By Robin Mersh
I’ve read most of the “Rare Old Bird” submissions to the RidgeView News, and I can’t make my mind up about whether they are just ‘cut and paste’ efforts drawn from the Biden White House press office, or DNC headquarters, or has the author drunk so much blue kool aid that she really believes it.
You may wonder why do I care? What do I know? Well, it is true I am not from Calhoun, or West Virginia, or even the USA. Originally from England, I may have grown up in an industrial town of 50,000 people, but my people are little different from Calhoun, they had to work for a living, struggled at times to pay bills and had to focus hard on getting the best for their kids. They want to keep what they earn, don’t like relying on the government, are patriotic and are proud of where they come from.
‘Common’ in English slang terms is a normal regular person, but more than that it is similar to hillbilly or blue collar or redneck, it is used by supposed ‘educated or well off’ people (the elite) to mean the rough, the uneducated and the unsophisticated .
Similarly to the US, England too has two main parties, the left and the right, Labour and Conservative, Democrat and Republican. Both Democrat and Labour are not what they used to be, instead of representing working people they now represent college graduates, government employees, the grievance industry and those reliant on government handouts (whether the poor or big business). Also, the Republicans and Conservative parties are not what they used to be, I think they are honestly confused about what they should be, parties of big business (as they used to be) or populists.
Personally, I used to be with Labour / the Democrats, my family were working people and socially I am more liberal. Now I am not with them, they don’t represent me. I’m also not a Republican, but I can sympathize with them if they do what working people need and support the freedoms which are due all of us.
Trump Derangement Syndrome is very strong in both the Democrats and much of the GOP, and for good reason, love or hate him he has shaken up both of them. He appeals to people who want lower taxes, enforce borders, support for constitutional rights, no unnecessary wars and putting Americans first. The two establishment parties have lacked any principles and way too many of them have only been interested in being reelected. Being an elected politician should not be a job for life.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always get more angrywith the Democrats. That party used to be for the little man, since standing up for those crushed by the depression in the 1930’s. Instead of standing up for fed up working people in 2024, they accuse them of being low information voters, prejudiced, deplorable, despicable and racist. How else can they explain that people want to vote for Donald Trump.
Rare Old Bird is lost for words. She thinks the people must be stupid if they can’t agree that the economy is doing great, immigration is positive for everyone, climate change demands immediate action and men can become women. If the people don’t agree then the next argument is the most desperate, but also totally anti-democratic, the stupid people can’t elect someone who is going to be a ‘dictator’ and then do the things that he promises to do. This would be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it is so dangerous. She accuses Trump (though this may just be a ‘cut and paste’ of a DNC document) of what both parties have done for years, expanded executive authority and tried to do whatever they wanted. This has included Biden – what was one of his first acts? The Keystone pipeline project was shut down by executive order.
Trust the people – and what we vote for. Populism is simply the idea that politicians should do what the people want. Seems pretty democratic to me.
We’re just tired of political lawfare motivated by hate that keeps our elected officials from handling the business of the country.