My brother said “Progressives have ruined this country, and they will continue to ruin this country” (I paraphrase, don’t really want to drag him into it). This is part of a circle of emails among us, so it’s private mostly about our family, but he and I do debate since he is a Glenn Beck fan. Anyway..
My response, edited to protect the innocent:
Progressivism didn't ruin this country. Progressivism didn't send millions of jobs overseas. I am seeking the End of the Reagan Revolution, where Unions were destroyed, a few unscrupulous got obscenely wealthy, and we entered into an endless war state.
Conservatism. Those bastards have ZERO respect for the Constitution, they won't even do their job. God forbid the Black Man gets to appoint a Supreme Court Justice!We gotta change the status quo, but instead we argue about labels. I know that at least a quarter of the American electorate are fools who like strong, authoritative figures to lead them. I have seen a few strong, authoritative leaders. No thanks!Bernie truly does want to rebuild America into the place it used to be: with opportunity, jobs, no fear of the police if you aren't guilty of something. Simple stuff you would want for everyone.When I graduated college I owed $1500.00, and that I incurred in the last year, soon after Reagan destroyed the Pell Grant in favor of guaranteed student loans. Progressives didn't kill the opportunity for all to go to school, Conservatives did. Progressives didn't ruin the health care system, conservatives did. Progressives didn't ruin the prison system. Conservatives did. All in the name of private profit.These things: free medical and free college. They aren't handouts. They are things we should have earned as Americans. For all of us. The Voter Rights Act. This was necessary to end discrimination by the States at the ballot box. You have no empathy; you're not Black, so why should you care? {my sister}, who has a ton of empathy, seems to think that the role of government is not to help those of us who need it. To me, that is sad. Because that is the role of the Government. To help us all when we need it, not to incarcerate them, not to deny them the dignity of ordinary Health Care. Not to send them and their children off to kill and torture people in endless wars of opportunity. These injustices are happening right now, by our government.I want to change that. Bernie wants to change that.If he loses, we all lose a great opportunity to turn this country into something better. Something I know we can be. But fear kills imagination, so those who are indoctrinated into fearing "losing this country" rush to the strong, authoritative, paternalistic white men. Or in the case of Hillary, a guarantee that the financiers will continue to dictate government policy for years to come, keeping us all on a slippery financial footing, worrying about keeping our jobs, keeping our homes, and worrying about how we are going to retire. I cannot believe that Trump will win the presidency, "Idiocracy" predicted that that is still a few years off. The role of the government is to prevent a few very wealthy people from becoming our Masters; we, the People are our Masters, or we should be. Instead the current status quo is to send jobs overseas until desperate American workers are on a par with 14-year-old Malaysian boys in pay and benefits. Conservatives have depressed the middle class, not Progressives! Conservatives don't think there should be a minimum wage.We once went to the moon. Now we can't even care for our poor or keep our middle class from disappearing.Clinton shares blame for the housing crisis, sure. At some point the distinction between Dems and the GOP became blurred, as politicians awash in donor cash did the bidding of the few rich bastards who couldn't give a shit about America or its people.Getting corruption out of government so we can enlist good people to govern and the bastards leave government. That's step one.I don't care what label you put on me. What's right is right.m