I live on a lake in Michigan. We don't have Trump flotillas, but it's deep red. People are simply puzzled by Democrats more than anything. Why are they mutilating children? Why do they want drag queens reading to children so bad? Why are they denying biological reality? Why are they so irresponsible with foreign policy and budget? Why ar…
I live on a lake in Michigan. We don't have Trump flotillas, but it's deep red. People are simply puzzled by Democrats more than anything. Why are they mutilating children? Why do they want drag queens reading to children so bad? Why are they denying biological reality? Why are they so irresponsible with foreign policy and budget? Why are they interfering with our lives so bad? It's not hate; it's more like "what the f*** is wrong with these people and WHY?"
Most have an entire lifetime invested in "activism" for the sake of itself.
They now realize their own miserable reality but it's too late to change. They are simply too embarrased to admit that their whole life is an utter waste. I know them well. Family and friends.
There is hope in the younger folks in places like Lake of the Ozarks. The alternative is removal of sex organs. The bitter end of the left.
Dave, your state just indicted 16 Americans for attempting to serve up an illegal alternate elector scheme to swing your state to the loser, Donald Trump, in 2020. Even if I were to agree with you with the hysterical progressive wing of the Democratic Party, what the fuck is it when Republicans do not respect a certified election result? Why do they take the law into their own hands?
If you were one of the people who, in the second week of November 2016, were saying "Not my President," or demanding electors be "convinced" to vote against their state's voters, or calling for impeachment of a POTUS who had not yet taken office, you don't have a lot of credibility when it comes to demanding that Republicans should respect a certified election result.
They SHOULD respect it--you are correct about that. But Democrats who took part in the TDS hysteria immediately after the election in 2016 have ZERO standing from which to say so.
Democrat hysteria aside in 2016, and there was plenty of that - I do not recall any state anywhere who had alternate Democratic electors ready to step in if the transfer of power were to be disrupted. Clinton conceded the election, however mournfully.
Considering the millions that were spent on the Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump on the basis of a fake dossier enabled by the Obama administration, no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Considering that there were a number of fraudulent attack claims implicating "Trump voters," no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Considering that the media was OPENLY asking, day after day, if there were some way to prevent Trump from taking office, no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Democrat hysteria from 2016 to 2020 is the SOLE reason I voted for Trump in 2020. I hate the guy. But the constant, widespread behavior of Democrats during that period convinced me never to vote for another Democrat in ANY election.
So no, I will denounce the "alternate electors," but I will not set Democrat hysteria aside, as you do so readily.
Thanks for the link. I remember that story. Reading it again now it seems apparent that those faithless electors wanted to deny not only Trump but Clinton as well and try to swing the election to a consensus candidate. It was an attempt to derail the electoral college itself. A fools errand.
But considering the Dems rampant hysteria back then, now that Trump has two indictments under his belt, a third just days away, and a fourth (Georgia) maybe next month, who’s hysterical now?
I too have been pondering this deeply. For me it boils down to how can the woke be so wed to what is irrational and really indefensible? They absolutely cannot debate these things and stay within the bounds of classical rules of debate----they instantly collapse into ad hominem and name calling.
At this point I'm leaning towards what the bible calls "the mark of the beast". I honestly don't know any woke people who are authentically, deeply spiritual.
I'm from Michigan. It's a great state aside from the state government. Sorry you're still weathering the Gretch administration. I moved to South Dakota, where there would probably be Trump flotillas if there were enough large bodies of water.
In the Soviet Union and other Communist dictatorships the state-controlled media — Isvestia, Pravda — published rank nonsense every day. The point was not to convince citizens that what they said was true; it was to force them to say that believed it was true even when they knew otherwise. By forcing them to say they believed whatthey did not they weakened the will to resist. So it is with the nonsense spouted by progessives.
Even if some *people* in Michigan are puzzled with these things, the state government of Michigan is not. With respect to the first 3 things you mentioned,
You might think it's "deep red"; your friends and social circles may be. But your school board almost certainly isn't. And they're not puzzled. They believe gender identity - separate from sex - is set at "a young age"; they must to teach and reinforce that fact, which is to them as self-evident as "biological reality" is to you; they must facilitate kids' transitions even if the parents do not know about it.
As for irresponsibility with foreign policy/budget, that's a forever thing; people have probably been complaining about that since Mesopotamian times ;-P . That one's much less scary.
