Where We Stand.

The Republicans in Congress have joined in Trump's cry against democracy itself. We don't need the press - we've got Fox to tell us what to believe. We don't need equality under the law -- what the point of being rich if you can't bully your way around? You don't need to vote --we'll make you spend hours in line, challenge your vote and call you a fraud. The one thing the Republican Party and their lap-dogs fears above all is working people finally seeing past the lies, the spin, the outright propaganda they twist in place of honest facts.  The second thing they fear is that we will remember -remember that ways in which they've stolen our wealth, our hope, and our children's future. 

Democracy depends on building trust and honest, open communication for it's very survival. Democracy needs informed voters to make real choices, not Fox spin doctors telling us what to believe, who to trust,who to vote in, or out of office. A free press is the best friend the working people of this nation have ever had, and both Pennacchio and Trump seem to be doing their best two-step, hand in hand, dancing dancing, dancing around everything but the truth

The facts are in: Republican's retained seats in many states through restricting honest citizens access to the polls -- passing local legislation everywhere they had statehouse power to discourage real working people from voting. Why was it that working class neighborhoods throughout Republican controlled states had endless lines, absurd challenges and discriminatory voter verification at the polls?  The answer is simple: they don't believe in democracy, and they'll steal power in any way they can.

The latest scree is to suggest traditional Americans, Catholic," and "unionist"s are words synonymous with Trump's kind of bigotry.  Do they think trade unionist have no memory? That we will not remember repeated Republican efforts to gut unionism, their efforts to prevent union shops, their attempt to freeze or even eliminate minimum wage? 

The reality is Americans are among the most productive workers in the world, yet because of Republican opposition and takes-backs we endure a second rate health system whose entire cost is being dumped on the workers, we have the poorest vacation and leave compensation among the industrialised democracies,  and our pension and retirement system has been trashed - handed over lock, stock and barrel to the same "financial wizards of Wall Street who scream for deregulation, unembarrassed by recession after recession where our "great individually managed" 401K's (if we get one) earn money for the brokers and hucksters even as we lose 20% to 30% of the principal every few years as another seductive market "bubble" bursts.  

The only real bubbles in this mismanaged economy is in the champagne the brokers and bankers drink as they laugh at the working people of this country, laugh all the way to absurd salaries, bonus plans and stocks deals with our money. 

Of course they don't want us to remember that Republican courts and Republican legislation let the corporate raiders steal the real pensions workers used to have. They want us to forget that they're out to destroy Social Security, the last safety net for the elderly working man and woman - a net so thin that we see our elders standing at the doors of Walmarts trying to smile on the bosses command. Why do they do this? Because their pensions have been stolen by Wall Street and because Social Security increases are routinely block by Republicans. All this while the Republicans raise our taxes and lower the taxes on thee rich.

The more Republicans froth at the mouth - spouting off about unionism, Catholics and "traditional values" - the more clear it becomes that they simply can't abide the fact the people of this state, by clear majorities,  disagree  with them on almost every issue from healthcare to gun safety. In their version of "traditional values" the poor get poorer, workers get shafted and the 1% drinks champagne and laughs all the way to the bank. Those aren't Åmerican traditional values -- it just plain greed.