The GOP & Its Political Dogma Has Failed America

The GOP is a party of climate change deniers & now coronavirus deniers that will not take responsibility for its actions.

More importantly, its perverted since of capitalism that has played out over the last 40 years has placed our country at risk. Resources are hoarded by the 1% , which has left our country with substantial debt and very little safety net to adequately handle a crisis.

If its political dogma was so great then America would have a president that can champion those values that helped make us great to lead us through our current crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but he and his party have trampled on those values, which makes it more likely that we will have a deep and prolonged recession.  Adding insult to injury, I believe few within the GOP have the intellectual honesty to admit that GOP has failed drastically.  Absent that, November can not come fast enough.

Working Class Just Getting By

I visited the Ortega Hills area near the Jacksonville Naval Air Station off Highway 17 in Jacksonville, FL/Duval Co. within Precinct 14K this past Saturday. The people that make up this older neighborhood work as technicians, truck drivers, etc… Consequently, these folks are feeling the pain of the prolonged recession; one even indicated that his house is in the process of being foreclosed.

I met another man who is now retired. He lives in the community’s model home that he purchased 50+ years ago. He claims to still have some of the furniture that came with the house. The day I talked to him, he was doing work in his shed. He explained that he was no longer registered to vote because he was getting called in too often for jury duty and did not like reporting to due to health issues associated with old age. I can empathize with him after observing him struggle to move about the shed.

I have met others who are also not registered to vote for one reason or another, but I think the prevailing reason is that people do not believe their vote makes a difference. While statistically true, the process of voting (vetting candidates, etc…) is what protects our freedoms. I try to impart this when I visit with people that chose not to register, but my points seem to fall on death ears sometimes, which may indicate that some people have given up hope.

The Ripples From Foreclosure

I walked through a town home complex in the Lexington Square area within Precinct 14 of Jacksonville/Duval County. I talked to all types of people. I communicated with those that could be classified as working class, professional class, retirees, young families, singles, blacks, Hispanics, whites, liberals, moderates, conservatives. Most seemed content with a few mentions about trash and foreclosed homes with neglected yards (as seen here).

While this community arguably has a higher per capita income than other areas in the district, it is not immune to the effects from the recent economic downturn. If anything, it has been hit just as hard as the more impoverished areas.

Based on my conversations with people in this community, observations in other parts of the district, my experience as a stock analyst, and my understanding of the banking system, I believe we will continue to see more foreclosures. In general, I think foreclosures are highly disruptive to the stability of the family fabric as some families become homeless, move back in with parents or move in with friends. All situations surely lead to stress, which could result in violence, dissolution of a marriage or any other number of negative outcomes. I expect the ripples from these stresses to:
1. Continue to affect policies being made in Washington, D.C for the foreseeable future and
2. More importantly, leave an indelible mark on future generations, which is both good and bad.