The answer is really simple. People are social animals. Most of us need to feel like we're part of a group. And once we align with that group we're not likely to walk away from it for almost anything. Multiply that basic human need with the truly evil and successful effort to remove God from society, and replace religion with a new paganism where Democrat politicians are prophets. Try convincing someone to willingly leave a cult they don't even realize they're in.
I think what's wrong with them is they either believe they know better than other people and therefore have some right to interfere in our lives for our own benefit and/or they see other people who are happy and living their lives and because they are miserable and neurotic they can't stand it.
I think most Democrats do not support mutilating children, nor are they passionate about drag queens reading to children. It's unfortunate that the most extreme fringe becomes the most visible and it sounds like Republicans really believe this is what most of us are like.
As for being irresponsible with budget, I think this is the core of the difference. Many of my fellow Democrats and I grew up seeing people work hard and get screwed over by societal forces they have no control over, so we do see a role for the government in fighting injustice.
Just think about where we would be without government interference in the racist, sexist, and homophobic policies and societal norms throughout the 20th century. People were losing jobs and lives just for being who they were. I don't get how someone can discount the role of the government in righting those wrongs.
If "most Democrats" don't support the behavior of "the fringe," why do they keep voting for people who support that behavior? It is reasonable to conclude that "most Democrats" support what they vote for.
Maybe you should stop living the past and ask yourself what those leading the Democrats want government to do in the 21st century?
Now, you can potentially lose your kids for not agreeing with them that they are the opposite sex, or plural, or nonbinary, etc. School administrators can "help" them on the way to "gender transition" and even surgery without your permission or even knowledge.
This is better?
Just because "most Democrats do not support mutilating children" doesn't mean it is not happening. "Most Germans did not support exterminating Jews" either. But they enabled/financed it all the same by looking the other way and not holding the people they voted for accountable.
BTW, most of my friends and family are liberal/left and vote Democrat, and every single one of them says that "affirming gender" and providing associated medical "care" for trans children is the right thing to do. Guess what that entails.
Please drop those friends - has it happen to them yet? I can tell you touch my children or my grandchildren I will f...ing k... you! There I have written it and it felt good
I think it's insane to compare a tiny number of gender transition surgeries to the Holocaust. The numbers of girls getting breast enhancement surgeries is much larger, and somehow the conservatives haven't been making a huge deal about that.
If we free this issue from partisan extremes and hyperbole, I think it's clear there are children who are born the wrong gender and they know beyond a doubt from a young age. If you've met kids like this, it's blindingly obvious and it would be cruel to deny them the right to be themselves or to treat them differently. At least as far as social (non-surgical) transition. This is all fine and good.
There is also social contagion and teens deciding suddenly that they are a different gender and attempts to erase the very idea of two genders (which is a reality for the vast majority of people). This is bad.
But the worst thing about this whole conversation is this extreme focus on what is a fringe issue affecting a tiny number of trans individuals. Honestly, why are we all wasting time on this culture war topic when there are so many more important issues that affect the vast majority of us?
"Honestly, why are we all wasting time on this culture war topic when there are so many more important issues that affect the vast majority of us?" Because Democrats WILL NOT LET IT GO!!! Any time I try to gently push back on these issues I get tarred by my progressive friends (yes I have some) and relatives as a racist, homophobic, Neanderthal. So guess what? I'm done gently pushing back. I'm telling the truth that my 35 years as an engineer has taught me exists. I can't believe that you truly believe someone who's too young to smoke, drink, vote, enter into contracts, join the military, et al, is old enough and mature enough to decide they are the wrong sex. Then they expect the rest of us to simply go along, nay "celebrate and affirm" their "brave decision". Nope. That child needs help and going along with his/her delusions ain't it.
Not only go along with it, but celebrate it, and treat it as real and important, and face potential legal consequences if you disagree. And also pay for it.
Reading comprehension is important. I did not compare gender transition surgery to the Holocaust. I responded to a particular part of your comment. Simply because most of group X "doesn't support" a particular bad thing is meaningless. The bad thing still goes on, and it is still enabled by that group in various ways.
It is not a tiny number. I personally know at least eight sets of parents with trans children. It is not "blindingly obvious" that these children were born the wrong gender. They are the vicitims in most cases of a social contagion. Among many other things, this phenomenon is being used as a wedge to erode parental rights.
