Paul's Passing Thoughts

I grew up between two political parties, that is, Democrat and Republican. My parents were Republicans residing in a Dayton, Ohio suburb, and my grandparents, who I was very close to, were staunch Democrats living in the Shawnee Forest region of Southern Ohio. My grandfather was president for the boat doc operating engineers union. They were the guys who unloaded barges going up and down the Ohio river and delivered the contents to factories and steel mills. As a young boy, I spent a lot of time during the summer going to work with my grandfather and was dubbed, “the grandchild.” Later in life, right after graduating from high school, I went to work for my grandfather and was still referred to as “grandchild,” which was my official nickname.  I literally grew up with the men that worked there. Whenever I went to work with my grandfather during my childhood, I would ride with the cement truck drivers for awhile, then the tug boat guys, and sit with the heavy equipment operators in their cabs as they unloaded the barges. Near lunchtime, I stood on top of the levy waiting for the first dump truck driver to appear at the top of the hill. The first one would stop and open the passenger door and I would make the long climb up the cab ladder to enter. This always meant a free lunch at McDonalds or Burger King, food my grandmother considered to be a vice like smoking and drinking. The lunch she packed for me would end up being fish food in the Ohio River. All the workers who adopted me for the day took opportunity to proclaim their opinions about life, women, and politics. And so my summers were.

Meanwhile, my winters were spent in the upscale suburbs of Dayton, Ohio with my elitist Republican parents. I was 9 years old when they had a Barry Goldwater party and my older brother’s band played “Louie, Louie” and other 60s hits. I remember those attending complained about the drummer being too loud. I remember Goldwater lost because he ran on a war plan that would destroy North Vietnam inside of a week and put an end to its aggression towards South Vietnam. Goldwater didn’t like Communists, and promised to make North Vietnam a “mudpuddle.”

This made Americans afraid of a nuclear war with Russia who was backing North Vietnam. Nevertheless, carpet bombing with B52s brought North Vietnam to its knees, but incredibly, instead of using that as a means to end the war, North Vietnam was allowed to use it as a bargaining chip for “peace negotiations.” Thus began the politically correct idea that winning a war is immoral. Lyndon B. Johnson won, and Goldwater lost because the fear card was played. Johnson did not run for a second term because he had no chance of winning due to his abysmal job as president. During his administration, the Democrats passed a law that allowed the government to borrow money from the Social Security trust fund and use it for social programs to buy votes, an overt criminal act. Thus began the two-tier legal system in the USA. In contrast, if you are a CEO that borrows from a company pension fund, there is no faster track to being locked up in prison.

Whenever my parents would drop my little brother and me off for the summer, there would be a political argument in the living room. I remember one night very well; it was pretty ugly. So, my grandfather retreated to the basement to add more coal to the furnace. Per the usual, I went with him. I remember that basement well; it was where my brothers and I watched grandpa and his friends “clean” (butcher) the spoils of their hunting trips. I see that night so clearly; as my grandfather shoveled coal into the furnace, I asked what all the fuss was about. He said, “Democrats are for the working man.” My age was a single digit, but regardless of how much I adored my grandparents, I knew better, and you should to.

My logic as a child was peculiar; I totally related school yard bullies to Communists, and figured if Democrats didn’t even know that, neither did they know anything about money. When I went to Shoup Mill elementary school in Dayton, the Democrats legislated forced integration through busing from inner-city schools to suburban schools. Except, during that time in Dayton, the only “inner-city” was the West side of Dayton, now all of Dayton is considered inner-city. This has been the result of Democrat leadership of Dayton throughout the years. I have a property in Dayton once appraised at 76,000 dollars; I would be lucky to get 40 for it presently despite the fact that it was built in 1993, the same year that conservative Mayor Mike Turner was elected mayor of Dayton.

