McLean County Times

As the November election draws closer, voters are thinking about which Party to support through the ballot box. It used to be a knee-jerk reaction with Democrats voting for Democrats and Republicans voting for Republicans. With a questionable Democrat presidential candidate and the Party leaving its membership behind to embrace progressivism, many Democrats are now reconsidering. They are (or should be) looking at what Democrats have done to this nation over the past three and a half years. I want to offer some advice by providing an analysis. (Click on the title above to continue reading if necessary.)

As a conservative Republican, I’m not in the habit of seeking out or quoting Democrats for advice. This year, however, I have to. There are two sage pieces of advice that voters should not overlook. Both statements come from well-known Democrats: “All politics is local” and “It’s the economy, stupid.”

The phrase “all politics is local” is commonly attributed to Tip O’Neill (D-MA), former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1977-1987), although he did not originate it. “It’s the economy, stupid” is a phrase that was coined by James Carville in 1992. Carville was a Democrat strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 U.S. presidential election bid against incumbent George H. W. Bush.

Both of these sayings apply to the home front. It’s at the level of the home front that voters most feel the impact of national policies. Consider the following areas where Democrat policies – both locally and nationally – have had a substantial negative impact on our wallets, our families, and our communities:

Growing Homelessness – Rent and insurance costs are through the roof. People are losing their jobs, and people without jobs are having an increasingly difficult time finding jobs that pay decent wages. As a result, we are seeing growing homelessness. Some homeowners are leaving because they can no longer afford to pay the property tax. We are seeing increasing numbers of homeless people living in tents and on food doled out by charitable or government organizations. Bloomington, for instance, now has its own “Bidenville.”

Runaway Consumer Taxes & Fees – Consumer taxes are out of control. We now have taxes for everything – gas, utility, sales, income, inheritance, etc. License plate renewal fees are now $151 for a passenger vehicle. Gas taxes are now set to increase automatically. The prices of everything are going up do to inflation, and so is the "bite" that taxes take out of our income as a result.

Blatant Power Grabs – Democrats have used every available means to gain and keep majority control of the state of Illinois. They have used supermajorities in the state legislature, aided by Democrat governors, to suppress the will of conservatives. Progressive Democrats have promoted changes to state election laws in ways that could help them steal elections. Other examples include gerrymandering the state’s electoral districts, pitting Republicans against Republicans, passing bills to gain political favors, doling out driver’s licenses without proof of citizenship, forbidding voter ID, and trying to prevent political parties from slating candidates in the autumn election if no candidate ran in the primary.

Out-of-control Crime – Democrats passed in the middle of the night last year during the veto session a bill euphemistically named the SAFE-T Act of 2021. The Act does nothing to make citizens safer; it’s quite the opposite. What the Act does is coddle criminals. Many perps, arrested for a “non-violent” crime, are back on the streets in hours, having posted no cash bail.

Failed Schools – The traditional school curriculum of science, math, social sciences, history, and so forth are being eclipsed by “social studies” that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. School report cards show that with each passing year, our kids are becoming less and less capable. At the same time, the cost of educating them has increased. We are paying more for less, negatively impacting our children’s futures.

Embrace of Transgenderism – The radical progressive Left has embraced the LGBTQ+ agenda in all its forms. The Democrats and their ilk support the presence of transmen in women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. They embrace women in men’s sports and drag queens grooming children in public events. They promote or support transgender initiatives and activities, including pornographic books in schools and libraries.

High Interest Rates – Interest rates for credit cards, home mortgages, and vehicle and student loans have spiraled out of sight due to wasteful government spending and the printing of dollars to cover the 35 trillion dollar deficit, now amounting to $100,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States.

Rampant Inflation – Inflation has been as high as 8% annually in recent years. The price of meals in restaurants has essentially doubled during the Biden administration. While the Democrats are happy to note that inflation has moderated recently, prices are up and remain high. For instance, food, utilities, and gasoline cost twice as much now as they did at the start of the Biden administration in 2021.

Unsecure Borders – In addition to illegal aliens, the Democrat open border policy has resulted in a rampant inflow of drugs into our country. Fentanyl, sourced in China and manufactured in Mexico, is killing nearly 100,000 Americans each year. Cross-border human trafficking is resulting in sexual slavery. Some 50,000 children are disappearing each year as a result. A flood of military-age males is entering this country unaccountably and untraceable and constitutes the most significant internal threat for terrorism this country has ever experienced.

Illegal Immigrants – Illegals have flooded the nation, placing a tremendous strain on social services such as healthcare, education, and housing. The presence of illicit aliens increases competition for jobs, particularly among low-skilled workers. This can potentially drive down wages and working conditions and increase unemployment rates among native-born workers. The presence of large concentrations of illegals can cause problems with cultural integration and social cohesion.

Loss of Respect for Democratic Principles – When President Joe Biden agreed to step down (some would say forced out), he was quickly replaced by the Party elites. Kamala Harris was their candidate of choice because she could be manipulated like Biden before her. There was no way the Party could wait for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to proclaim the people’s choice. We must remember that in 2019, Harris withdrew her candidacy with less than 3% national support.

Political Corruption – Democrats are doing everything they can to undermine a fair and honest election process. As recently as early May, the Democrat party of Illinois pushed through, using underhanded methods, a bill that prevented parties from slating candidates for the autumn elections. Fortunately, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the Act with its ruling. Regardless, Illinois Democrats have gerrymandered the state of Illinois so that it’s not the poster child for political corruption.

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Want more of the same? If you do, vote Democrat!

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Is this the sort of state and nation you want to live in? No, me neither! When I realize what the radical progressive Democrats have done to this locale, state, and country over the past few years, I want to go to the nearest window, stick my head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore” – just like Howard Beale did in the 1976 movie Network. Like Howard, I think it’s important to highlight what’s wrong with the world and encourage people to take action to change it.

So, what are we going to do about it? The one legal thing is to vote radical progressives out of office—every progressive member. We can do so best by supporting and voting for every conservative Republican running in local, state, and national races! We need to make a clean of the filth of progressive Left politics. It’s time to STOP the Democrats, and we need to do it now! 2024 might be our last best chance to make a change in the ruling party. Things today are bad and getting worse. After that, Democrats will have consolidated power into their hand so firmly that it’s unlikely Republicans will ever get it back.