Their support of "gender affirming care" is a reflection of the extremely limited range of their media. Independent journalism such as we find on Substack is required now if one wants to have any idea of what's actually going on in the world beyond the narrow confines of liberal talking points. The trans issue in particular is covered with great depth in other countries, as well as on Substack. It's not necessary to go to Fox for that information, but Fox has covered the issue of male rapists and murderers being housed in women's prisons. Good luck hearing about that on the NBC Nightly News.
Yes, it is for a reason! It’s political manipulation through propaganda. The Dems are heavily invested, literally, in trans ideology. The rest of the world is leaving us behind as the evidence about the disastrous health consequences of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries lead to policy changes.
The 60's called and wants their Democrats back. The "fighting injustice" role that you laud for government has morphed into "do what we tell you because we're smarter and more noble than you rubes". The current Democrat party supports so many outlandish and anti-freedom policies it makes the head swim. "Gas stove" - oh too bad, you can't have one. Men in women's spaces? Just suck it up girl, don't you see how oppressed these poor creatures are? Abortion until birth (and after if the doctor fucks up) for any reason. In debt because you willingly took out loans and have to cut back on your $6 lattes to pay for them? No problem, we'll take money from the working class to pay them off. Don't talk to me about "not all Democrats". I see them voting as a block in Congress and local government. Rarely do any of them push back against this drivel.
Until I see ANY kind of pushback on ANY of these monstrous policies from ANY Democrat of even middling consequence I will maybe consider the chance it it’s “not all democrats.”
I won’t change my mind, but fortunately I never even have to consider the possibility since the primary shared skill among Democrats is towing the party line.
Exactly! If Democrats actually don't want these policies, they need to stop voting for candidates who support them.
Democrats were quick to pretend that Trump was "literally Hitler" and anyone who voted for him (I didn't until 2020) was a "Nazi." I see no reason not to hold Democrats to the same standard when their leaders are actually supporting government policies that sexualize children, demonize parents, and attempt to take away free speech from any who dares to disagree with them.
I was a lifelong Democrat too because my father actively preached what you have said like a steady drumbeat in our home. He was born in 1920 and I was born in 1947. I never questioned any of it until I had become a trust banker in Boston in the 70's and began to note that all of what my father had espoused was not accurate. What eventually became a lifelong friendship with a well educated, conservative black woman (and fellow trust banker) finally changed my thinking - forever. (Please ask yourself honestly what the democrats have ever done to HELP black people. Daniel Patrick Moynihan warned of the impact of social legislation in the 60's that ruined strong black families by paying women to have children if there was no man in the home. THINK ABOUT THAT AS GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN HAVING CHILDREN HAS 2 TRILLION DOLLARS LATER LED TO THE MESS OUR SOCIETY IS IN NOW. PLEASE STOP AND THINK!!!!!) Please please start to do some serious thinking about your being convinced democrats are doing angelic work in our country.
I disagree. For example, my grandparents and all of their friends benefit immensely from government programs to support them in their old age. Without these programs, they would be in abject poverty. Public programs have also played a huge role in letting lower-income kids in my community have a childhood. For my friends who are refugees, these programs are literally lifesaving.
PS. Of course there is corruption and money is lost. But I'd rather support people in need, knowing that some percent of those funds are wasted or given to "undeserving people", than let those people drown in poverty in the name of not wasting any funds.
why didn't you help your grandparents? why didn't they live with you or your family? how could you let your grandparents live in "abject poverty" do you give $$ or jobs to your friend who are refugees? give directly. $$ filters through the gov is money wasted
I'm sure you realize that the vast majority of Americans cannot afford to support their extended families and friends. Unfettered capitalism in this country means low wages and high prices for most - people can barely stay afloat and take care of immediate families.
Do I personally send my grandparents money every month? Yes. Do all of their friends have families who are in a financial position to help them? Most definitely not. I have been very lucky, so I am the exception. And even for me - can I afford to buy or rent my grandparents an apartment? No. So thank God for Section 8 housing.
As for my friends, of course I have helped them, both with direct support and finding a job for my friend's husband. But these are drops in the bucket. Maybe if I were a billionaire, I could solve these problems without going to government. But most wealthy people choose to spend their money on luxuries for themselves.
My husband and I only started making a combined income of $50k in the last 5 years. We care for my father-in-law in our home because his combined Social Security *and* military pension wouldn't cover the monthly cost of a nursing home.
We're far from the only people at our income level or below who are taking care of extended family.