Montgomery county liberals made his life absolutely miserable regardless of the fact that he returned Dayton to its former glory of the 40s, 50s, and 60s when it was known as the “Gem City.” Turner eventually lost to Democrat Rhine McLin in 2001. McLin was known to be a drug addict and utterly corrupt. During city council meetings aired on cable TV, she was overtly inebriated. She narrowly defeated Turner with the usual weapon of identity politics. Yes, Dayton was returned to its former glory by Turner, but guess what? Right, the less fortunate “working class” had been left out. Sound familiar? Well, since making sure the less fortunate have received their fair share since 2001, what is the state of Dayton today? The whole city is a ghetto with boarded up residential properties and businesses on every side of the city.

But, back to busing. It’s hard to believe today, but the North side of Dayton where Shoup Mill elementary was located, was once considered affluent. Several children arrived to attend school with us from the West side to partake in our white privilege. Actually, the school became a hotbed of racism with both sides being equally guilty. Yes indeed, elementary children were burdened with the politcal conflicts of their parents. I had a freind who was a mild mannered child, and also huge for his age. We stuck together and avoided the mainstream fray of things, until tyranny came looking for us because I guess silence is taking sides. I was shocked at the violence my freind delivered on those who misinterpeted his kindness as weakness. Regardless, I made the equation in my mind: my freind was a Republican and the rest were Democrats.

And here we are today. How can it be? Almost 60 years later, Democrats are using the same exact pair of tactics: fear and identity politics. Let me tell you a fact: racism was not on the cultural radar screen in the 80s and 90s. I was in my twenties during the 80s, and interracial dating was commonplace and nobody thought a thing of it. Also during the 80s, at one point of time when my brother and I owned a business together, everyone of our technicians were black and no one thought a thing about it. Everyone was enjoying the prosperity of the Ronald Reagon years and didn’t have time for drama. Certainly, race issues were not trending. When Barak Obama was elected, racism began to dominate our culture once again. In the 80s and at least part of the 90s, the prevailing thought was that America had grown out of the issue. Think about this: in the very year that America elected its first black president, racism made a comeback.

Enter the Coronavirus pandemic. Once again, Democrates have made everything about fear and identity politics. The virus stimulous package, as any child can see, should be focused on what it is intended for: to give financial relief to Americans who are suffering just because Asians like to eat everything they can find crawling and walking while alive. For some reason, the bill won’t pass. Why? Here we go again, “The Republican bill only benefits corporate America and not…’the working man (or woman).'” I have had to suffer this mantra from the time my grandfather said it to me in that basement until now. When will this mindless charade end?

There are three things that are different. Conservative news reporting, real hate, and Donald Trump. Because of conservative news reporting, last night, what is really going on with the Democrats was revealed. Their version of the bill included funding for many, many, many other things than financial relief for those effected by the Coronavirus. In fact, EVERY pet project they have tried to pass unsuccessfully in the past two years was included in their bill. Yet, they are stating that the working people of America are left out of the Republican bill and accuse the Republican version of being a corporate slush fund.

No, that’s not true, the issue is the carte blanche passing of several other bills without due process. The issue involves another Democrat mainstay: making use of every tragedy to forward an agenda. Before the advent of conservative news outlets in the 90s the Democrats could get away with it. Even a child can see this, and the continuing use of the same old 60 year old mantra by the Democrats does not speak well to the average Democrat’s ability to think.

The second thing is real hate. I remember, like yesterday, sitting in my second grade classroom when the announcement came over the intercom that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Be sure of this: Democrats and Republicans alike were in mourning. Everybody was an American first and a Republican or Democrat second for a long time after that. Not so today. Be equally sure of this: if President Trump were assassinated, the Democrats would be celebrating in the streets.

Thirdly, about Trump. Since that evening in my grandfather’s basement, I have waited for a Republican like Trump. I knew America needed a Republican like my elementary school friend. My friend was kind, fair, and a likable person to be around, until a bully showed up. Yes, I was shocked at how much my friend hated bullies, but I came to understand that love for freedom and fairness can be exhibited in an equally emotional defense for it.

When I was a child and young adult, I loved my Democrats in Southern Ohio as much as my Republicans in Dayton, Ohio.  Democrats were once well-meaning liberals; but they have become freedom hating tyrants who cannot be reasoned with.

Even a child can see it.

paul