The Price Of A Democratic Vote

Voters are going to have to hold their noses as they choose between the lesser of two evils in the 2020 presidential election. How did America get into such a terrible predicament? Why aren’t there scores of qualified individuals who would love to be president of our country?

This essay will focus on liberals and provide reasons why voting for the Democrats is a bad idea. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I am supportive of the alternative candidate.

One of the worst aspects of the Democrats’ campaign strategy is portraying America as a despicable world power and blaming all the evils around the globe on US and its current leader, Donald Trump.

Personalities aside, Trump is not responsible for the pandemic, the plight of Blacks in this country, huge deficits, terrorism or any of the other major issues that bedevil our nation.

Trump is not a nice fellow. He is results oriented, and without conscience. He is his own most enthusiastic supporter and cheerleader. He is not someone you would want to go out and have a beer with. He is also a liar and exaggerates his own accomplishments. Fact checkers are having a field day with every word he speaks and every tweet he posts on Twitter. But Trump has kept many promises, has propped up the economy and has put the fear of God into our enemies.

The next broad criticism of Democrats is that they will not win by proclaiming one after another that Donald Trump is a bad guy. Practically no one denies this including his most ardent supporters.

Related to this is the aforementioned denigration of our country by liberals. We are free. We can say whatever we choose to say. We can practice any religion. We can marry who we want. We can become whoever we want, if we study hard and work hard. We live in the safest place in the world. Our country has the strongest military on Earth.

Based upon all the protests and affiliated violence, you would not think the US is anything but a panacea. If you are jealous of those who work hard and have a better lifestyle than yours, you probably hate the country. We can all make up plenty of reasons to despise others. This is not a winning strategy.

I’ve tried to make a relatively complete list of controversial things that liberals are demanding and items in their party platform. They should drive voters to cast their ballots for the opposition. Here they are:

Liberals are anti-guns. Gun control has been a huge controversy for many years. Very little progress has been made on the issue. Most important is that a huge number of Americans hold the right to bear arms as sacrosanct. It is their #1 issue when they consider who they will vote for. Anti-gun sentiment lights up this voting block.

Liberals want open borders. This is problematic because illegal immigration hurts federal, state and local governments financially, takes jobs from American citizens and fosters illegal activities such as drug running and other crimes. The sentiment against open borders is huge.

Liberals are waging a war against the police. For sure, there has been too many unlawful actions by rogue police against the Black community. The solution is training police to be more diligent and to avoid deadly force, not rioting, looting, mass confrontation with police and defunding of the police departments.

On college campuses, free speech is limited to liberal speakers. Free speech does not protect all ideas, as it was intended to do. Radical left-wing groups stifle the free flow of thought. This situation rubs many Americans the wrong way.

Liberal leaders support violent protests implicitly and explicitly. There will be greater push back by law abiding citizens and by the authorities if it continues.

Liberals are screaming for free college tuition and forgiveness of student debt. Who will bear the brunt of these absurd and very costly entitlements? The middle class, most likely.

Liberals are pushing to keep students out of school running up to the election. They’re politicizing our children’s welfare.

Biden says he will reinstate the idiotic Iran nuclear deal. Giving the radical ayatollahs nuclear weapons is an existential error.

Liberals favor socialism over capitalism. It’s highly unlikely that the majority of Americans in the United States today will vote for this change.

Liberals want unfettered welfare benefits with no conditions.

Liberals will attack our financial system if they control the government. The health and well-being of banks makes new technology and prosperity possible.

Liberals are giving amnesty to rioters in big cities and forgoing the rule of law.

Liberals want universal health care. It’s unaffordable. A better plan is to give people who cannot afford healthcare free insurance. This can be done by expanding Medicaid.

Liberals are going to raise taxes on the middle class if they are victorious in November. It’s the only way to pay for the outrageous entitlement programs that have been proposed.

As you can see, a vote for Democrats carries with it some dire consequences. A radical move to the left will destroy the American standard of living.

Biden Will Be A Stay At Home President

The liberal media and Democrats are trying to convince Americans that the convention was a great success. They claim it was a seminal moment even as one irrelevant speaker followed the next.

Think about it. The only important moment was the nomination of a Black woman as Joe Biden’s running mate. This was the first time that a woman of color and a woman of Asian descent received this honor. It was a big win for both the Black and Asian communities.