"Unfettered capitalism"? What country are you living in? You realize that the government has imposed volumes and volumes of rules on businesses that limit and regulate how they conduct themselves. Every year I was required to attend multiple hours of training to ensure that I understood what discrimination was, that I did not facilitate a "hostile work environment", and other "valuable" topics. Like it or not, it is a fact that capitalism has single-handedly raised more people out of poverty than any other economic system. Is it perfect? Is anything made by Man perfect? Of course not. Are there edge cases that need to be addressed. You bet! But to paint our economic system with such a broad brush as you have is simply nonsense.
Had those government programs never existed, people would have saved from the beginning for retirement, families would have stepped up to help the unfortunate family members. Church and LOCAL government would have stepped in. So no, the Federal Government made the problem much, much worse.
Unfortunately, a huge proportion of the jobs in America today do NOT pay workers enough to save for retirement (or even cover necessary every day expenses). Also, poverty runs in families - if you are struggling, your family members likely are as well.
As for churches, I think some churches do really great work supporting people in need, but just don't have enough resources to help all (or even most) of those who need it. Plus, unfortunately many churches give aid with strings attached and exclude vulnerable people who don't fit in with their belief systems.
You mean the Social Security that was taken from my paycheck for 40 years? That program? And how are your local schools doing in preparing all those poor kids for life? The problem with government programs is that they may start out with good intentions (who could be against supporting single mothers?) but inevitably end up making the problem worse. When the government supports something, you get more of it.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. Old people collecting it now all use the "I paid for 40 years" argument, but look at what they paid. The CURRENT tax is 15.3%. If you work for an employer they pay half, which means they likely pay you 7% less than they would otherwise to cover it--you'll never know.
My grandparents paid 3% Social Security tax on incomes of $4,000-$5,000 per year. So they paid $150 a year and I pay $15,000 a year. If I was able to invest that money on my own, I'd be a multimillionaire. Instead, I can expect to get back what I paid in if I'm lucky.
Before the Aid to Dependent Children was amped up in the 60's 75% of black children were born in two parent households. Now 25% are fortunate enough to have both parents present. One follows from the other.
TOO MUCH is going to undeserving people. The abuse has been going on for decades. That is one problem of big government. There is little accountability.
There is no plan or reason and there doesn't have to be. It's tribalism - parroting the party line and blindly supporting "your side". It exists on both sides (and of course Democrats will say it's worse on the Republican side and Republicans will say it's worse on the Democrat side). But I don't really see a huge difference between the left and right extremes.
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has accumulated way too much power through its collaboration with the tech and media elites.
No one believes that people who truly deserve help should not be given it. But it should be a temporary boost, not a lifelong plan. My own mother had to accept public assistance for a year or two after my father abandoned us. This was in the early 50's and she had no skills. She taught herself to type and was able to build a career that supported us throughout my childhood. The problem is that the definition of who and what kind of support keeps growing. When there are more people collecting from the system than paying in, the system is bound to collapse.
The history of the Democratic Party is one of cynicism - get enough people dependent on the largesse of government and you will own their votes, and hence the power, forever. And they have succeeded with the huge expansion of the welfare state since the 60's. I know it's hard to take a stand against the status quo today especially for those of us who live on either of the coasts (I am in California). I Katerina, I encourage you to take a close and truly critical look at the damage that is being done in the name of "helping" in these times.
Well one crucial difference is that the Left's extreme has gained power in all our major institutions and is doing a bang-up job of dismantling them, with the help of blind voting by "most Democrats" who profess not to support such extremism. Meanwhile, "most Republicans" actually have moved to the left of the traditional conservative position on economic and cultural issues (particularly those involving sexual morality), such that the extreme Right has little to zero institutional power. So I'd say blind voting by Republicans doesn't have nearly the detrimental impact on everyday lives and families that blind voting by Democrats has.
I live on a lake in Michigan. We don't have Trump flotillas, but it's deep red. People are simply puzzled by Democrats more than anything. Why are they mutilating children? Why do they want drag queens reading to children so bad? Why are they denying biological reality? Why are they so irresponsible with foreign policy and budget? Why are they interfering with our lives so bad? It's not hate; it's more like "what the f*** is wrong with these people and WHY?"
Also non-Detroit Michigan. Hi neighbor!
Their children are the ones self-mutilating.
Our children are out on the lake playing the mating game. Nature rules!
Most have an entire lifetime invested in "activism" for the sake of itself.
They now realize their own miserable reality but it's too late to change. They are simply too embarrased to admit that their whole life is an utter waste. I know them well. Family and friends.
