America’s Great Divide
How did this Happen?
Disagreement has been the rule in the USA, frankly for the world, but that fact has always been different here. The reason for the difference here is because our Constitution allows for disagreement without penalty. It’s outlined in the 1st Amendment and called free speech.
It used to be where left and right spectrums of issues were seen as opponents. Now there’re seen as enemies. It goes even further. The shift from opponents to enemies has gone so far as to seeing opponents as evil. When you or I consider something or someone evil, there are no holds barred in eliminating it, however harshly.
When people consider something or someone evil, it becomes morally correct to stifle it, to shut it down. That’s why we hear and see speakers shouted down, riots involving vandalism, arson, and even murder considered and reported as understandable and justified – even peaceful.
It’s OK to shoot police officers because they’re evil. White police shoot blacks regularly and indiscriminately without cause. Police should be de-funded – perhaps even eliminated. Never mind the facts.
Criminals are victims. They’re poor. The victims of criminals are simply collateral damage on the way to understanding that crime is inevitable in a society where the poor are supposedly deliberately kept poor.
Climate change Armageddon is waiting in the nearby wings ready to engulf and destroy the world. If you don’t believe that you’re evil. Never mind discussion or debate. It’s OK to force what you decide I should do or not do, what I’m allowed to think or not think, when I’m beyond any consideration of persuasion – and evil.
The United States should welcome all immigrants from everywhere. It’s what our country and our Statue of Liberty are about. There’s no room for not accepting the moral obligation of ‘open borders’ regardless of laws or order, much less opposition to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” These ‘undocumented’ people deserve public support for basic necessities, including health care – and they should even be allowed to vote.
It’s inconceivable for Caucasians not to think they’re racists – whether they’re conscious of it or not. White supremacy is the foundation to this country which began in 1619. The Constitution is illegitimate because it extends systemic and institutional racism – therefore just so many words.
The country has two major diabolically opposed groups – victims and oppressors. Because I may disagree, I’m obviously an oppressor.
Equity is synonymous with equality. People should be hired on the basis of the country’s history of victimhood, not experience, knowledge or merit. Awards should be given to those who follow equity.
Reparations should be paid to those with ancestors whose skin is similar to that of slaves 180 years ago.
The laws should be applied based on politics and disagreement. Those without the proper ideology and political persuasion should be arrested, tried, and jailed.
One of the most oppressed groups are the estimated 0.1% of people who are transgender. It goes without discussion that biological men who think they are women should be allowed to compete against women. Children who identify with the opposite sex should be able to avail themselves to sex reassignment surgery.
Abortion is a right. There should be no restrictions, including time limits, on ending a pregnancy as it is entirely a woman’s ‘choice.’
Diplomacy is a waste of time. War decides things.
I could continue with the list of issues in the country. But you probably get the idea.
Our country is so divided not because the issues outlined are new. It’s because those who believe in their position on them have gained the power and purse strings of the government and have no reservation about enforcing their point of view. They get away with doing so as the current federal administration has embraced many, if not all of those positions along with an accommodating host of national media outlets and “journalists.” It’s what people see and hear – good vs. evil.
We don’t hear about ‘safe spaces’ on campuses anymore because the whole campus at many colleges is now ‘safe’ from disagreement and opposing argument.
The only real counter to this ‘division’ is people moving from those states that condone and enforce one side of the issues as delineated to those that do not.
States with increasing crime, taxes, fear, and discord are experiencing an outflow of their citizens and businesses. They are experiencing not only population loss, but decreasing tax base, and brain drain. Most are also saddled with debt. People who can afford it are moving to more accommodating and tolerant ones.
The problem with this realignment is it doesn’t unify the country; it further divides it.
And it’s starting to look like where people live will further define the ‘great divide’ we see in our country today.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
SPIDER Bites
This week’s trivia question: What is the largest mammal in the world? Answer to last week’s – the youngest US President: Theodore Roosevelt. JFK was the youngest to be elected at age 43. At age 42, Teddy Roosevelt became president after William McKinley’s assassination in 1901 in Buffalo, NY.
In case you were living under a rock Saturday, with lots of pomp and circumstance the UK crowned a new King and Queen Consort. Good for the Brits.
After 5 late scratches including the favorite, Forte, Saturday morning, adding 3 replacements from the also-eligible list, 18 horses broke out of the starting gate for ”the fastest 2 minutes in sports” at yesterday’s, 1¼ mile Kentucky Derby. From far back in the pack a 15-1 shot Mage had a great finish and won. The horse has 391 shareholders.
The FL legislature concluded its annual 60-day session Friday. The last bill passed set the budget for the state at $117B starting July 1. One of the more sweeping items passed was the expansion of the school voucher program to extend to all students regardless of income – who in turn can use the voucher to attend private schools.
While Bud Light continues to lose sales because of the backlash of using a social media transgender influencer in an ad, the US Navy is now using a drag queen to supposedly entice more recruits. Incredible! The DoD is already failing at getting new recruits in all military branches because of the Commander-in-Chief’s order for CRT and DEI training. Meanwhile, the Commander of Space Force was fired for being critical of CRT.
President Biden is sending 1,500 troops to the Mexican border to relieve border patrol agents of various administrative tasks in anticipation of a surge of immigrants expected following the end of COVID-19 restrictions this week. The troops will not be protecting or enforcing the border.
No surprise the Fed raised the interest rate again last week to 5.1%. Average 30-year mortgage rates are closing in on 7%.
The Jobs Market showed a healthy gain in April, with unemployment remaining under 4%.
Despite that good monthly report, here’s an excerpt from Bloomberg last week: “Wall Street’s worries about Corporate America’s dwindling profit margins appear to have made their way to the C-suite based on earnings reports so far this quarter.
A few themes are becoming clear: Cost and job cuts are in, spending and expansion are out. Fears of the impact of rate hikes and a looming economic slowdown have US conglomerates rushing to divert to efficiency from growth mode, and the shift is starting to show up heavily in their financial results.” Happy days are not here again.
VP Harris has been named the new AI Czar by President Biden. We can all relax now.
If you read last week’s blog, you know another word – stagflation. It means slow growth combined with stubborn inflation. It’s considered by knowledgeable economists to be the worst condition an economy can be in. If you’re old enough, you remember the late ‘70’s-early ‘80’s. If that’s too far back, just look at Venezuela today.
