Reminder: 290 and 67. The 290 represents how many U.S. House of Representatives members it takes to override a presidential veto (all Representatives are up for reelection this year). It takes 67 U.S. Senators to override a presidential veto (35 Senators are up for reelection this year with 22 of those being Republicans—the ones we have to concentrate on the most). These numbers are very important this year at the ballot box because it will take this number of votes to help right this vast ship of a country for all of us, not just the billionaire class.
With the last primary election occurring this past week, and early voting about to begin, or already begun, we are now firmly in general election mode. It is the time when many voters really start to pay more attention to their candidates and the upcoming November vote. As we start planning our vote, there are things to think about in making a well-informed decision to support the continuation of our democracy and the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
At Trump’s so called Mid-Term Convention and in recent interviews, he has stated he wants the mid-terms to be all about him. He wants us to pretend he is on the ballot. I actually was glad to hear him say these words out loud because whether he stated so or not, he is on the ballot since he himself is essentially the Republican Party.
Since Trump, his regime, and his decisions are on the ballot, let’s talk about a few things he has done. As the elected leader of our country, he speaks for us. Here are just a few things the Trump regime has done in our, the American people’s, name.
From the very beginning of this second Trump regime, he has:
Pardoned the over 1,600 people who attacked and vandalized the Capitol Building, caused the death of several law enforcement officers, and tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021. At least forty of those pardoned have since been arrested for other crimes, including child sex crimes.
Allowed Elon Musk and his team, including Big Balls, essentially unfettered access to highly sensitive information about various government programs and data. It has been reported this included access to the names, birthdates, and social security numbers of all of us. No one knows what has happened to this, what I would call, breached information.
Over 350,000 government workers were fired, or left, because of DOGE decisions using AI. These are the workers that helped keep us safe from food contamination, deadly viruses, hackers of vital government programs and power grids, air quality, civil rights, education, national security threats, and many other things we never worried about before.
Invaded a sovereign nation, Venezuela, to remove its elected President and his wife, installed a puppet leader, and is now, what many might believe to be, stealing of the Venezuelan oil reserves with proceeds going to places unknown. (Note: The Venezuelan president was not a nice person, but it was up to the Venezuelan people to remove him, not us.)
HHS has gutted the immunization program that has kept us and our children safe from life-threatening diseases, especially measles. Measles, which can cause a lifetime of health issues, can also be deadly, and is fully preventable. Since the second Trump Regime began, measles cases have increased 311%, and caused the deaths of at least two children. I encourage you to read about the pain and agony someone with the measles must endure.
Started a war, wait a “conflict,” with Iran at the urging of Israel. A war in which 18 service members have lost there lives, 624 military personnel have been injured, and has cost us over $113 billion. If the war ended today, it would take at least another $50 billion to rebuild those bases. That is if Middle Eastern countries allow us to do so.
Caused gas and other prices to dramatically increase due to the war in Iran and the topsy-turvy tariffs the Trump regime started. We don’t even need to watch or read the news to see how much our groceries now cost or how much more we have to spend just to get to work every day. Plus we the people, who paid most of the tariff costs didn’t get our refund, but the corporations did.
Gave out thousands of dollars of bonus money to some select staff members. Trump gave $45,000 holiday bonuses to senior aide Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and administrative assistant Chamberlain Harris, and a $20,000 bonus to Director of Oval Office Operations Walt Nauta for a total annual salary of $195,000 for each. When was the last time you received a $20,000 or $45,000 bonus (or earned $150,000+ for the year)?
Least we forget the terror and loss of life caused by ICE and CBP. At least two American citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, have been murdered by ICE as well as at least 52 other reported deaths in its custody. The Trump regime is also putting children as young as three-years-old in front of immigration judges to decide if these children should be deported or not. Children who are barely be able to understand their home language, let alone English, before a judge to defend themselves against deportation (and deported how, where and with whom to receive them on the other end?).
This is but a short list of harmful things done, and I didn’t even include the destruction of the White House, troops patrolling Washington, and other dreadful things done in our what used to be the beautiful U.S. Capitol that Trump and his regime have done in our name, the American people’s name, to our country and the world.
I strongly urge you to carefully think about the choices you will make in November. If the above are things you have supported, which includes the deaths of children and citizens along with increasing the likelihood of living paycheck to paycheck, then I worry even more about the country our children and grandchildren will inherit to live in as it isn’t a pretty picture; I urge you to truly think about what is happening before your very eyes.
If the above, and the many other things occurring under the Trump regime, horrify and appall you, then please, at this point, vote for Democrats up and down the ticket as local politics matter too. Be part of the movement to protect our great democracy and freedoms, to help reshape policy and priorities, to help lift us all up to live better lives.
Vote as if your life, your children’s lives, and the lives of many future generations are at stake, because sadly, they are.
P.S.—Make sure to check your voter registration weekly at vote.org (not Musk’s VoteSafe.org, which, based on reports, and my own opinion, is collecting data to be used in ways you might not like). Republicans across the spectrum are doing all they can to suppress your vote. Check your status to ensure you have time to fix it before showing up to vote, when it may be too late to correct.
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