Unfortunately, Democrats pushed for Joe as their candidate for president. How unique and progressive was that. Not. Another old white man who has been hanging around Washington for four or five decades was selected to lead the Democrats. It was an opportunity to inject new blood into the party, but the bosses stayed with a 77 year old establishment guy who has flipped on many important issues over the years. Did liberals miss a genuine opportunity? They sure did. And, by the way Joe is going to have to explain his flip-flopping.

Democrats realized that Sleepy Joe may not have the stamina to govern for four years much less eight. So, what did they do? They picked a young woman who was spurned early in the primary process to step into Joe’s shoes, if he can’t perform politically. If Kamala is going to effectively be the president, standing in for him when he’s exhausted and running in his place in 2024, why not pick Kamala now to lead the party?

It just goes to show you how misdirected Democrats are. There’s a revolution occurring in their midst that is demanding radical changes. Progressives are slowly making more progress and gaining control. The party is not leaning left any more, it is radical left.

Young Democrats like Joseph Kennedy are attempting to this displace old hacks like Ed Marky, senator of Massachusetts. And Nancy Pelosi is backing the newbie. In case you don’t know, Joe Kennedy is a member of “the” Kennedy family.

Democrats have also broken a prime rule of politics: in the primaries go radical, and in the general elections be moderate. Ask Bill Clinton what he thinks of this platitude.

Liberals are creating chaos throughout the country with their outrageous demands. Reasonable and measured immigration has morphed into open borders. Peaceful protest is being replaced with violence and destruction of property in urban centers. Free health care for the needy is now unaffordable universal care. Freedom of speech only pertains to left wing ideologists. Conservatives are no longer permitted to speak at universities. Free college tuition, increased entitlements, and the list goes on.

And now Democrats have the audacity to think that they can win an election pushing a radical platform with a presidential candidate who will not campaign. He’s going to send his VP candidate on the road while he stays in his basement.

Democrats made a mistake picking an elderly man to be the leader of the free world and going ultra- liberal. They will pay the price.

Joe Won’t Win By Just Badmouthing Trump

Joe Biden has an excellent opportunity to be the next president of the United States. But, he must do some basic things to secure a victory.

In round numbers, the polls show Biden with about 50% popular support and Trump with about 42%. These numbers could be off by a meaningful amount for a number of reasons. The first, and most obvious issue, is whom pollsters corresponded with.

If pollsters are querying probable voters from a fair distribution of Republicans and Democrats that reflects reality, the polling figures are probably accurate. If the breakdown of Republicans and Democrats is skewed in any way, pollsters maybe doing things that give Biden an undeserved edge in the presidential contest that will fade away on Election Day.

There is a theory that some people are kicking around that could also be meaningful. If voters are embarrassed to admit that they are voting for Trump and tell pollsters that they are voting for his opponent, the polling numbers are not reflecting true sentiment. In many social conversations, voters will not admit that they favor Trump to friends and acquaintances. This is feasible because so many Americans despise Trump, the man, but favor his policies for the most part. Some others think Biden is not mentally capable of being president.

And finally, there is the Electoral College. More frequently in recent years, the candidate with the most popular votes is not the one with the winning number of electoral votes.

It seems to some that Biden and his people are running exclusively using a strategy to denigrate Trump, rather than trying to convince voters Biden is the most qualified candidate with the best plans for America. This is a dangerous tactic. Keep in mind, as mentioned previously, many voters may vote for the man who has a proven record of leadership even if his character is suspect. This becomes more probable if the other candidate has a mediocre resume, as does Joe Biden.

Trump has gone head to head with China, Iran and North Korea relating to economic and military issues. For the most part, he has been successful. He may also be on the verge of a major breakthrough in the Israeli/Arab conundrum.

Domestically, the economy is doing great considering that the world is being plagued by a deadly virus. A good economy has historically benefitted incumbent presidents.

And then there is the issue of how one depicts his opposition. It really is a waste of time and money to highlight the foibles of Trump’s character at this stage. There are no new votes to be had for doing so. Everyone already knows the president is a dark character. So, a constant barrage of bad guy speeches only plays to the liberal base. It will have no real impact on independents to repeat over and over again that Trump was impeached. In fact, he was not convicted, and Bill Clinton won an election after he was impeached.

Rather, Democrats should be formulating concrete proposals on all the major issues. If they want to focus on guns and abortion, they should state their cases boldly. If they have a better plan to beat the pandemic, tell voters what it is. All the speakers on the first night of the horrible virtual convention just related ubiquitous Trump stories. I bet they gained not one new voter.

