Photo by David | CC BY 2.0
I was home on July 4 when my phone rang. Once again, I was being solicited for money. This time, the voice on the other end was a real person trying to raise funds for a Democratic Party congressional organization. In their lust for money, Democrats were having people work on a “sacred” national holiday.
We started talking about Trump’s policies, his racism, sexism, and other prejudices. I pointed out that I reject what Trump is doing, but that I also felt much the same way about Obama’s policies including his increases in military spending, his efforts towards spending a trillion dollars during the next 30 years to modernize the U.S. nuclear capability, his failures to address poverty and homelessness, his support for fracking and drilling for oil.
The caller responded that despite Obama being prevented from achieving more, we did get the Affordable Care Act. I acknowledged that numerous people have benefitted from it even though many still lack insurance, and said that many of those who have policies do not receive proper medical care because they can’t afford to pay for the high deductibles or co-payments. Furthermore, its implementation has been a huge subsidy for the insurance and drug industries.
Troubled, she asked if I was a Republican. I explained that I live in California and am registered with the Peace and Freedom Party. She suggested I am lucky to live in California, as if it is an ideal place compared to…