Political Rants Should Focus on Issues, not celebrities

Oh oh, here I go again sharing my thoughts and opinions about American culture and politics based on the buzz I'm reading or watching from various media sources. If you haven't read any of my rants before this one, be prepared for some "radical" opinions. Also, for those who don't know me yet, I preface my editorial with the fact that I'm almost 54 years old, born in the USA, and living on Social Security. Long story how all that happened, but those three basic facts about me do influence my opinions.

A lot of people who spoke badly about Trump or the Republicans are having to calm down and deal with the administration changes. This should be par for the course for seasoned politicos, but for some celebrity types who passionately displayed their one-sidedness, they may not be enjoying the smell or taste of their feet.

I mostly discuss issues, not people, that's how I'm able to come back to these conversations without feeling like a total idiot. Today I'm thinking about two articles I read: One was about the Ukraine and the other one was about the U.S. National Deficit. Big sigh. How contradicting is that?

I found the article regarding making the American budget a priority very informative and intelligent. I thought about the past three to five years, my own mistakes in my personal finances, and also the various tragedies that the USA has had to endure. Specifically, "Acts of God" (such as hurricanes, wildfires, tornados, volcano eruptions, and mudslides) which are not typically covered under House or Life Insurance policies and left many states in chaos and despair. I didn't forget Hawaii's volcano eruption or the people in the ocean trying to avoid burning to death. I didn't forget the way Puerto Rico and Florida looked after hurricanes trampled homes like a bulldozer. I didn't forget the people crying in Georgia or Tennessee after Helene and Milton came around. I didn't forget the images of the fires on the news in California and North Carolina. Does everyone else have brain damage or Alzheimer's disease? How the heck can these journalists write about what WE (US citizens or our government) should do for the Ukraine, when we've got over 8 states obliterated by "Acts of God" and more than 10 states with violent, poverty stricken ghetto cities. Hello? Did you graduate from high school? This isn't about basic math like 2 billion plus 2 billion equals 4 billion dollars in stupid spending. This is more like a logic test: If half of the United States is suffering and we are still addressing American citizens homeless and jobless issues, we shouldn't even have to think about, let alone read or listen to any more bunk about the Ukraine. Russia is the go-to about that subject. Not US! If they don't like what Russia did, maybe they shouldn't have pissed Russia off. We've got our own problems, and it's time to take care of ourselves!

Do these politicos or journalists know how difficult it is for a person over 50 to get a job? It doesn't matter if you're black or white, or male or female. The new discrimination is all about age factors. You go to a place with a "Now Hiring" sign (Taco Bell, McDonalds, or even some Hotel) and you fill out the application and you follow up. Nobody knows anything. What "Now Hiring" sign? You're over 50 and you don't matter. You had your chance. We only want the 20-40 year olds who can stand without a bathroom break for 8 hours at the drive-thru window. Ouch. Factories are gone. Fast food restaurants are the new factories, but people over 50 can't keep up in that pace with those strict requirements. There is no leeway. Even if you are considered "disabled" and Social Security gives you the "Ticket to Work" okay, nobody wants you. They don't want to make exceptions. They don't want to take down the "Now Hiring" sign. They don't want to pay us the new and improved minimum wage. I filled out at least 100 applications in the past four years and I know what I'm talking about.

While the budget discussions continue to put Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid on the chopping block, they still refuse to address the more important issues such as equal opportunity employment and affordable housing. Some programs have been put in place to make positive changes for those displaced or homeless citizens, and I applaud those efforts. Those new programs designed to stop the insanity of homelessness and decrease crime rates are good for our cities and the country overall. The chopping block should focus on programs that spend money on foreign aid (Not Our Problem), Space Travel (Not Necessary), College Grants, (Not Promised by our Constitution), and Transportation systems that were also not promised such as the Yellow School Bus or Transporting Criminals from state to state. Expenses that many taxpayers never stop to think about, but if they saw how much of the pie was going to those expenses, they might reconsider their opinions on that matter. If you don't have children in public school, how would you feel if I told you that every yellow school bus adds another dollar to your property tax each year? Would you still think they are a good idea?