And finally, any chances of victory will decrease exponentially if Biden conducts his campaign from the basement of his house. Trump won the last time because he was out campaigning every day, and Hillary did not. It looks like this is going to happen again.

I’m afraid Democrats have the wrong candidate for president, and he is getting lousy advice from his campaign hacks.

Let’s Get Ready To Rumble

American voters should be prepared to witness the nastiest presidential campaign ever. Donald Trump versus the entire Democratic Party. Seems like a pretty fair fight.

The rhetoric is going to be historic, dirty and dishonest. The spin, lies and hyperbole we will be subjected to will make our forefathers turn over in their graves. Trump is going to be portrayed as a liar, con man and narcissist. Biden will be described by his opponents as a bumbling old fool, who couldn’t govern his way out of a wet paper bag.

The Dems batted first last night during an inane virtual convention. They have recruited an all-star cast of professed socialists, spending maniacs, anti-gun advocates and attack dogs to seduce the electorate by bad-mouthing the president. I only watched snippets of the assault (it was painful), and I was not surprised by anything said. It’s the same horribly disrespectful rhetoric that we see every day on TV and in the newspapers.

Liberals have used every arrow in their quiver to bring Trump down including impeachment, charges of collusion with Russia, income tax evasion, and accusing the president of being an outright liar- no luck in making accusations stick. In their minds, Trump has not done anything well since taking office, including leading us through the pandemic and managing the economy.

Trump kicked off his rebuttal even before the virtual Democratic convention began late last night. He ripped into Biden by saying he is incompetent, too old, disassociated from reality and dependent upon a group of colleagues that will destroy America and everything it stands for. Trump says his opponents are socialists and power mongers and more concerned with reaping votes from illegal aliens and dead people than caring for living Americans.

What is so disheartening is that both sides are correct to a point in their depiction of the enemy. It’s unfortunate that Americans are fighting each other with such venom when there are so many evil and dangerous people, countries, political systems and haters looking to bring down America. We should all refocus at some point. Whatever happened to the old saying that Americans are on the same team.

Trump is not cowering to anybody. Somehow, he is able to turn the other cheek and ignore his detractors. That doesn’t mean he disregards the lies, spin and mudslinging of his political adversaries. Trump is a counterpuncher, even before his opponents throw a punch. He has been able to deflect an all-out assault by half of Washington and half of the nation. He is very much in the race, and some people, including the writer of this blog, believe he will win in November.

Biden is weak in every way, and he has nothing to hang his hat on politically. He no longer can debate and put together two coherent sentences. Everybody knows he will not be in the mix during the campaign or in the Oval Office if he wins. Obama trolls will take over the new Democratic administration if Biden wins. Progressives will drive the country towards bankruptcy and anarchy in the streets, while Biden sits back in his easy chair. There will be chaos in the nation’s capital and on Wall Street. Biden is not vibrant or courageous enough to govern the US.

On reflection, I keep coming to the same conclusion in all my blog posts about the presidential candidates- neither is worthy of the presidency. One has a character problem and the other is not a leader.

Unfortunately, our country has a medical pandemic and a political pandemic happening simultaneously. I like to think that America will be stronger after this is all settled, but I’m frightened for my country.

If Biden Stays Home, He Will Lose The Election

American voters have a difficult decision in November. The choices are dicey to say the least.

On the one hand, an incumbent president is seeking reelection after a tumultuous first term. The successes and failures of Trump have been inappropriately portrayed by his opponents and the liberal press. Yet, his base has remained loyal in the low 40% of the electorate. This group, to paraphrase a Trump comment, would vote for Trump even if he murdered someone in broad daylight on 5th Avenue. Pretty sad depiction.

The other choice is a man [and woman, but I will get to her in a moment], who has been hanging around Washington for 50 years. He has never been anything more than a political hack during his time as U.S. senator and vice president. Politicians have a right to change their minds over time, but Joe Biden is always trying to be what he thinks his constituency wants him to be. For instance, he’s been tough on crime in the past, and now he’s leading the charge against police officers reflecting a current attitude.

Maybe, Biden has effectively gotten away with his antics because he’s from a quiet and very small liberal state. He will not escape the wrath of angry Republicans in the general election. He’s not someone who has great charisma or one that overwhelms a room with wisdom and experience.

