Posts tagged ‘Politics’

October 23, 2024

Open letter to the Trump voters in my family

Me and my Aunt Ruth

You have a choice. In less than 2 weeks, we are all going to decide who is the best representative to lead our country. Which candidate is the right person to represent the United States? Truthfully, I’m beyond bewildered that you are undecided about this election or worse… still planning to vote for Trump. 

In Wisconsin, because of the electoral college, our vote really matters. If you’re in Missouri, then maybe that state will go red no matter what… which is also totally bananas. 

Here’s why we all need to be concerned: 

Democracy

You’ve heard that “democracy is on the ballot”.

Why are some people sounding this alarm?  

Because Trump has praised dictators. He is chums with Vladimir Putin. Putin, who has ruled Russia since 2000, has created a nightmare regime under which his opponents are murdered; free speech isn’t tolerated (anyone who speaks up against Putin will be punished – like political prisoners who are sent to Siberia for decades behind bars; minority rights (women & gays) are suppressed; opposition is quashed; foreign territory is forcefully annexed; and Syria’s bloodthirsty president, Bashar Assad, enjoys direct military support for his massacres.

This could be the United States. 

Just like that bumper sticker on that pickup truck says “Freedom ain’t free”. We have to vote for our rights to be protected. Sure, we can’t IMAGINE that the US wouldn’t have freedom of speech – because we’ve all grown up having it. But that’s only because we’ve voted for people who have upheld democracy. That’s not Trump’s plan. He was almost successful in overthrowing the government on January 6th. And if he’d had more support, he would not have left. That’s Dictator territory. 

And for those reading this who say – that’s alarmist… how many warning signs do you need to protect democracy? 

Trump’s Dictator Playbook: 

  1. Habit of maligning immigrants
  2. Casting himself as a victim
  3. Attempting to discredit the media 

1 – ✔️

2 – ✔️

3 – ✔️

This is not like other elections. 

In 2024, we do not have the luxury of debating issues like taxes and public vs private education. We don’t even have the luxury of debating abortion… Side note: if you don’t believe in abortion – then don’t have one. If you don’t believe in gay marriage, then don’t marry a dude. If you don’t believe in saving the planet, then drive a Hummer. You have lots of choices. You know why? Because we live in a free country! 

And to my cousins (and their kids) who seem to only be concerned about the economy… Look at Trump’s record.

  • The economy lost 2.7 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.7 percentage points to 6.4%.
  • The international trade deficit Trump promised to reduce went up. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services in 2020 was the highest since 2008 and increased 36.3% from 2016.
  • The number of people lacking health insurance rose by 3 million (which means healthcare costs must fall to everyone else).
  • The federal debt held by the public went up, from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion. Talk about an unstable government!
  • Illegal immigration increased. Apprehensions at the Southwest border rose 14.7% compared with 2016.
  • Coal production declined 26.5%, and coal-mining jobs dropped by 25%.
  • Handgun production rose 12.5% compared with 2016, setting a new record.
  • The murder rate in 2020 rose to the highest level since 1997. Trump tells you that you are unsafe — and he’s the one who is making us unsafe.
  • More than 400,000 Americans DIED during Covid due to his inaction. He told people to drink bleach. He thought he was smarter than doctors and scientists. His leadership directly resulted in deaths.

Source: https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/

I’m citing the source here because you may shrug and say “FAKE NEWS”. Which is what Trump has taught you. The fact that so many Trump supports do not believe FACTS in largely due to Trump’s dismissal of truth and facts.

The only sane option in this election is Kamala Harris. 

Let’s debate again in 2028 like the Americans we are… because we will have that right. We will fiercely debate all the issues that are most important to each of us without fear of punishment, imprisonment.

I 💙 the United States! 🇺🇸

In 2024, vote for Kamala. 

February 11, 2015

Streetcar Named Milwaukee (we DESIRE beer, brats and great public transportation)

Featured image

Change comes hard — and not without a fight.

Most people would like to be able to invite change without the pressure of having to change to survive, but that rarely happens. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just change because we wanted to? New Year’s resolutions would be a snap. Change often comes because there’s no other choice but to change.

Listening to the radio on my commute downtown (along beautiful Lake Michigan) this morning, I listened with disbelief at the Alabama’s judges who are choosing to break the law to prevent same-sex marriage in the state. Which made me think… if Alabama is the most recent state to allow same-sex marriages, which states still don’t allow gay marriage? Alabama doesn’t spring to my mind first as a place that is breaking any records for “new thinking”. States that don’t permit same-sex marriages: AR, GA, KY, LA, MI, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD and — you guessed it! TX! Oh, Texas. Cities other than Austin may want to consider getting a little weird to stay relevant in 2015. Relevance means attracting a talented workforce (yes, I’m talking about those damn millennials!) that every city is fighting for. Phew! At least, Wisconsin was ahead of Alabama — but then again, is that saying much?

Progress is a battle. Many people want things to remain the same… Ultimately, change is risky. I’m very proud of my risk-taking hometown, Milwaukee. Yesterday, The Milwaukee City Council approved a streetcar to connect downtown and the lower east side (and beyond). Our city, like all cities, has its share of challenges. Our citizens were divided on this issue. In light of so many backwards ideas by our current governor, we are fighting hard to keep our great state great, it’s encouraging to see the city of Milwaukee embrace the future and forge a new path.

It means a lot to me to live in a city that invests in staying relevant and current. Millennials want more than beer and brats… ok, bad example. But in this case, we need to anticipate our future needs, like great public transportation. Making our city easy to navigate helps Milwaukee to attract tourists, retain current workforce and attract workforce from other cities. Talented people who may not have seen Milwaukee as “forward-thinking”… until now.