There is hope in the younger folks in places like Lake of the Ozarks. The alternative is removal of sex organs. The bitter end of the left.
The first deadly sin - hubris.
Dave, your state just indicted 16 Americans for attempting to serve up an illegal alternate elector scheme to swing your state to the loser, Donald Trump, in 2020. Even if I were to agree with you with the hysterical progressive wing of the Democratic Party, what the fuck is it when Republicans do not respect a certified election result? Why do they take the law into their own hands?
If you were one of the people who, in the second week of November 2016, were saying "Not my President," or demanding electors be "convinced" to vote against their state's voters, or calling for impeachment of a POTUS who had not yet taken office, you don't have a lot of credibility when it comes to demanding that Republicans should respect a certified election result.
They SHOULD respect it--you are correct about that. But Democrats who took part in the TDS hysteria immediately after the election in 2016 have ZERO standing from which to say so.
Democrat hysteria aside in 2016, and there was plenty of that - I do not recall any state anywhere who had alternate Democratic electors ready to step in if the transfer of power were to be disrupted. Clinton conceded the election, however mournfully.
If I stand to be corrected, let me know.
Considering the millions that were spent on the Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump on the basis of a fake dossier enabled by the Obama administration, no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Considering that there were a number of fraudulent attack claims implicating "Trump voters," no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Considering that the media was OPENLY asking, day after day, if there were some way to prevent Trump from taking office, no, I will NOT set Democrat hysteria aside.
Democrat hysteria from 2016 to 2020 is the SOLE reason I voted for Trump in 2020. I hate the guy. But the constant, widespread behavior of Democrats during that period convinced me never to vote for another Democrat in ANY election.
So no, I will denounce the "alternate electors," but I will not set Democrat hysteria aside, as you do so readily.
BTW, regardless of Hillary Clinton's mournful concession, there was an earnest (but unsuccessful) effort to derail the election certification in 2016: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/democrats-electoral-college-faithless-trump-231731
Thanks for the link. I remember that story. Reading it again now it seems apparent that those faithless electors wanted to deny not only Trump but Clinton as well and try to swing the election to a consensus candidate. It was an attempt to derail the electoral college itself. A fools errand.
But considering the Dems rampant hysteria back then, now that Trump has two indictments under his belt, a third just days away, and a fourth (Georgia) maybe next month, who’s hysterical now?
I too have been pondering this deeply. For me it boils down to how can the woke be so wed to what is irrational and really indefensible? They absolutely cannot debate these things and stay within the bounds of classical rules of debate----they instantly collapse into ad hominem and name calling.
At this point I'm leaning towards what the bible calls "the mark of the beast". I honestly don't know any woke people who are authentically, deeply spiritual.
I'm from Michigan. It's a great state aside from the state government. Sorry you're still weathering the Gretch administration. I moved to South Dakota, where there would probably be Trump flotillas if there were enough large bodies of water.
All true, so what I want know is when will centrist and liberal democrats jettison the left from their party ?
In the Soviet Union and other Communist dictatorships the state-controlled media — Isvestia, Pravda — published rank nonsense every day. The point was not to convince citizens that what they said was true; it was to force them to say that believed it was true even when they knew otherwise. By forcing them to say they believed whatthey did not they weakened the will to resist. So it is with the nonsense spouted by progessives.
Even if some *people* in Michigan are puzzled with these things, the state government of Michigan is not. With respect to the first 3 things you mentioned,
Here's Michigan's state policies around it (from 2016): https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Year/2016/09/15/SBEStatementonLGBTQYouth.pdf?rev=4df8bc6d407b4fa08ebc73ffeb50633e . I skimmed it for ~45 seconds and found something already incredibly disturbing: "When students have not come out to their parent(s), a disclosure to parent(s) should be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis [...]"
You might think it's "deep red"; your friends and social circles may be. But your school board almost certainly isn't. And they're not puzzled. They believe gender identity - separate from sex - is set at "a young age"; they must to teach and reinforce that fact, which is to them as self-evident as "biological reality" is to you; they must facilitate kids' transitions even if the parents do not know about it.
As for irresponsibility with foreign policy/budget, that's a forever thing; people have probably been complaining about that since Mesopotamian times ;-P . That one's much less scary.
Brain injury explains all.
The answer is really simple. People are social animals. Most of us need to feel like we're part of a group. And once we align with that group we're not likely to walk away from it for almost anything. Multiply that basic human need with the truly evil and successful effort to remove God from society, and replace religion with a new paganism where Democrat politicians are prophets. Try convincing someone to willingly leave a cult they don't even realize they're in.