Back to Biden’s partner. Biden is too old to be vying for the presidency. His mental acuity is under suspicion every day. And he’s petrified to leave the security of his own basement, concerned that the coronavirus will make him sick. I can appreciate Joe’s fears about his health, but I can’t see anyone effectively competing for the presidency without campaigning face to face with voters. So, Joe picked a much younger Black woman to be his replacement if something occurs that makes it impossible for him to govern, or if he’s unable or unwilling to run for a second term.

Vice presidents are chosen to assume leadership if the president is unable to lead. But the odds of this happening with Biden are significantly greater than most other situations. So, it’s surprising that he chose a person who does not have a national reputation. And, frankly, she’s changed her stripes on significant issues too many times.

In fact, Kamala Harris was ignored by Black and white voters in the primary. Now, she is purported to be a fine replacement for Biden even though she was not a popular attorney general in her home state of California.

There’s no good choice for president, in my humble opinion. I dread the thought of listening to Trump lie, spin and pat himself on the back for four more years. He’s not been a good role model for young people or old people. Yet, he’s done some noteworthy things.

Liberals hate Trump so much that they refuse to support him for productive proposals. It’s gotten to the point that Trump cannot enact any new laws, so he took a tactic out of Obama’s playbook. He governs with mandates, a slap in the face of a true democracy.

But, I give Trump credit for signing off on large support for those who lost jobs because of the pandemic. The economy is poised to skyrocket the moment that a vaccine is approved to fight the virus. And, politics aside, Trump has attempted to balance the country between being too conservative, and killing an economic recovery, and stimulating the economy too fast and risking the health of more Americans. I think his intentions were both self-serving and an attempt to avoid total economic Armageddon.

The campaign is going into full swing and both sides are slinging mud like there is no tomorrow. Trump probably has more money than Biden, although the latter has raised a ton since appointing Harris his VP candidate. Not sure why Harris’ assignment gave donors comfort.

But, the rubber will meet the road when Trump starts campaigning in person around the country. In fact, he will be visiting battleground states while the Democrats do a virtual convention. Hillary Clinton was slaughtered when she refused to visit important states before the 2016 election. If Biden doesn’t show up, he will likely lose in the same places in November. Kamala will not be able to stand in for Biden. The US is not ready for a virtual president.

My prediction is Trump will win, not that I want him as my leader, but because he is going to give voters what they want during the campaign. He will slam Democrats for being socialists, big spenders, obstructionists, poor leaders, overly considerate of both illegal aliens and violent urban protesters and anti-guns. Republicans will make hay on these issues along with outing the do-nothing House of Representatives controlled by Democrats.

Whether you like it or not, we’re going to see Trump for another four years along with his horrible hairdo.

Maybe in 2024, the country will find some personable, smart and patriotic Americans to run for the presidency.

Which Democrat Is Really Running For President?

The proof of Kamala Harris’ strong personality and charisma became evident when the senator from California upstaged her new boss during a presidential primary debate several months ago. Joe was dumbfounded when Harris referred to his cordial relationship with very conservative southern politicians.

Kamala gave up her aspirations to win the Democratic nomination for president because she was mired by her aggressive work prosecuting people as attorney general Of California, where she was a hard-nosed prosecutor who supported the death penalty. During the 2020 primary race, Harris apologized for having prosecuted so many for petty marijuana infractions.

Kamala’s designation as Biden’s running mate is noteworthy for several reasons, especially the fact that she is the first Black woman to run for vice president. She needed to make a U-turn politically and cement herself as an avid supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement even if she must turn her head away from the lawlessness that radical protesters have adopted.

Her DNA pointed her in another direction earlier in her career. But now, Harris must adopt to the party line of severe progressivism and the difficult justification of the violence that is overwhelming urban centers. Harris formally sided with the police in earlier times. Now she must stand with those calling for fewer police officers and lower budgets for first responders.

It will be interesting to see how Harris meshes with her new boss. She has a habit of stealing the thunder of others. Given Biden’s propensity to claim he is a moderate, will Harris go all in as a progressive, regardless of Biden’s attempt to temper his political party during the general election. Remember the most celebrated and successful politicians are extreme in the primaries and more balanced in the head-to-head battles with political opponents as the election approaches.

No doubt Harris’ perspective is more important than past VP candidates. Biden is in his upper 70s and is showing his age. He has not ventured far from his Delaware home during the campaign, and his mental acuity is constantly being called into question. Biden is not anxious to meet Trump head to head, and it appears he is delaying debates for as long as possible. Some debate confrontations will take place after millions of voters have already cast their ballots.

