Conservatism, Racial Bias

"Conservatism’s Racially-Biased Hold on Florida’s Future Must End" by v. johns

While I dread being typecast and stereotyped for supporting and voting for  mostly Democratic candidates, policies and causes, as a so-called “minority,” I simply cannot support a political party, such as the Republican Party, that uses (or allows) hate speech and corporate welfare to get elected and cull power. But while the pirate-like Republicans continue to grab power with bullying, race-bating, bribes and cash, the powder-puff Democrats’ overall weakness in failing to stand up to the hardened political thugs that have taken over the once-great Republican Party, troubles me even more.

I agree with Bill Maher that the American populace in general is, perhaps, simply just too dimwitted, distracted and uninformed, at this time, to rise above staunch ideology, and other forms of stupidity, long enough to truly vote in their own best interest... and that as long as the American people, in general, are increasingly composed of people of poor character and quality, we should not expect our elected leaders to be any different…

Like most other places across this nation, even New York and San Fran, I have heard, our state continues to languish in its apparent comfort with inequality and lack of real engagement from some of its most vulnerable communities. Thus, we find both haves and have-nots wallowing in the apparent certainty of their lore. In a place that brims and beams with such diversity, more people are reaching out less and less and are becoming comfortably resigned to their respective camps out of raw fear, hate and distrust of other “groups” of people. There’s no out-and-out fighting in the streets… yet, but there’s overt finger pointing galore and an eerie, quiet tension lingering in the air that makes ya skin crawl. The tension here hasn’t been this thick in awhile…

I’m sorry, but when gigantic Dodge and Ford trucks owned by white guys in “tough-guy mode,” pull up on my little Toyota fast and blitz me with their lights, they’re making a statement (“Keep the Change.”)… When other black people give me dirty looks for daring to get a long with those other than my own, that says something as well... And perhaps most eerie of all, the idea that historically oppressed “groups of people” either stay silent or join in on the bashing of other, seemingly newly oppressed “groups of people.”

Though race, class, religion and sexual orientation will be issues for all of us to have to deal with, for some time to come, what bothers me is people’s continued willingness to be drawn to the polls by these polarizing social issues, while ignoring issues that are more universal and far less dramatic -- like education, transportation, and scientific innovation -- but perhaps far more important in establishing all our citizens wellbeing. And let’s not forget the two most important issues of our time: high-unemployment and record home foreclosures.

Thus, and henceforth, it is my opinion that the Republicans and their conservative cohorts, here and elsewhere, are the ones exclusively responsible for distracting our state and nation away from the issues that really matter. I might add that these tea party people, the one’s who claim to be the party’s leaders anyway, are no saints, are not to be trusted and perhaps, worst of all, have not the slightest clue in what the hell they are talking about... They’re stirring people up about what’s on paper (debt, deficits, etc.) -- stuff that can be ironed out later -- while the rest of us are worrying about actual, physical food on the table...

So-called “blue state,” or not, the people who vote Republican in Florida are, more often than not, going to vote that way no matter what, even if their candidates are clearly and severely flawed (Rick Scott). As an Independent voice, I have no problem with Republicans running things, from time to time… as Florida’s Republican officials, ones that aren’t corrupt, tend to be generally quite capable, competent and professional… but I do have a problem with the fact that the same old Republican bunch of folks have been running things for so long in this state. And I honestly believe that they’ve been running things this long, in Florida, for the specific baseline reason that their overwhelmingly rural white constituents have given them this power on the belief that they will keep these various “others,” that they fear, in check. And while some do, through minority neighborhood neglect (investment-wise), voter suppression tactics, or race-baiting, most ignore their constituent’s wink-and a-nod mandates and go straight on to what they are there to do to begin with… rig the rules and redistribute the wealth among themselves and their corporate cronies...

In conclusion, what I’d like to see in Florida, this upcoming election, is a complete flushing down the toilet of the party in power in this state. Sometimes the only way to learn is to lose -- sometimes, that is -- and the Republican machine that has allowed what’s going on nationally to affect our state so harshly, hasn’t lost in a long time. These people have sold us out and have allowed our once-famed quality of life, here in Florida, to be devoured by greedy developers and corporate tax dodgers. I wouldn’t put too much faith in Democrats either, not initially, but the hard truth is that their turn at the bat, in this state, is long overdue and when a team like ours, Team FL, has been losing too many games, season after season, after season, it might be time to fire all the coaches and hire new blood!