ClydeStyle

Tag: American Dream

  • Could you be president of the US?

    America has made a lot of major mistakes in government, and one of the greatest travesty has been the qualifications of the president.

    We have made 27 amendments to the constitution, and none of them had to do with the qualifications of the president.

    Right now, there are approximately 60,000 people who meet the qualifications for president – I am one of them. Now, I have a doctorate degree in family therapy and 20 years of leadership experience at the executive level. Although I know I could make some powerful contributions to the well-being of many, I would never run, and I don’t believe I am qualified. I know part of the job is the team you pick, but I know there are definitely smarter leaders who should have it before me.

    It is crazy to think that we have not applied what we have learned from the past regarding the presidency.

    There should be several tests for aptitude, intelligent, mental health, and a physical. There should be morality, spirituality, and personality tests as well as a background test. I believe a president should have an education that exceeds a master’s degree. We want a gentleman and a scholar in this position, and he or she should be someone that the world would admire.

    Elections should have nothing to do with money. No TV ads, only internet and radio ads. The president can not spend more than $250,000 on his campaign, and he should utilize his potential cabinet selects to help him win. We should see your who team because they will travel around and do televised town hall meetings in all the states.

    I also believe that the state that the candidate lives in must support him with 2/3 vote of the population. That means a candidate would have to prove their loyalty and leadership at the state level before running nationally.

    I’m not sure California would have co-signed Ronald Reagan in the 80s, but maybe Texas would have supported the Bush family twice. Arkansas loved Bill Clinton, and Illinois loved Barack Obama. Delaware would have definitely sent Joe Biden, but I highly doubt that New York would have approved Trump. He would have had a better chance in Florida.

    Nevertheless, in all these years, we should have learned from the past and required much more for the position of president.

  • Attacks on freedom for all people sour July 4th celebrations

    America has made great strides in its  history in an attempt to live up to its constitution. No one can argue that things are better than they were 100 years ago.

    But did this change come from a new revelation that the only God who created the universe made all men equal and that the past treatment of minorities was sinful and would greatly hinder eternal life in heaven? Nope. It doesn’t seem like God has ever stopped the sinful flesh at anything it decides to do.

    So then, white people were free from immediate eternal punishment and could still rob, cheat, and steal from minorities. They could still allow racist systems that would impede the process of minorities moving forward, and they could continue to allow police and other forces to discriminate and incarcerate minorities without real due process.

    And they have.

    What has been a constant with white people is that when you lay their actions before (a tactic mastered by the civil rights movement), then it would guilt enough of them to do the right thing.

    The problem with this is that they do the right thing for the wrong reason. And that leads to resentment.

    Then comes Donald Trump. In his first term in office, he attempted to resend as much civil and human rights as whites would allow. Now, of course, you’re thinking white people wouldn’t allow America to go backward, would it?

    There are too many non-racist folks in Congress to let that happen, right? Well, I looked up exactly how many things he did to destroy civil and human rights, and I wanted to list them all here. I didn’t because there were too many. On average, it looked like at least 70 things each year he was in office.

    I couldn’t believe it myself because you would think that if the democrats knew this, they would have run on a platform that shared it with the rest of us. Could it be that they were resentful, too?

    This link will take you to the list of things he tried https://civilrights.org/trump-rollbacks/

    All of them didn’t succeed, but with this gigantic list, you can really tell that the powers that be are not for minorities. He is already on pace to surpass this list in his second term.

    And now, with Independence Day fast approaching, who really wants to celebrate it?

  • Immigration isn’t everybody’s issue

    If you looked up, fear mongering in the dictionary, you would see a picture of old Uncle Sam because America’s preferred use of getting a reaction from its citizens is always fear. Politicians and talking heads often want to inform the general public what they are afraid of, and lately immigration is high on the list.

    It seems that the “powers that be” like to use the “magic” approach to politics. They like to distract you with the right hand while stealing from you with the left. Today, that right hand wants us to be concerned about border security. Why?

    We are told that migrant crime is high. It is not. We are told that they will take all of the good jobs. False. Mexico is dumping its prisoners on us. There are far more women and children coming over.

    There are always going to be poverty crimes because you have poor people. So, it makes sense that poor migrants will commit petty crimes at times. The jobs that they work are definitely jobs that Americans would not take. You can tell that our government doesn’t really want to fix this problem based on the amount of help wanted signs at the border. You could leave Mexico on the right day at the right time and have a job in the US within 48 hours.

    But why is this such a big issue or better, what are we avoiding by spending the time talking about this? Well, nothing has been done about the criminal justice system. We still have people in prison for cannabis in places where it is now legal. Nothing has been done about voter suppression. There have been attempts to dump student loan debt, but nothing concrete. And let’s not even begin the conversation on reparations.

    The more we talk about immigration, the less we spend on issues that really matter. If Congress was paid based on the work they completed, our Congress would go broke.

