I Plead Guilty For Being A Grump. I Have A Lot Of Good Reasons.

[TheMastersNemesis]

I have been accused of being too negative all the time. I am guilty but that does not mean I like it. I have posted a lot and at time have been way over the top. In actuality I have a lot of faith in the future because of some of the great scientific and medical advances we will see and our offspring will see. We will end up on Mars. I saw the moon landing in 1969 and it was awesome.

Now the reason for my grumpiness goes back to Reagan. I knew immediately that he was an evil bastard. And I have had to watch our slow demise as the southern strategy and racism began to have its poisonous effect. Every election cycle voters made wrong critical choices that lead us to Trump. We have chosen racism and bigotry.

The GOP has destroyed so much in this country in bits and pieces. And they they are fervently committed to kill the country and what it stands for. One example is that this new administration and its cronies will set our scientific community back decades. The rest of the world will leave us behind.

Another example is what they have done to labor. Unless we restore the social contract workers used to have the present generation of workers is doomed in their older age. The Uber economy will be a disaster for long term employment and job security.

We will fail as a country. And we will might not even be a super power in the future.

I still have faith that progressive forces will endure. But that faith is severely challenged right now.

[MADem]

1. If the default is to improve the social contract just for the white males, there's a problem.

A rising tide needs to lift all boats--even the female ones, the gay ones, and the non-white ones. And the immigrant ones, the disabled ones, etc.

The Trumpian attitude that white males should have head of the line privileges (like they haven't had that for centuries past) is what's offensive, and makes us fail as a country.

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. It Should Be For All Workers.

Affirmative Action was a way to correct the flaw of economic security denies to minorities and women. White males have been screwed by business and big business. Minorities have not been the problem.

[eleny]

3. Our belief in the rising tide is the difference

They don't believe in it and their greed is insatiable. Their wealth makes them so powerful. It gives them so much leverage.

This year I turned 70. That was a shocker because I don't feel like the number at all. But it's the factor that has allowed these election results to deflate me. This one is a slow crawl out to the light. Seems like it's harder to find that light at the end of the tunnel. Each bastard they get into office, Nixon, Reagan, Bush and now Trump inches them closer to their goal.

Every day I have to use strategies to get me out of the inevitable funk and moving to help make change and dammit, to never ever give up. There's no other choice.

[malaise]

4. I don't think you're too negative

I've never been more worried for this planet - my fear is the Roman Empire, Part 2

[Sunlei]

5. You're right about Reagan. When he fired the air traffic controllers it started the demise.

bust the Unions, remove the better jobs, go make stuff cheaper elsewhere.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. Our party

has not been much of a friend to labor, either. The ambivalence toward labor has cost them, and they had better start realizing it.

[TheMastersNemesis]

7. The Party Ran The Other Way When Reagan Came Into Power.

A Democratically controlled Congress gave Reagan what he wanted. They ran in panic and let the monster in. They have paid the price along with many of us ever since. You are right even Obama gave up on labor. He betrayed teachers and public employees as well by not defending them. He should have taken up card check even if it would not pass. He only threw token to labor and did put forth pro labor policies but it was also pulling punches as well.

[awoke_in_2003]

8. Yep

both sides have been kicking the working class in the teeth for over 30 years. It really isn't surprising that a lot of them moved to an orange haired carnival barker who promised them the moon. Of course, he won't deliver, but neither has anybody else. They were tired of the establishment, be it GOP or DNC.

[UTUSN]

9. R#9 & K for, you've got nothing to be guilty about. n/t