Your comment just made me LOL. Exactly the way I feel!
A Texas gal
I think what's wrong with them is they either believe they know better than other people and therefore have some right to interfere in our lives for our own benefit and/or they see other people who are happy and living their lives and because they are miserable and neurotic they can't stand it.
I think most Democrats do not support mutilating children, nor are they passionate about drag queens reading to children. It's unfortunate that the most extreme fringe becomes the most visible and it sounds like Republicans really believe this is what most of us are like.
As for being irresponsible with budget, I think this is the core of the difference. Many of my fellow Democrats and I grew up seeing people work hard and get screwed over by societal forces they have no control over, so we do see a role for the government in fighting injustice.
Just think about where we would be without government interference in the racist, sexist, and homophobic policies and societal norms throughout the 20th century. People were losing jobs and lives just for being who they were. I don't get how someone can discount the role of the government in righting those wrongs.
If "most Democrats" don't support the behavior of "the fringe," why do they keep voting for people who support that behavior? It is reasonable to conclude that "most Democrats" support what they vote for.
Maybe you should stop living the past and ask yourself what those leading the Democrats want government to do in the 21st century?
Now, you can potentially lose your kids for not agreeing with them that they are the opposite sex, or plural, or nonbinary, etc. School administrators can "help" them on the way to "gender transition" and even surgery without your permission or even knowledge.
This is better?
Just because "most Democrats do not support mutilating children" doesn't mean it is not happening. "Most Germans did not support exterminating Jews" either. But they enabled/financed it all the same by looking the other way and not holding the people they voted for accountable.
BTW, most of my friends and family are liberal/left and vote Democrat, and every single one of them says that "affirming gender" and providing associated medical "care" for trans children is the right thing to do. Guess what that entails.
So yes, we do think you're all like this.
Please drop those friends - has it happen to them yet? I can tell you touch my children or my grandchildren I will f...ing k... you! There I have written it and it felt good
I think it's insane to compare a tiny number of gender transition surgeries to the Holocaust. The numbers of girls getting breast enhancement surgeries is much larger, and somehow the conservatives haven't been making a huge deal about that.
If we free this issue from partisan extremes and hyperbole, I think it's clear there are children who are born the wrong gender and they know beyond a doubt from a young age. If you've met kids like this, it's blindingly obvious and it would be cruel to deny them the right to be themselves or to treat them differently. At least as far as social (non-surgical) transition. This is all fine and good.
There is also social contagion and teens deciding suddenly that they are a different gender and attempts to erase the very idea of two genders (which is a reality for the vast majority of people). This is bad.
But the worst thing about this whole conversation is this extreme focus on what is a fringe issue affecting a tiny number of trans individuals. Honestly, why are we all wasting time on this culture war topic when there are so many more important issues that affect the vast majority of us?
"Honestly, why are we all wasting time on this culture war topic when there are so many more important issues that affect the vast majority of us?" Because Democrats WILL NOT LET IT GO!!! Any time I try to gently push back on these issues I get tarred by my progressive friends (yes I have some) and relatives as a racist, homophobic, Neanderthal. So guess what? I'm done gently pushing back. I'm telling the truth that my 35 years as an engineer has taught me exists. I can't believe that you truly believe someone who's too young to smoke, drink, vote, enter into contracts, join the military, et al, is old enough and mature enough to decide they are the wrong sex. Then they expect the rest of us to simply go along, nay "celebrate and affirm" their "brave decision". Nope. That child needs help and going along with his/her delusions ain't it.
Not only go along with it, but celebrate it, and treat it as real and important, and face potential legal consequences if you disagree. And also pay for it.
Reading comprehension is important. I did not compare gender transition surgery to the Holocaust. I responded to a particular part of your comment. Simply because most of group X "doesn't support" a particular bad thing is meaningless. The bad thing still goes on, and it is still enabled by that group in various ways.
It is not a tiny number. I personally know at least eight sets of parents with trans children. It is not "blindingly obvious" that these children were born the wrong gender. They are the vicitims in most cases of a social contagion. Among many other things, this phenomenon is being used as a wedge to erode parental rights.
I think your head is in the sand.