    We must not let what matters to us die on someone’s desk in Washington. We need to make a statement with our voting and even seek even greater ways to get our positions heard.

  • King’s dream would be different today

    In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did his famous “I have a dream” speech, and it had everything g to do with equality, diversity, and inclusion.

    He dreamed of an America that would serve everyone and allow for freedom for everyone. His speech pointed out our areas that needed work and delivered a hope that things would change.

    Now, more than 60 years later, that dream never came close to happening, but what’s worse is that the country is on the brink of anarchy.

    Politicians are complete sellouts, and the greedy has completely taken over. We live in a time where something caught on camera can’t be trusted. We live in a time of alternative facts and fake news. The Republicans could care less about anyone in America, but themselves and the Democrats are rationing our resources to foreign lands despite all the things we need here.

    King’s speech was about taking care of the republic and making sure that the least of us could make it. Our government has lost sight of that dream.

    At the time of King’s speech, neither candidate for president would be considered a good choice. Joe Biden tried to run for president in 1988 and 2008 before winning in 2020. He copied a British politicians speech and tried to make it his own in 1988, and when he was found out, he dropped out of the race. His work on the 1994 crimes bill and what has happened to more than a million African American men as a result should have kept him out of the oval office forever.

    There is no other era in history where Donald J. Trump would be considered a serious candidate for president. On the issue of integrity alone, he would not pass. This is how far we have fallen.

    King’s speech today would emphasize taking care of America first on every level; canceling student loans; no more wars; universal healthcare; and reforming criminal justice system, prisons, police force, corporate greed and increasing social security benefits.

    If we don’t start taking care of America, there soon won’t be an America!

  • We need to stop the hand out, for a hand up

    Tis the season to be jolly! And in our jolliness we have been know during this time of the year to give hand outs.

    This does happen throughout the year, but definitely, during this time, there are hands out for whatever you can give. There is a segment of our population that really needs the handout. There are some in that population that expect a handout. Some are even living for the handout!

    This needs to change. We do so much during g this time of the year because somewhere, someone came up with the idea that in America, everyone should have Thanksgiving dinner. You need a good meal on that day – never mind the rest of the year – that day is special and it would be a shame for anyone who doesn’t sit down with a formidable feast on that day.

    Well, I believe no one should starve at any time in America. We have too much, we give too much, we help too much, and we have an unemployment rate under 4 percent.

    I guess even if you offered opportunity instead of a handout, there would be some who would not take advantage. The truth is that we have created a culture of people who are lazy, depressed, hurting, grieving, and full of expectations.

    Whether folks realize it or not, opportunity is what they need. The true ability to pull yourself out of a whole is always better than waiting on someone to build you an elevator.

    This country should be the land of opportunity. The American Dream should be for everyone. And it should be known and available to everyone. That is how to make this country great and how we put real “thanks” into Thanksgiving!

  • The sadness of Veterans Day still looms

    Every year at this time, I get sad. I’m sad because I know that there are millions of veterans without benefits. We spend so much of our national budget on weapons of mass destruction and maintaining a strong military, but we’re not making good on our promises to the men and women who risked their lives.

    Neither political party has addressed this. You can see homeless vets, vets on drugs, and more struggling with debt from medical complications.

    Meanwhile, our government, still trying to fight the good fight, is helping other countries  like Isreal and Ukraine while our folks struggle.

    It seems that in the 21 century, we would err on the side of people and rather have a scenario where our veterans are overpaid than under.

    This problem seems so easy to handle, but because our veterans are not useful to our cause anymore, we have thrown them away.

    What’s worse is that there is a divide among the veterans between the ones receiving benefits and the ones who don’t. How can they be a band of brothers on the battlefield, but once we get back home, it’s every man for himself?

    I don’t celebrate Veterans Day because of this. I wish the nation wouldn’t be celebrated either until we have corrected this atrocity!

  • It’s all about trust — we don’t have anymore

    America lacks trust.

    We don’t trust our government, strangers, our neighbors, some of our friends, and definitely a few family members that don’t make the trust cut! We are skeptical of everything. We have been betrayed by the media, our jobs, our healthcare system, and some of our loved ones.

    As a result, we question everything. True and false ride together now, and we can’t tell them apart. There used to be a thing called “benefit of doubt,” which has become obsolete.

    Politicians, preachers, police officers, and partners can not be trusted. So where do we go from here? The enemy of my enemy is not even my friend anymore.

    When a system gets violated, like in this case where we have been bombarded with constant lying, we can’t act like it didn’t happen. We can’t just get over it. Someone or something has to be held accountable.

    If we started to hold each other accountable then we would have to overhaul the government, the Healthcare system, the FDA, the military, criminal justice system, food manufacturers, automakers, churches, all charities, big pharma, all chain restaurants, the stock market, universities and schools (public and private), Entertainment and sports, and the media to start.