There is a great chance that Biden will only serve one term if elected. Simple arithmetic indicates that he will be approaching his mid 80s if he wins and runs again. If Biden balks, Harris will be a favorite to take his place at the top of the ticket in 2024.

The pandemic is sucking air out of the general election. And Biden seeing seems to be benefiting because of Trump’s unconventional response to the virus along with its economic impact.

But the same old issues will surely be raised as Trump lights up his base and tries to convince independents that Biden and Harris are socialists and crazy big spenders. We’re going to hear about massive tax increases, new entitlements, support of illegal aliens, a desire to take guns away from Americans, universal health care, climate change, abortion, etc.

The question that lingers is whether Harris is going to be the one who really leads the Democrats, while Joe sits on the sidelines blathering about events of 30 or 40 years ago.

The pandemic has changed a lot of things in America, and soon we will be adding the election process to the list. Why our leaders waited until 90 days before the elections to massive propose changes to the election system is puzzling.

Most importantly Americans will need to decide whether capitalism or socialism is the system that they want for their country.

 

Note: It is noteworthy to consider why Biden selected Harris as his running mate after she bludgeoned him during the primaries. And also, it is questionable that Harris will have a substantive impact on Black voters given her background. She did not during the primaries.

Which Democrat Is Really Running For President?

The proof of Kamala Harris’ strong personality and charisma became evident when the senator from California upstaged her new boss during a presidential primary debate several months ago. Joe was dumbfounded when Harris referred to his cordial relationship with very conservative southern politicians.

Kamala gave up her aspirations to win the Democratic nomination for president because she was mired by her aggressive work prosecuting people as attorney general Of California, where she was a hard-nosed prosecutor who supported the death penalty. During the 2020 primary race, Harris apologized for having prosecuted so many for petty marijuana infractions.

Kamala’s designation as Biden’s running mate is noteworthy for several reasons, especially the fact that she is the first Black woman to run for vice president. She needed to make a U-turn politically and cement herself as an avid supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement even if she must turn her head away from the lawlessness that radical protesters have adopted.

Her DNA pointed her in another direction earlier in her career. But now, Harris must adopt to the party line of severe progressivism and the difficult justification of the violence that is overwhelming urban centers. Harris formally sided with the police in earlier times. Now she must stand with those calling for fewer police officers and lower budgets for first responders.

It will be interesting to see how Harris meshes with her new boss. She has a habit of stealing the thunder of others. Given Biden’s propensity to claim he is a moderate, will Harris go all in as a progressive, regardless of Biden’s attempt to temper his political party during the general election. Remember the most celebrated and successful politicians are extreme in the primaries and more balanced in the head-to-head battles with political opponents as the election approaches.

No doubt Harris’ perspective is more important than past VP candidates. Biden is in his upper 70s and is showing his age. He has not ventured far from his Delaware home during the campaign, and his mental acuity is constantly being called into question. Biden is not anxious to meet Trump head to head, and it appears he is delaying debates for as long as possible. Some debate confrontations will take place after millions of voters have already cast their ballots.

There is a great chance that Biden will only serve one term if elected. Simple arithmetic indicates that he will be approaching his mid 80s if he wins and runs again. If Biden balks, Harris will be a favorite to take his place at the top of the ticket in 2024.

The pandemic is sucking air out of the general election. And Biden seeing seems to be benefiting because of Trump’s unconventional response to the virus along with its economic impact.

But the same old issues will surely be raised as Trump lights up his base and tries to convince independents that Biden and Harris are socialists and crazy big spenders. We’re going to hear about massive tax increases, new entitlements, support of illegal aliens, a desire to take guns away from Americans, universal health care, climate change, abortion, etc.

The question that lingers is whether Harris is going to be the one who really leads the Democrats, while Joe sits on the sidelines blathering about events of 30 or 40 years ago.

The pandemic has changed a lot of things in America, and soon we will be adding the election process to the list. Why our leaders waited until 90 days before the elections to massive propose changes to the election system is puzzling.

Most importantly Americans will need to decide whether capitalism or socialism is the system that they want for their country.

 

Note: It is noteworthy to consider why Biden selected Harris as his running mate after she bludgeoned him during the primaries. And also, it is questionable that Harris will have a substantive impact on Black voters given her background. She did not during the primaries.

