After hearing President Joe Biden’s speech and the
Republican rebuttal, I fear for this country. I was doing my income taxes for 2023, and I am part of the Great Resignation, which resulted in a significant lower tax burden for me at both the federal and state level with further reductions in 2024. Yet, interest on the debt incurred by both major parties has risen dramatically. With fewer taxes from me and others from the Great Resignation and higher expenses that don’t take inflation into account, how does either party make the numbers work for all of their new programs, such as increased border security and other must-have spending programs? Instead of the famous 1980s slogan “Where’s the beef,” I ask: Where’s the money? To attack President
Joe Biden over border policy differences, the Republican scare tactics are pathetic. The latest: U.S. Sen. Katie Britt gave the Republican response to Biden’s
State of the Union address by citing a sexual attack on an unnamed woman that happened decades ago, not on the U.S. side of the border but in
Mexico, and not as a one-off act of criminality but instead the result of organized crime cartel activities over which no U.S. official has any control. How much more disconnected from current Biden administration policy and oversight can Republicans get? Using such ridiculous arguments, no wonder they are failing to mount meaningful opposition to Biden administration initiatives and governance. Four more years of Biden? Absolutely! While many points in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch excerpt about
Donald Trump (“About Trump and Traditional Republicans,” March 12 print) are 100% accurate, my problem with the Post-Dispatch opinion is the sheer hypocrisy inherent in it. The St. Louis newspaper says the Republican Party is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan. But it also is 100% accurate to say that
Democrats are no longer the party of John F. Kennedy. Democrats will say or do anything for their party and never compromise unless it can be twisted back against Republicans. To say that the Democrats are the moderate voice in the room is lunacy. Easy example: The Democrats whine about the U.S.
Supreme Court, yet they float proposals with the only goal of stacking the deck in their favor. Every move they make is to cement their power, the
United States be damned. Example No. 2: the border. There is no sane defense of their actions at the border. The 2010
election in Hungary effectively put Viktor Orban above the law. He and his party have amended Hungary’s constitution at will and changed hundreds of laws, many affecting
elections. Gerrymandered election districts throughout the country guarantee Orban sole power over the country. Orban and his leaders maintain that the central principle of democracy, equality before the law, undermines society. They claim that
immigration and the affording of equal rights to
Women and LGTBQ individuals dilute the purity of the country. They insist that patriarchal heterosexuality is the normative world order. The Orban government is characterized by government control of public institutions, assaults on minority rights, aggressive nationalist rhetoric and attacks on the rule of law. Orban’s allies were given dominance of Hungary’s major media companies, which transformed news outlets into voices for the regime. The judiciary was kneecapped; oversight was transferred to the government’s appointed courts. Donald Trump said: “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic.” Trump praised Orban’s governing style as “this is the way it’s going to be” and added that “he’s the boss and he’s a great leader.” Trump intends the Orban style of governing to replace our democracy. His son
Donald Trump Jr. said recently: “That (old) Republican Party, frankly, no longer exists. … People have to understand that America First, the MAGA movement, is the new Republican Party.” America, be very concerned. Many, many voters are not happy with the choice of Donald Trump versus Joe Biden, me included. But we have to face reality and stop focusing on age. We have to focus on character, integrity and experience. The choice is not between two older white men, but between autocracy and democracy. Between white nationalism and diversity. Between making life better for all Americans and not just the privileged. We are at a crisis point. Get out there and vote for what America should be. The choice is clear. If a former president is immune from prosecution for all crimes, it seems he is no longer merely a citizen but more of a monarch in temporary exile from his throne. As citizens of a democracy, it is our responsibility to cast an informed vote. To do this, we must seek out facts on which to base our voting decisions. When choosing media sources, we must do so carefully to make sure they are trustworthy. Fact-checking, easy in this digital age, is often necessary. The current disconnect between the actual and the perceived is extremely troublesome. The
economy is doing well, yet many Americans say it’s not. Violent crime is trending down, yet many believe it’s increasing. Climate change is a verifiable scientific fact, yet many refuse to believe it’s affecting us all every day. Before voting, it is imperative to check the facts and then vote responsibly to ensure the future of our country, our democracy and the world. I suggest Mayor Brandon Johnson stop the name-calling and try to find some common ground with
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Instead of referring to him as “an out-of-control tyrant, a petulant one at that,” Johnson should reach out and start a dialogue in order to find common ground. Look at the fact that Abbott is in a “really jacked-up situation,” as Johnson described it, just like the mayor is. There is some common ground. Isn’t Johnson taking actions similar to Abbott’s by paying transportation costs for migrants leaving Chicago? There is some common ground. The blame game and name-calling do not solve the problem. Johnson should attempt to join forces and demand the people who make the policies that created this problem resolve the issue. As long as the in-fighting continues, the policymakers are not held accountable. There is strength in numbers, regardless of political affiliations. I want to extend a great big thank you to Mayra Segura for delivering my paper at the garage door every day. It is so appreciated, especially on a snowy or icy day! We waited a bit to send our complimentary note about our delivery person, Michelle McCauley, because we wanted to save the best for last. Michelle has provided first-rate, dependable service since she began delivering our Tribune and Wall Street Journal. She is like clockwork every day.