    Imagine living in a place that was set up for you to succeed. The baseline lifestyle for everyone was attainable with a little hard work. We eliminated the need for prisons, crime, and killing with education, support, and advancement. Could there really be a place where everyone wins? Is it only in my dreams?

  • Election season is one big storm for both parties

    The Republican party sees themselves as this big.

    It is sad that we can not put our trust in either political party. I can’t remember things being this bad, and I’ve been paying attention for nearly 50 years.

    Our criteria need to change. We desperately need an age limit, and I would add a financial limit. Imagine if Congress could only be between the ages of 35 to 65 and could not reside in a household that makes more than 400k? The smartest people in our society are definitely not the richest. The level of greed in our government is killing us and not a benefit to the middle class and poor.

    In addition, we need to give up the party system. We already know that there are conservatives and liberals in both parties already. Neither party has been a benefit to the average American. Further, the rich in Congress is out of touch with what the middle class and poor need.

    This is a perfect symbol of the Democrat party.

    We need good wages and a better credit system that works for us and not against us. We need universal healthcare, and everyone should be able to afford to by a house. For example, instead of loans being based on income, the majority should be based on work consistency. A two parent family should be able to live comfortably in America.

    We spend way too much on the military, and as a country, we don’t need to be involved in everything. We have spent more money on Ukraine than we have provided for our poor in this country.

    Every politician has this Pinocchio effect.

    Corruption is at an all-time high. Promises are made and not honored; a “tit for tat” mentality runs rampant with our government; and far too many people are struggling.

    What was once progression has turned into our demise. We need to take serious notice of the America we think we are. Change is need immediately!

  • Knowledge really is power

    The older I get, the more I learn what I didn’t know. So much information that was originally given to me is turning out to be false.

    The level of trust we give our original source is huge when they have not been vetted. Why would we trust like that? We trust as if no one has a reason to lead us astray.

    It seems that in America, our original history is so bad that we would be appalled if we knew the truth. That beautiful story about how the early settlers came over here seeking a better way of life, wrote the constitution, and started America didn’t quite happen like that. In fact, it was nothing like that. I won’t spoil the research for you, but you need to challenge everything.

    The most interesting part of all of this is that the truth is out there. It’s contained in resource books and professional journals. I read a professional journal that had an interview with Fredrick Douglas, and he was discussing the character of the man we know as Abe Lincoln. The title of the article says of Lincoln that he is a man, but not a brother.

    We were told he was this great emancipator who freed the slaves and strived to create an America where everyone was free. False! Not even close!

    Lincoln freed the slaves to win the Civil War and wanted to deport the slaves back to their homeland, knowing that they would never truly be free. He was always for the advancement of his race. He believed in reparations, and he made sure that every slave owner received $300 per slave for their troubles. That $300 in 1865 is the equivalent of $5626.21 today. Image how much that is if you had 50 slaves. Then, instead of taking your reparations and purchasing more land, these slaveowners kept the money and took the land the slaves had, and of course, the slaves couldn’t report this to authorities.

    Surely you have heard about the 40 acres and a mule phrase? Well, that was a reality for a few slaves until the white man showed up, seized the land and shot the mule, and burned your house down. No government intervention at all – thanks, Abe!

    So if knowledge is power, it is up to us to pick up a book, learn the truth, and act accordingly.

  • What’s up with the fresh fruit in the US?

    We are being grossly short-changed in our fruit consumption. We pay more for produce than any other nation in the world. Much like healthcare, we are charged the highest price possible, and the purchase is nowhere near the quality.

    We are told that fresh produce costs more to farm than processed foods. So for that reason we are paying a little more for our fresh produce. The problem with this is that 70 percent of our produce comes from California. Arizona and Washington are second and third, respectively, but why? There is a huge difference in living in the South than the North when it comes to produce.

    Although some produce is imported, most of the in-season fruit is grown in the South but not shared across the country. South Carolina and Florida grow very nice watermelon, but if you live in Michigan, you can only get what is shipped from Mexico. You have to really search the farmer’s markets to get something more fresh, but all the commercial grocers have horrible fruit.

    When fruit ripens, the sugar to liquid ratio increases, which is what makes it sweet. Because our government has chosen to ship our fruit from overseas, our fruit has to be picked well before it ripens so that it is more solid and hard so it can make the trip over here. By the time you are washing it off at home, all you have is some strawberry imposter that can’t get any sweeter.

    This placebo effect for produce does not have the nutrients, taste, smell, or vibrance that it had in the 70s.

    You really don’t know how bad this is until you travel outside of the country. Jamaica has more than 30 fruits grown there. Some I had never heard of, but all were absolutely delicious! Not only was the taste amazing but the cost was ridiculous! On welfare, I would be able to afford a bounty of it all.

    In totalitarian regimes, people eat what they are told they can eat. In a democracy, “we the people” are supposed to decide what they consume. I don’t know what to call what we have in America – I just not that it is worse than the other two.