Land Grabs By Restaurants Will Not Save Industry

An interesting article appeared in the New York Times yesterday, relating to the re-utilization of city streets and sidewalks. If you live in an urban environment or commute to it, you might have noticed that restaurants, bike lanes, schools and newly ordained parks are usurping land. As usual, city officials are late to respond to these land grabbers, and the problems they are causing.

The hostile takeover of city streets can be divided into several categories, each with different issues, beneficiaries and those who are disadvantaged.

It should be noted that now is an opportune time for city planners to make productive changes to our city landscape. It’s a rare opportunity to better use city streets for more productive purposes than just a growing number of cars that create more pollution.

Let’s focus on restaurants first. Eateries are not allowed to serve people meals indoors because it will increase the spread of the virus. The solution: take over space outside of restaurants including space that was formerly used for pedestrians, car traffic, bikes and parking.

It sounds like a good idea, but there are drawbacks. The first thing is brutally obvious, but no one seems to recognize it. When the weather gets colder in New York and other cities in colder climates, makeshift sidewalk city street cafes will disappear. These outdoor oases are not the long-term savior of the restaurant industry. But there is hope that meals will once again be served inside before the cold weather arrives. Then again, what will be the inclination of diners about eating inside after Covid supposedly subsides?

The restaurant industry has a temporary respite, not a solution to their dilemma, with their land takeover. And one more thing, the number of meals being served are far fewer now than before because of the limited space available and distancing. It would be folly to make a financial bet on the success of restaurants in New York moving forward. Miami is another issue. It will be able to serve meals all year long.

Some entrepreneurial merchants are spreading to areas outside of their stores to sell their wares. Once again, this is a temporary fix because of the weather. But it may give a boost to those trying to survive past the pandemic. Security and overcrowding are issues that these creative salespeople must deal with.

Many people are shunning public transportation and are driving to work. Traffic jams are becoming more ubiquitous as additional private vehicles are infesting the city. They’re in conflict with restaurants, bikers and pedestrians.

It’s not clear how more car traffic will be helpful looking ahead. They will create more congestion. And, parking will be scarcer and more expensive. Will the subways and buses once again transport people to work, or will they remain cesspools and homes to germs, disease and rodents.

Even schools are taking to the streets but, this strategy has limitations as well. Security for the kids outside of their buildings is an issue and, once again, weather will cause problems. If it’s raining, or snowing, do we want the kids unprotected. If schools close down streets, traffic jams will become more prevalent.

Many major cities are depending upon biking to ease congestion and pollution. It’s a great idea, but the plan interferes with other others who want access to the bike lanes and the streets, like restaurants. In fact, I was out to dinner at a restaurant on the street a few days ago and bikers were zooming through the dining area.

Changes cannot be accomplished without careful planning. All cities are different and have individual problems that are unique to them. Change is possible, but there will be winners and losers. It will take great leadership, and New York City has a shortage of these kind of people.

It may be an ideal time to force commercial deliveries to be made at night and to end double parking by chronic offenders including delivery company vehicles. And, authorities should consider disallowing private cars to freely enter the city each day.

As We Fight The Virus, Society Is Changing

As we battle the pandemic, many new issues have arisen for Americans. Broad social changes are under way, even as our neighbors are suffering and dying from the virus. Following are a list of some of the most significant items.

Diversity. So much is being discussed about the need for diversity in business and everyday life. The most downtrodden groups, specifically women and people of color, are making massive demands. It’s strange that the pandemic would encourage such unrelated actions while so many are suffering medically and financially.

In business, corporations are striving to diversify their boards of directors and promoting more women and Blacks to senior management positions. Large investors are blackballing corporations that either ignore or resist demand for diversity. Having more diversity among decision makers will improve the performance of corporations in the minds of most savvy investors.

Heroes and icons. Quite a few former heroes and great Americans have lost their hallowed status. Many of our forefathers who fought for our country’s independence are being outed for owning and trading slaves. The accomplishments of these former heroes are being denigrated because of their insensitivities relating to the plight of Blacks. The result has included tearing down statues and memorials. Even Washington and Jefferson have been caught up in the controversy.

Social interaction. Americans, for the most part, are affectionate. Hugging and kissing friends and family members is commonplace. Or, should I say, was commonplace. Moving forward, the pandemic has taught us that being touchy feely can be hazardous to your health. After the virus is defeated, it’s likely that physical contact will be much less.

