Tip of the hat to http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com

As we look at the upcoming election we ate that there are vast differences between the current two major parties on issues. Actually it should be noted that there is only one party in America today that is running on issues.

What used to be the Republican Party has turned into a cult of personality around a truly pathetic human being. Party gatherings have turned into candidates trying to prove which one has the most allegiance not to our country, but to the man who is their central cult figure. 

But let us look at some of the country’s most vexing problem:

Climate Change. 

        – Trumpublicans continue to ignore it. Beyond that what passes for policy for them is to continue to burn both fossil fuels and carbon based fuels. Solar, wind and non-polluting sources are being squelched

         – Democrats continue to move to the future of non-polluting sources of energy. If we don’t do that the planet becomes uninhabitable.

Economy.  

         – Trumpublicans continue to try to sell the “trickle down” economics which has gutted the American middle class and created huge wealth and income gaps in our country that are usually characteristic of Third world countries. They also continue onslaughts of any New Deal type programs such as Social Security,, Medicare and Medicaid. They also continue to work to destroy unions. Economic policy greatly favors the wealthy.

         – Democrats support a bottom up economy. Under President Biden this has created the fastest expansion in history despite active opposition from the radical right. Democrats continue to support safety net programs that were essential to creating the middle class. They also support unions that are essential for good paying jobs. Taxes should be based on ability to pay, not campaign contributions.

Guns:

       – Trumpublicans favor gun ownership without restrictions that have led to thousands of gun deaths in the US. 

       – Democrats favor gun ownership with responsible restrictions such as age restrictions, restrictions of felons and restrictions on guns with large clops meant to inflict massive casualties.

Health Care:

       – Trumpublicans favor abolishing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare and turning everyone over to privatized insurance.

       – Democrats favor some sort of national health care that would end our current Rube Goldberg model and make health care available to all. This would be better for national health care outcomes and deliver health care at a much lower price.

Education:  

      – Trumpublicans want to privatize education. Governor Reynolds is in the process of destroying public education in Iowa.

      – Democrats support a strong public school system available to all children. Teachers and staff should be well compensated for their critical work.

I think I will stop there for today. The purpose of this exercise os to illustrate that our current parties represent starkly different views on issues that should matter to every American. The radical right favors dismantling infrastructure that has take in some cases a hundred years or more to establish.

We are facing real crises in several areas. If we fail to address these issues, particularly the climate, we are choosing to ignore a problem that will destroy us. If we choose the wrong path on other issues, we will gut what is left of our democracy and turn our government into a permanent oligarchy with a wide wealth gap.

Vote as if your life and that of your family depends on it.