Change that economically benefits United States citizens can happen, but only if we the people become clear on who the real enemy has become. The enemy is not immigrants or transgender people, as Trump's pre-election ads told us.
In the United States, less than 1% of people 13 years of age and older identify as transgender.
In middle school and high school, one in four experience a physical attack, and more than one in 10 are sexually assaulted.
Being transgender is not a mental health disorder, but mental and other health problems can be caused by hateful attacks. Transgender people (less than 1 % !) are not the problem.
Immigrants commit less crimes per capita than full fledged citizens. Immigrants’ lives are threatened by Trump's lies. Our food supply is threatened as immigrants stay home from work to avoid ICE. Immigrants work, pay taxes and contribute more money to society than they take. Not the problem.
The real enemy is causing the erosion of democracy, civil rights, human rights and human capacity for love not hate; the real enemy is the corrupt billionaires and multi-millionaires who have been, and are now, more ruthlessly than ever taking over our government, erasing years of progress for social and economic justice. They rule by the morbidly wealthy, which is by definition an oligarchy. They buy and control the media. They blatantly lie that the government cannot afford social programs, while they rob us of the money that would easily pay for them.
During Trump's first term in office, the tax breaks he gave to the wealthy increased the deficit by $3 trillion. It has been in recent news that Trump's next tax breaks for billionaires will increase the deficit by $5 trillion. If you are like me, those numbers boggle the mind. I just learned that a thousand billion equals a trillion.
Social Security and Medicare, by law, cannot increase the deficit. Budget “problems” would not exist if the wealthy weren't robbing us. This takeover of government power by the ultra-wealthy equals oligarchy.
The oligarchy in Russia, ruling without constitutional and human rights, is called fascism, or fascist dictatorship, which often occurs hand in hand with oligarchy. Destruction of political opponents is an aspect of authoritarianism and fascism.
This is why many news and podcast commentators have stated that we are moving toward oligarchy and fascism, John Kelly among many others.
So let's demand a democratic government, a society that distributes benefits such as health care and education from our taxes, our money, not one that creates poverty by a thieving oligarchy. Not fascism that falsely designates vulnerable populations as an enemy. A truly stable, democratic society is possible, once we understand who the real enemy is.
Linda Warren
Winlock
