and children), and some workers noticed and complained, but weren’t heard.  



The whole mess started with Richard Nixon, you remember him, the Watergate guy.  Well, it turns out he did a whole lot more than cover up a break-in.  He sabotaged the Supreme Court, threatening justices until they resigned even though they hadn’t done any of what he and his crooked cronies were accusing them of.  That gave Nixon the chance to appoint 4 justices in a very short time.  That turned the Court to super-conservative, a condition it still suffers from with the help of Senate Republicans all along. 



The series of chief justices along with their minions have systematically  done a lot of damage to nearly every group but the rich white men and their corporations. Here are some examples.  See if you remember losing that right.



- In the area of education, Brown v. Board of Education has nearly been overturned.  Districts do not have to integrate, pay for kids’ transportation to school if they don’t want to, and teachers don’t have to join the union or pay any fees yet are required to still get any benefits the union gains for the members.



- Voting is only sort of a right.  States can purge voting rolls if someone hasn’t voted in an election.  Voter I.D. is OK no matter how hard it is to obtain for poor, disabled, and older people.  Gerrymandering is also OK if the state’s legislature wants to do it.  Voting places can be limited no matter how hard it is for a voter to get there.  Then voting districts with a history of discrimination, particularly against African-Americans , no longer have to report any changes they make in their voting requirements for accountability -– and they don’t.



- Corporations can get away with doing all kinds of illegal activities because they can’t be penalized more than a few times the amount awarded to their victim.  As mentioned previously, corporations can spend as much money in elections as they choose and if they hide their payments in non-profits that then dole the money out, no one has to know.  Corporations can force arbitration on employees with complaints, even harassment, no matter what the inconvenience or cost for the employee, and they can tuck such requirements in the fine print which the employee may not even notice is in the contract.  Then, arbitrators nearly always side with the corporation because it is the corporations that arrange to hire the arbitrators and will not hire them again if they don’t rule in their favor (nice little racket huh!).  If this were not enough, the Court has said that the only class actions that can be brought against corporations require the participants’ cases to all be identical (which, of course, is impossible).  All Republicans and some Democrats in Congress must go along with all of this because it is the corporations and their wealthy patrons that pay for their campaigns.  Corporations do not care about workers except how they can use those workers to bring in more profits and please the stockholders, which of course, does not include the workers who are rarely able to afford any of the stocks.      



- The criminal justice system has been allowed to run amuck:  public defenders can be drunk, high, or simply incompetent or inexperienced and be considered satisfactory to defend their clients.  This has led to most poor persons taking a plea deal even if they are not guilty; police can use investigative techniques that invade people’s privacy and deny them of their rights; the Court rarely rules in favor of the accused, unless they are rich and white.  Violence in prisons by guards has been ruled the fault of the prisoner. 



Yes, our democracy is being torn away chunk by chunk, and the vast majority of Americans are not aware of or  in favor of the Court’s decisions, but the conservative justices clearly don’t care, neither do Republicans in Congress.  They want to go back to some nebulous time pre the 1930s when government only took care of rich white men and everyone else scrambled to get whatever they could while being abused by the rich white men.  That is the wish of a young child who wants whatever he wants and does not yet know that sharing is the way life prospers for everyone.



Since only white wealthy men matter now to the Court, it is hard to imagine how this scenario is going to change unless, the pandemic combined with Black Lives Matter force our nation to create a new democracy.  What could that look like?  I am not sure, but I hope



- poor people will no longer be seen as criminals or lazy or both.  They would be given a living wage or stipend to allow them to care for their kids and have decent shelter.  Minimum wage would be $15 an hour to start.

- police departments would be totally reorganized in ways that will put “serve and protect” at the center of everything they do.  Their numbers would reflect the communities they serve, and they would be held accountable for their actions, and there would be far fewer of them.  All police unions would be reorganized to be true unions, not enforcement and protection agencies.

- Automatic voter registration would happen the day a citizen turns 18.  Vote by mail would be available to anyone who wants it with no excuse necessary.  Voter roles would rarely be purged, and then only with independent oversight.

- Corporations would be held accountable for injuries on the job, destruction of the environment, bad products and actions designed to harm the public and the punishments would be designed to see that the actions don’t happen again.  The Occupational Health and Safety Agency would be fully funded and have the expectation that they will actually investigate complaints, and they will be responsible to clean up their pollution.

- unions would be free to organize and work for better wages and working conditions.  Everyone who benefits from the work of the union will contribute to its cost. 

- Trained arbitrators would be provided by the state to resolve conflicts and have no direct connection with corporations that use their services.  There would also be independent oversight

- programs in every industry would be established to enable Black workers to progress and develop skills on the job toward leadership positions.

- At least 2 new members of the Supreme Court would be added to counter the 2 conservative justices inappropriately added to the Court by Mr. Trump and Mr. McConnell.  They Court has forgotten their task is to serve the Constitution and the American people, not just their rich privileged friends.  Limiting the time of justices on the Court would help too. 

- Public schools would be well-funded and the buildings would be equally cared for no matter where they were located.  Teacher salaries would be appropriate to their education and experience based on equivalent incomes and degree of education in their area. 

- Corporations and individuals as well as Congress would be forced to deal with global warming and its impacts particularly on Black and other minority communities.



There is so much more to be considered, but I want the Black Lives Matter team and other interested parties to put their proposals forward so we all can begin moving together in the right direction.  Staying on the course we now walk is leading us to disaster.  As a patriotic American, I want better for our nation and the world.