Dysfunction Reigns After Decades of Dumbing Down Americans

I was duped in 1980. I believe in Ronald Reagan. He had been a competent governor in my state of California. I hoped he would be the leader we needed over 40 years ago when I was in the prime of my life. Although he did accomplish important agreements with foreign nations, his domestic policy was a disaster and the origin of why the American government is dysfunctional today.

I am sad to say that most American voters are ignorant about what happens in Washington. They are uninformed and all too often vote for a party rather than the most qualified candidate. We only need to look back to 2000 and 2016 and the Electoral College win for the least qualified candidates in history, George W. Bush, and Donald John Trump.

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America’s Founding Fathers created the checks and balances system, consisting of three “separated but equal branches.” In 2021, all three branches are dominated by political bias, and the American people are suffering from the worst government in the free world.

Before I discuss the many failures occurring daily in Washington, look at other Americans whose mental capabilities are questionable.

The Villages is a large retirement center in Southern Florida. In other words, it is a place for old farts like myself to share complaints about everything from the government to the price of Ensure. Three residents, old white men, were charged with attempting to vote multiple times for Trump in the 2020 election. It is hard to believe that these older morons do not understand that there are groups of men and women in each state whose only function is to find attempts to commit voter fraud.

How about one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Like many of the nation’s richest men and women, Elon Musk believes that he accomplished everything in his life by himself. He refuses to reward those who helped him achieve enormous wealth. He is a pure capitalist, and nothing more. Launching expensive spaceships may have become a real possibility for him, but that reality is way out of reach.

For four years the nation was cursed with the least intelligent old man in history. Trump proved over and over again that his degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business College was bought and paid for by his daddy, as were his deferments preventing him from serving in South Vietnam. I doubt that he attended a single class.

What proved to be more harmful is after the death of John McCain, every right-wing politician in Washington abandoned the once Grand Old Party and became a member of the unprincipled and fascist Trump Party. The “party of no” continues to fail 330 million people today with tactics of obstruction and voter suppression.

The Supreme Court has one purpose: to ensure that all laws and rules in the nation comply with the Constitution of the United States of America. They do not create laws and are not supposed to display bias when they make their decisions. It has become politicized to a level never dreamed of in 1789. It is broken and I believe irreparable in its current form.

Courtesy of The West End (Flickr CC0)

I have always questioned the abilities of Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, but the three stooges confirmed by Moscow Mitch McConnell during the Trump administration are an embarrassment to every justice who preceded them. Neil Gorsuch is a regular guy without the credentials to serve on the Court. Brett Kavanaugh is a beer-loving, accused sexual predator, who would be unable to judge a “most beautiful baby” contest. Amy Coney Barrett is a religious extremist who obviously doubts the validity of the first amendment. She may be the worst choice in history.

The United States government is broken, and cannot be repaired. An inability to use common sense, ignoring science, replacing it with ludicrous fantasy, a complete lack of understanding and compassion for non-whites, non-Christians, and individuals from other nations are dominating the 21st century.

Most upsetting is the fact that fascism, which has experienced increased support since 1981 from the right side of the aisle, is replacing democracy in America. And, millions of voters lack the intelligence to recognize this fact.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Daily Kos: Elon Musk dumb statements. Liz Cheney’s patriotism. Chuck Todd lets Senator hang himself & more; by Egberto Willies
WKMG-TV News 6: 3 residents of The Villages arrested for casting multiple votes in 2020 election; by Mike DeForest

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