How fucked up is the USA?
Last edited Sat Jun 3, 2023, 12:26 AM - Edit history (1)
In order to make my point, you have to try and set your mind to a more normal time in America. I'm 70 years old and I was involved in national and state (Massachusetts) politics for all of my adult life. For the previous 20 years I was in an influential position as a union political director, and I sat on boards for local and statewide union endorsements and donations. I also lobbied the state legislature for legislation beneficial to unions and workers. I retired last year and moved, with my 67-year-old Filipina wife of 20 years to Iloilo province in the central Philippines. Retiring here was a decision we made 15 years ago, so I don't want to give the impression that anything in America drove me away. However, recent events, as I will list in this post, makes me not miss my homeland.
How fucked up is it that a person who created a fraudulent college and had to settle by paying $25 million dollars to the victims could be considered for President?
How fucked is it that a person who was fined $2 million for a fraudulent charity and was barred, along with his family, from ever participating in a charity again in the state of New York?
How fucked up is it that a man who paid hush money to a porn actress to remain silent about having sex while his 3rd wife was home nursing a newborn son?
How fucked up is it that a person's business is convicted of fraud and his long time CFO is imprisoned?
How fucked up is it that a man, who is credibly accused of sexual assault and found responsible for that act by a unanimous verdict by a jury of his peers and more than 20 other women have made the same, or similar accusation?
How fucked up is it, that even in his early years, he needed to settle a federal government case of discrimination.
How fucked up is it that this same man avoided draft service by fraudulently claiming a deferment for non-existent bone spurs and then criticizing a national hero, POW, for getting "caught"?
How fucked up is it that this same man, as President and since, praises dictators like Putin and Kim Jong Un?
How fucked up is it that this man conspired in an insurrection against our duly elected government?
How fucked up is it that this man tried to bully and threaten state election officials, in his own party, to overturn their state's elections?
How fucked up is it that this man took sensitive documents with him when he left office and refused to return them in direct violation of the espionage act?
How fucked up is it that Donald Trump can receive 44% or 45% of the vote in two national elections and by anyone's best estimate, will receive at least 40% of the national vote if he is the Republican nominee and probably will receive at least 50% of the vote in Republican primaries.
The Philippines has its political problems. Marcos Sr. and Duterte. I get it, it's not a perfect world. But the Philippines doesn't pretend to be the shining beacon on the hill that all democracies should follow. Their new constitution was approved in the late 1980's. But they do have one provision that is better than the US; there is no Electoral College. They have a novel Democratic principal which is different than America. The person with the most votes wins. (Sarcasm intended)
In a mature Democracy (234 years old), to think a piece of shit like Donald Trump, can be the overwhelming favorite to receive the nomination of one of the two major parties and have about 40% of the citizens think it's a good idea for him to run the government is, well, fucked up.
As I said in my intro, my wife and I decided to retire to the Philippines long before Trump emerged as a political figure. So, I didn't leave America because of Trump. But it's because of Trump, and the millions of Americans who support that asshole, that I don't miss my homeland.
And that's fucked up.
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Trump will take a flame thrower to what's left of the United States after that. He will enact his wildest revenge fantasies and there would be no one to stop him. That's when I enact my exit strategy. 
However I don't believe that Chump will win the Repuke Party's nomination next year. I don't know who will win, but I'm quite sure it won't be Chump.
I'm on DU almost every day and I'm really dismayed with how much "ink" we give to Chump on this website. We spend way more time talking about him than about any worthy Democrats, and to me it seems absurd.
He won't be the Repukes' candidate next year, and he has no chance of winning, even if he were. Let's spend more time focusing on things we Democrats can change and improve.
And coming from the majority of Americans, we miss you and your involvement here.
I hope you and the wife are enjoying your retirement, I'm sure you deserve it!
In NJ.
The magadonians - the people who VOTE for Republicans bug the shit out of me. They need to stay off my lawn.
I was the favorite daughter in law - so my MIL gave me residency of the townhouse. Its a 450 year old tradition.
He became a new American in 2020 (dual citizenship) and asks himself "why?" every day.
Italy has its problems- but I'm not likely to get shot at the grocery store when I retire.
Then Northerners whine about migrants- but they are folks who are willing to get their hands dirty working in the South.
Italy has an over education problem. Everyone wants to be an architect, no one wants to fabricate and install kitchen cabinets. And that's the problem with Brothers of Italy . . . they don't want their kids doing skilled labor - but they are blocking the people who can fill the gap.
As long as Fed gov doesn't stick their noses in Calabria - we'll be fine. Calabria survived it the first time - they will survive it another time.
They do whatever the hell they want down South!
that the OP was implying that those events didn't happen or matter. 
It was just about the greatest threat to modern day American Democracy and should he or someone like him be successful, all those evils that you listed are significantly more likely to return or be exacerbated.
From your perch elsewhere.
