8 Things I Hate About This Country

I don’t think I’m alone here

First, I’m not usually a political writer. I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of politics to be an expert — I’ll leave that to folks like umair haque, who do an excellent job.

I know enough about the government to know what ticks me off. I don’t often complain about it, but the time has come.

This rant started last week when I received a letter from the AARP. They’ve been sending me letters to join since I was around 50. I wonder how much paper and postage have been wasted on that effort.

Reluctantly, I joined. I didn’t want to be seen as a senior citizen and wasn’t retired. But they offered discounts for stuff, and I’m always a sucker for a deal! Especially when it comes to travel-oriented purchases.

I realized I could get the same or better deals by working for an airline or through my loyalty programs. So I didn’t get one lousy benefit out of joining, but I did get a monthly magazine. Or was it every other month?

Anyway, after a year, I chose not to renew. I thought that I’d reconsider it when I was older. Perhaps it would hold more significant benefits then.

Well, it’s ten years later, and I became eligible for Medicare last fall. If I didn’t have Medicaid too, I would say just having Medicare Parts A and B are shit. But the expanded Medicaid program (due to COVID) ends soon, and I will need a supplemental plan and Part D. I have no idea how I will pay for these unless I make it big on Medium.

Ha! Fat chance.

My Medicare plan requires that I be an AARP member.

I’m now entertaining a part-time job. I will not have the funds otherwise. What a wonderful country we live in.

Going back to the letter from the AARP, it was a piece asking me to help support their lobbying efforts in protecting Medicare and Social Security. My blood pressure went sky-high.

Here are the reasons I am angry.

1. Medicare and Social Security are not gimmes. We paid for them while we worked. The fact that medical care costs have increased to the extent that they have isn’t our fault. We have a shitty system. People in more socialized countries, like our friends up north, don’t have to worry about whether or not they can afford to live. They have a safety net. I’d gladly pay higher taxes than worry about whether I could afford medical treatment.
2. Lobbying. Even though there will always be some lobbyists on your side and some against it, I wouldn’t say I like that we allow lobbying at all. Buying votes is all it is. On the positive side, I like that the AARP is lobbying to retain our benefits. But the organization is now asking for money to continue its efforts. I’d gladly forego the magazine if it meant those funds could be used for lobbying, as long as it is something we have to live with. But again, Medicare and Social Security should not be on the table at all. Fuck you, Rick Scott.
3. Contributions to politicians, political parties, and PACs. Uh-uh. Most of these politicians who get into the game are wealthy already, at least compared to the rest of us. (Rick Scott is the wealthiest member of Congress.) If they want to spend their own money, fine. But votes should go to those with the best ideas, not the biggest war chests. No paid staff, all volunteers. Let’s level the playing field and see who comes out ahead. I haven’t heard of any practical ideas from the right, let alone great. All they want to do is to tear down the good that the left has done and replace them with laws that only serve the 2%.
4. Campaign advertising. Please, put us out of our misery and limit this to just several weeks before an election. In the 2016 campaign, we had to listen to Trump’s and the Republican’s rhetoric for nearly 17 months. Additionally, campaign reporting should be balanced between the parties.

“In the 2016 campaign, Trump got an estimated $5.6 billion in ‘free earned media,’ more than all of the Republican and Democrat rivals combined.” ~”The Three Things That Make British Elections So Different From American Ones” on QUARTZ (qz.com), 11/7/2019

I’m sure FOX News had something to do with that. It became his foil. And now we know FOX News is a foil. If it ain’t true, it ain’t news.

5. Income inequality is the biggest problem I see. Remember, it was “We the People,” not “We the Wealthy People.” Republicans in office don’t give a rat’s ass about 332 million Americans. They care about protecting their interests and those that would be like them — their donors—protections for the wealthiest Americans. Jesus Christ was all for helping the poor and the weak. Republican Christian evangelists are not Christians at all. We are not equal in their eye. What else would account for their disdain for LGBTQ citizens, for instance? The 98% aren’t looking for handouts. They’re looking for ideas that lead to jobs, such as the infrastructure bill, which fell far short of its initial goal. That bill would have challenged the WPA program after the Great Depression in the number of jobs it would have created. I worry about our infrastructure, power grids, highways, and bridges. They won’t be fixed.

6. CEO pay is ridiculous, speaking of income inequality. See, they’re all working together in this secret little club to keep the minions at bay. The CEO-worker pay gap at low-wage companies widens constantly, and they’re getting raises whether or not their companies do well. But, of course, when they do well, it’s the management team. If they do poorly, it becomes “we,” as in everyone at the company.

According to a survey by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank, this is what happened in 2021 at 300 companies paying the lowest median wages in 2020:

“The average gap between CEO and median worker pay in 2021 failed to keep pace with inflation, 67 instituted stock buybacks — which help to drive CEO pay higher — totaling $43.7 billion. The leaders in this club, IPS found, were retailers Lowe’s, Target and Best Buy. ~Los Angles Times, 3/1/2023

7. Homelessness. I live in the Southwest, a haven for the homeless because of the weather. However, they keep putting up tent cities. First, the city tears them down, then they find another encampment. Yes, a good 50% of the homeless are either afflicted with mental illness or substance abuse, but they can’t get proper treatment because funding has been cut off. With the other 50%, it could very well be that they’ve been driven out of their homes by cost. There is a shortage of affordable homes here, as in many cities. Investors come into cities, buy up cheap properties, and flip them for a much higher price. Millennials are finding it impossible to buy. Rents have increased by 15–28% in this city in the last year, driving many into the streets. Those practices have to be stopped. HUD needs to be more involved. Something has to be done. Rent control has been voted down.

8. Finally, term limits. At 65, I’m becoming an old, white curmudgeon myself! But 34 of 100 Senators are over the age of 70, with Chuck Grassley of Iowa at 89! The average age of an American is 38, while the average age of a Senator is 64. These people do not represent most of America! They’re too old and too rich! They get two terms, and that’s it!

So no, I won’t contribute to the AARP’s lobbying fund. I want the ignorant Americans who keep falling for lies to “wake up” and realize what their republican representatives are doing with their livelihoods. (I could be waiting for a long time.)

I have an idea for Social Security: divide how it’s treated along party lines. Those who vote for Rick Scott’s party have to live with the whims of their representatives, while democrat’s benefits are not jeopardized.

If I sound like a raging (dare I say woke?) socialist lunatic, it’s probably because I am. Because this land is our land.

More by Arthur Keith in Illumination:

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