Their support of "gender affirming care" is a reflection of the extremely limited range of their media. Independent journalism such as we find on Substack is required now if one wants to have any idea of what's actually going on in the world beyond the narrow confines of liberal talking points. The trans issue in particular is covered with great depth in other countries, as well as on Substack. It's not necessary to go to Fox for that information, but Fox has covered the issue of male rapists and murderers being housed in women's prisons. Good luck hearing about that on the NBC Nightly News.
Good points. They simply aren't hearing about it. That's for a reason, though.
Yes, it is for a reason! It’s political manipulation through propaganda. The Dems are heavily invested, literally, in trans ideology. The rest of the world is leaving us behind as the evidence about the disastrous health consequences of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries lead to policy changes.
Completely agree.
Yes Missy! You nailed it.
Nailed it.
The 60's called and wants their Democrats back. The "fighting injustice" role that you laud for government has morphed into "do what we tell you because we're smarter and more noble than you rubes". The current Democrat party supports so many outlandish and anti-freedom policies it makes the head swim. "Gas stove" - oh too bad, you can't have one. Men in women's spaces? Just suck it up girl, don't you see how oppressed these poor creatures are? Abortion until birth (and after if the doctor fucks up) for any reason. In debt because you willingly took out loans and have to cut back on your $6 lattes to pay for them? No problem, we'll take money from the working class to pay them off. Don't talk to me about "not all Democrats". I see them voting as a block in Congress and local government. Rarely do any of them push back against this drivel.
Until I see ANY kind of pushback on ANY of these monstrous policies from ANY Democrat of even middling consequence I will maybe consider the chance it it’s “not all democrats.”
I won’t change my mind, but fortunately I never even have to consider the possibility since the primary shared skill among Democrats is towing the party line.
Exactly! If Democrats actually don't want these policies, they need to stop voting for candidates who support them.
Democrats were quick to pretend that Trump was "literally Hitler" and anyone who voted for him (I didn't until 2020) was a "Nazi." I see no reason not to hold Democrats to the same standard when their leaders are actually supporting government policies that sexualize children, demonize parents, and attempt to take away free speech from any who dares to disagree with them.
I was a lifelong Democrat too because my father actively preached what you have said like a steady drumbeat in our home. He was born in 1920 and I was born in 1947. I never questioned any of it until I had become a trust banker in Boston in the 70's and began to note that all of what my father had espoused was not accurate. What eventually became a lifelong friendship with a well educated, conservative black woman (and fellow trust banker) finally changed my thinking - forever. (Please ask yourself honestly what the democrats have ever done to HELP black people. Daniel Patrick Moynihan warned of the impact of social legislation in the 60's that ruined strong black families by paying women to have children if there was no man in the home. THINK ABOUT THAT AS GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN HAVING CHILDREN HAS 2 TRILLION DOLLARS LATER LED TO THE MESS OUR SOCIETY IS IN NOW. PLEASE STOP AND THINK!!!!!) Please please start to do some serious thinking about your being convinced democrats are doing angelic work in our country.
Thank you that’s telling Katerina the poor lady has blinkers on, not sure where she was when the world changed
Or people losing jobs to a diversity candidate being promoted by fearful and vain executives
Unfortunately big Government is not using our money to fight injustice. It’s become one big grift.
I disagree. For example, my grandparents and all of their friends benefit immensely from government programs to support them in their old age. Without these programs, they would be in abject poverty. Public programs have also played a huge role in letting lower-income kids in my community have a childhood. For my friends who are refugees, these programs are literally lifesaving.
PS. Of course there is corruption and money is lost. But I'd rather support people in need, knowing that some percent of those funds are wasted or given to "undeserving people", than let those people drown in poverty in the name of not wasting any funds.
why didn't you help your grandparents? why didn't they live with you or your family? how could you let your grandparents live in "abject poverty" do you give $$ or jobs to your friend who are refugees? give directly. $$ filters through the gov is money wasted
I'm sure you realize that the vast majority of Americans cannot afford to support their extended families and friends. Unfettered capitalism in this country means low wages and high prices for most - people can barely stay afloat and take care of immediate families.
Do I personally send my grandparents money every month? Yes. Do all of their friends have families who are in a financial position to help them? Most definitely not. I have been very lucky, so I am the exception. And even for me - can I afford to buy or rent my grandparents an apartment? No. So thank God for Section 8 housing.
As for my friends, of course I have helped them, both with direct support and finding a job for my friend's husband. But these are drops in the bucket. Maybe if I were a billionaire, I could solve these problems without going to government. But most wealthy people choose to spend their money on luxuries for themselves.