Physical interaction between people who are romantically inclined will also be affected. If we’re going to shun an innocent kiss, how will we react if one individual tries to encourage intimacy. It will likely be very awkward.

Physical fitness. Physical fitness hit a high point before the pandemic. More Americans than ever were exercising several times each week for health and vanity reasons. But, the authorities have indicated that health clubs are extremely dangerous. Heavy breathing and expelling hot air and spittle when exercising are perilous to bystanders. It’s how the Covid virus spreads- through the air. For this reason, authorities have not allowed clubs to reopen, and many are going out of business.

Restaurants. No small business enterprises have suffered more than restaurants, eateries and cafes. Many have gone bankrupt, and more certainly will prospectively. In New York City, dining indoors is not permitted. So many restaurants have taken over space outside their doors. Unfortunately, the number of meals that can be served is a small percent of what it used to be, especially with distancing requirements. What’s going to happen in locations that are cold during winter months, if restrictions do not end? And, even if restrictions are decreased, will diners risk infection when restaurants must serve food indoors?

Police protection. Probably the most controversial political actions are those involving police and funding of these first responders. Black demands for fairness and equal justice have expanded dramatically, and now some cities are decreasing police protection by reducing personnel and slashing budgets. The result has been more crime. Some is perpetrated by violent protesters, and some result from decreased responses by police departments. How will we protect our urban centers without aggressive police surveillance and response? This question remains unanswered.

Returning to school. A gigantic controversy is brewing relating to decisions about sending our children back to school in September. Is it safe? Will the virus spread if schools are opened? Are our parents and grandparents vulnerable to the disease being carried home by innocent youngsters? Are teachers in jeopardy? There are many different opinions about how to proceed and school administrators are going to go their separate ways. Will parents send young their young children back to classrooms before a vaccine is the discovered and is employed?

Protest. We need a new definition of protest. We need agreement among dissatisfied groups that violence, under no circumstances, is a good thing for our society and social interaction. Destruction of local neighborhoods is criminal an unproductive. Nevertheless, authorities must do their part to deal with complaints from abused groups, especially people of color.

The 2020 elections. The tabulation of votes in November is going to be contested because our voting systems are antiquated and not secure. The chaos that is likely to occur is going to result in a massive demand by Americans to upgrade our election process. If we are not diligent in this regard, every voter will question the validity of our election results

Government financial support during crises. The government’s response to the needs of average Americans in the midst of a financial crisis has been inspirational. It’s great to see that all politicians, to some extent, support this aid. There will be controversies about the extent of aid, but we will work through these issues. Our federal government must step up to support those in need.

The Next Political Crisis- Mail In Voting

To 2020 presidential election is revving up in a number of controversial ways. Trump is already saying that Democrats are trying to rig the process, and that it will take days and even weeks to tabulate the results if voters widely use mail in ballots.

As expected, both political parties are trying to do things that improve their chances to win the presidency. Supposedly, Democrats are trying to do whatever is possible to increase turn out, while Republicans are conspiring to establish roadblocks that will decrease voter turnout, especially if voter fraud is evident.

Unfortunately, both parties are not doing apolitical things and saying things that encourage every American to vote and participate in this most important civic responsibility. The pandemic adds another element to the process, that being the safety of voters and all the volunteers who contribute to the proceedings.

The fairness of the voting process is a critical consideration. Trump has repeatedly indicated that voter fraud is prevalent even though there has not been any proof of significant malfeasance, other than Russian interference. Nevertheless, the process must be devoid of any cheating that would take the form of improper ballots and improper votes.

The latest debate has to do with the use of absentee ballots and mail in ballots. The first are ballots requested by voters that indicate that they are unable to vote on Election Day in person. The latter ballots are sent unsolicited to all eligible voters by individual states.

Three things are obvious. One is that the US Postal Service needs to be able to handle the obvious increase in mail during the time approaching the election. The second thing is that either ballot will enable Americans to avoid polling places, which are crowded during a general election. Crowds facilitate more Covid infections. The third issue deals with counting the ballots manually. It is possible the process will be delayed, and we will we won’t have a winner on Election Day, or the next day or even the next week.

These are unprecedented times. It would be unconscionable not to do whatever is feasible to avoid more virus infections. Simultaneously the process needs to be protected.

It really is shameful that all that is happening shortly before we go to the polls did not happen much sooner. You would think that our leaders would have started this process to ensure voter participation and safety months earlier.