The Primaries are winding down ...
The primaries are winding down. It looks most likely
that Hilary Clinton will face Donald Trump in November. The summer party
conventions will provide a glorious but fleeting occasion to celebrate the
party platform and entertain the public with an archaic spectacle. In autumn, the fireworks will re-start.
So here we have two old timers, Clinton who will be 69
by November and Trump who will be 70, seasoned but flawed veterans. Some 2/3 of
Americans do not trust Hilary and are weary of her baggage of scandals, and
just about a similar number do not approve of Donald’s bombast, insults, bravado,
and ill-fated deals.
Our choice? The lesser of two evils? I am afraid so.
The fringe on both sides of the spectrum put up a valiant
campaign, but in the end, the majority of Americans have chosen centrists.
Bernie ran a principled campaign and attracted younger and alienated voters.
Cruz fought valiantly on behalf of the conservative cause.
Americans seem to have settled for incremental change
on the democratic side over radical changes advocated by progressives.
Republicans, on the other end, rejected the establishment and its “plumber”
fixing approach to change.
A quick look
at the finalists.
Hilary started her political career as a staunch
Republican campaigning for Goldwater and Lindsey. Then, in 1968 she changed to
the Democrat party as a strong supporter of McGregor. She was against the
Vietnam War.
Donald has been all over the place. At different times
he has been a Democrat, Independent, Undeclared, and Republican. He has admitted
to give money to Democrats and Republicans. I would guess he is an equal
opportunity politician.
They both seem to have a checkered past: one in the
political arena and the other in business and commerce. One is perceived as a
secretive, careful schemer while the other is often portrayed as a talented opportunist
and manipulator.
Some think that Hilary faces her biggest challenge with
the FBI investigation regarding her email debacle and perceived interaction
between her public role and her husband’s private foundation. If she is
indicted, her bid will surely be doomed. Many will see a vast conservative conspiracy behind it, for sure.
Others think that Donald is not the right person to
represent the Republican Party, and attempts are being made to broker the
convention and choose someone else. If this happens, the party will surely be
fractured for decades.
Issues
Bothering Americans
The average American is under a lot of stress. A
recent research study by MarketPlace
classified 61% of adults as being under financial stress. The study goes on to
point out that 59% of Americans cannot come up with a $ 1,000 to cover an
emergency. The gap between the working class wages and the executives’ pay is
seen as the culprit. Income inequality
is real and must be addressed.
Obamacare needs to be fine-tuned. 29 million Americans continue
to be without health insurance, and many have seen their premiums and
deductibles balloon. The notion of
scrapping and starting from scratch is not reasonable. Fixing it and improving it are more reasonable options.
The loss of American jobs still hounds many Americans in the manufacturing industry in
particular. Many blame the so-called free trade agreements that are neither
fair nor smart. We must protect current jobs and bring back some of the manufacturing
jobs we have lost during the past 25 years with dumb policies.
Taxation is another major issue. The country will need to increase taxes on the top 1% in order to fund social programs and balance the
budget. Taxes on corporations need to be lowered to
encourage corporations to bring back the 2 plus trillion dollars they have
parked overseas. Lower taxes will
make our products more competitive in the global market. The whole system
needs review and change. Too many loopholes that benefit the rich and Wall
Street!
Equal pay for equal work is an issue that has been
swept under the rug for generations. Pressure will mount to level the pay
field. Pay equity is an overdue change. The gap is unfair and cannot be justified!
The way we treat our veterans needs
modernization. Too many anecdotes make people shiver at the beaurocratic
malaise that dogs the VA. We need to make radical changes in the way we
administer veteran benefits. Too many layers of management and poor
process
management make a mockery of its mission. Incompetent managers need to
be dismissed as quickly as possible after a lean but fair due process.
Fair trade
agreements must be renegotiated or fine-tuned to make
sure that Americans don’t come out on the short end of the stick. Past
deals have been neither fair nor smart. The ultimate price for the
ineptitude of our negotiators is paid by working class
folk.
Our justice
system needs overhauling. Our prisons are full with people guilty of having
committed victimless crimes. Minorities comprise a large percentage of the prison
population, leading many to suspect an unequal application of our laws.
One Final Note
The plumbing approach to change is not what we need.
Plumbers are best at fixing leaks. The whole building needs upgrade. We need
transformational change that involves both parties. We need politicians to do
what is best for the country, not what is best for their party, their state, their
community or themselves.
Americans on both sides of the aisle need to put
ideologies aside and work for the common good. Ideologies promise utopia, but
we all know that there is no one best way to solve problems. The better way is what works. It is time to
regain the idealism and forward-looking fervor unleashed by President Kennedy.
Tony Tasca
Tony Tasca
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