Let’s hear it for the Big Apple and Virginia and New Jersey! And California! Too early to breathe a sigh of relief, but, hey, cherish the small election victories when you get them. With good candidates who focus on the economy and the cost of living and point out the cruel failures of Bait ‘n Switch Trump, we Dems can win in purple states and maybe even make some inroads in red ones when the pain that Trump is inflicting on middle and low income people becomes painfully obvious.
The Washington Post carried a front page article today (Nov 5) saying that Trump is planning to stiff all federal employees who were furloughed during the shutdown. Well, that should not go over too well with the more than 100,000 public servants who have been locked out for over a month. While SNAP funds may be released due to a court order, at best they will only be half of what people previously had, and there is no certainty when people will actually receive them. There are over 42 million Americans who depend on food stamps to keep from starving, mostly children, the disabled and old folks. Premiums for those using the ACA are doubling. That amounts to another 45 million people. And the brunt of the tariffs will continue to push prices up for everyone. And then there are the brutal ICE arrests and the lavish over-the-top parties at Mar a Lago and the demolition of the East Wing to make way for a $300 million ballroom funded by his billionaire buddies looking for favors. Do Trump and his sycophant minions really think no one will notice? And how are Republicans in the Senate and the House going to explain all this to their voters? Do they really think that that is what people voted for? That no one is paying attention?
Yes, friends. There is a glimmer of hope.
Now regarding the blog. First, thank you, thank you for following me. I am not sure how many of you are out there, but on a typical post I will get around 200 hits over a two to three-day period. Compared to many bloggers, I know that does not sound like a lot, but it sure means a lot to me. I am truly grateful!
And also thanks to those of you who have also started following my stories on Substack. I have enjoyed telling stories all my life and began writing them down in 2012 when Authorhouse set up a website to promote my book, Civil Rights Journey. When the website folded a few years later, all those stories were lost on the web. But I recently discovered that I had draft copies on my computer of some of them and those are what are now appearing on Substack. They are all true though some who know me would add “somewhat embellished.” Most are funny and most have a point, admittedly subtle at times. I have enough of these to last for a while and plan to continue adding new ones. For some reason, at my ripe old age of 83 I find writing to be therapy. I am posting these stories under various categories, the first being “Gullible’s Travels.” Several “New York Stories” will follow. I will have some which I will call “Early Education,” some about my polio experience, civil rights involvement, work stories and lots about sailing. If you haven’t given them a look, I hope that you will.
And thanks again!