My husband and I only started making a combined income of $50k in the last 5 years. We care for my father-in-law in our home because his combined Social Security *and* military pension wouldn't cover the monthly cost of a nursing home.
We're far from the only people at our income level or below who are taking care of extended family.
"Unfettered capitalism"? What country are you living in? You realize that the government has imposed volumes and volumes of rules on businesses that limit and regulate how they conduct themselves. Every year I was required to attend multiple hours of training to ensure that I understood what discrimination was, that I did not facilitate a "hostile work environment", and other "valuable" topics. Like it or not, it is a fact that capitalism has single-handedly raised more people out of poverty than any other economic system. Is it perfect? Is anything made by Man perfect? Of course not. Are there edge cases that need to be addressed. You bet! But to paint our economic system with such a broad brush as you have is simply nonsense.
Had those government programs never existed, people would have saved from the beginning for retirement, families would have stepped up to help the unfortunate family members. Church and LOCAL government would have stepped in. So no, the Federal Government made the problem much, much worse.
I wish with all my heart that this were true.
Unfortunately, a huge proportion of the jobs in America today do NOT pay workers enough to save for retirement (or even cover necessary every day expenses). Also, poverty runs in families - if you are struggling, your family members likely are as well.
As for churches, I think some churches do really great work supporting people in need, but just don't have enough resources to help all (or even most) of those who need it. Plus, unfortunately many churches give aid with strings attached and exclude vulnerable people who don't fit in with their belief systems.
You mean the Social Security that was taken from my paycheck for 40 years? That program? And how are your local schools doing in preparing all those poor kids for life? The problem with government programs is that they may start out with good intentions (who could be against supporting single mothers?) but inevitably end up making the problem worse. When the government supports something, you get more of it.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. Old people collecting it now all use the "I paid for 40 years" argument, but look at what they paid. The CURRENT tax is 15.3%. If you work for an employer they pay half, which means they likely pay you 7% less than they would otherwise to cover it--you'll never know.
My grandparents paid 3% Social Security tax on incomes of $4,000-$5,000 per year. So they paid $150 a year and I pay $15,000 a year. If I was able to invest that money on my own, I'd be a multimillionaire. Instead, I can expect to get back what I paid in if I'm lucky.
Before the Aid to Dependent Children was amped up in the 60's 75% of black children were born in two parent households. Now 25% are fortunate enough to have both parents present. One follows from the other.
Amen
TOO MUCH is going to undeserving people. The abuse has been going on for decades. That is one problem of big government. There is little accountability.
There is definitely a plan and a reason.
There is no plan or reason and there doesn't have to be. It's tribalism - parroting the party line and blindly supporting "your side". It exists on both sides (and of course Democrats will say it's worse on the Republican side and Republicans will say it's worse on the Democrat side). But I don't really see a huge difference between the left and right extremes.
Exactly. Everything now is being done to screw over the other tribe rather than doing what is in the interest of EVERYONE in the country.
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has accumulated way too much power through its collaboration with the tech and media elites.
No one believes that people who truly deserve help should not be given it. But it should be a temporary boost, not a lifelong plan. My own mother had to accept public assistance for a year or two after my father abandoned us. This was in the early 50's and she had no skills. She taught herself to type and was able to build a career that supported us throughout my childhood. The problem is that the definition of who and what kind of support keeps growing. When there are more people collecting from the system than paying in, the system is bound to collapse.
The history of the Democratic Party is one of cynicism - get enough people dependent on the largesse of government and you will own their votes, and hence the power, forever. And they have succeeded with the huge expansion of the welfare state since the 60's. I know it's hard to take a stand against the status quo today especially for those of us who live on either of the coasts (I am in California). I Katerina, I encourage you to take a close and truly critical look at the damage that is being done in the name of "helping" in these times.
Well one crucial difference is that the Left's extreme has gained power in all our major institutions and is doing a bang-up job of dismantling them, with the help of blind voting by "most Democrats" who profess not to support such extremism. Meanwhile, "most Republicans" actually have moved to the left of the traditional conservative position on economic and cultural issues (particularly those involving sexual morality), such that the extreme Right has little to zero institutional power. So I'd say blind voting by Republicans doesn't have nearly the detrimental impact on everyday lives and families that blind voting by Democrats has.
I think it's all part of the great reset, being engineered by globalists at the WHO, the WEF and the UN...
The establishment dems are falling right in line, and establishment reps too.