I’m deeply wounded that so many people in this country voted for someone who’s bent on destroying the foundational US principles that my parents–one conservative, one liberal–taught me to believe in. I’m a patriot. I love those principles. I think of all those who died in WWII defending those beliefs and how disgusted and heartsick they’d be.
My pain led to fury. I’m enraged. When I’m alone in my apartment and cry, “You damed fucking idiot assholes!” that’s anger. Usually I reserve hatred for evil principles, not people. But there’s nothing sympathetic about Trump, not personally, and not politically. He has become entirely his warped, hate-based principals.
Remember back in July 2023 when Marjorie Taylor Green was temporarily presiding over the House where she called for decorum? The house erupted in laughter because the idea of MTG of all people calling for decorum was absurd. I feel the same way whenever someone complains about us being too mean to Trump voters. Come on. Now you want decorum?
My brother, who exclusively has referred to Harris as “the ho” for over ten years gets the vapors over being called a MAGAT.
This basically encapsulates the victory of Republicans in the language debate. Demonizing women and people of color is A-OK for a growing percentage of the population.
Apologies if this is not the best thread for this. In one of the 3000+ post threads about what Trump can do to win, I previously mentioned my discussions with a couple of golf buddies who were going to vote for Trump. I remain uncertain how to interact with folk who voted for him.
Since the election, I asked the 84 yr old father what he expected. He said he thought I’d be pleasantly surprised, because Trump had learned so much since his previous term. He expected Trump to make significant advances re: the economy and immigration. I did not pursue the discussion.
Another week, the 55 yr old son asked me if I had changed my mind about Kamala being a moron. I said no. I asked him what specific developments he anticipated that would support Trump’s progress re: the economy. He said he and his wife would pay $3600-4600 less in taxes. I didn’t ask at the cost of what services he - or more likely, someone else - receives, but at least I know his price! He also made a comment about 2d graders going to school and being told they were of a different gender.
With that background, the father very recently was diagnosed w/ bladder cancer. He told me that prior to this diagnosis he had been in the hospital 8 times over the previous 10 months. The hospital “bills” were $900k, of which Medicare paid $400k, and he paid $0. Every time I see him and his son, I want to ask them why they believe society ought to pay $400k to keep him alive… Just so hypocritical of folk who criticize whatever services anyone else is receiving, while not even questioning the services they receive themselves.
Apologies that this may not really progress any specific discussion. Just still struggling how to deal w/ Trump voters I encounter IRL.
My cousin works for a small company that is all Trump supporters, except for her and one other person. She respects their work, but not there politics.
They want her to go to some sort of work holiday party. They keep badgering her about it. She does not want to go, and has good reasons not to.
I don’t hang around morons being at the top of the list.
At my work, we do not talk politics. We talk work. I don’t understand the people that want to talk politics at work.
At my workplace the anti-DEI people are triggered by the corporate messaging around Black History Month, MLK Day, Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, International Women’s Day, etc.
So from their point of view “They started it!”
Also as my sister says “This is not politics, it’s just common sense!”
Regarding the son, a week or two before the election, I was at the gas station, and saw a 20-ish man wearing a t-shirt that said “1 OUT OF 3 KAMALA VOTERS” (incomplete American flag) “ARE JUST AS STUPID AS THE OTHER 2.” I chuckled and said, “Hey, it’s still a free country.”
The left-behinds lashing out I can actually understand. Generally they’re idiots who don’t realize how good they actually have it, but I get where they’re coming from.
The people who just want to pay less in taxes, no matter the cost, and generally don’t want to think about where the tax money really goes, them I have zero patience for. They believe that there’s some magic pork barrel that wastes trillions and provides no benefit, and it’s just a matter of dumping that one out. They have no idea, for instance, just how big the military is and how much it consumes. Most Trumpers I know want us to stay out of foreign entanglements and world cop jobs, but bristle at the idea that we shouldn’t therefore need 11 freaking nuclear powered aircraft carriers.
And FWIW, my annual federal income tax bill is six figures. So I know the pain of taxes.
I just read in the paper the other day that the median salary for Chicago Public School teachers is $90k, and they are seeking 9% annual raises.
In my very well funded upper middle class suburb’s single district system, the average pay is around $62k, with the highest teachers making north of $150k.
My DIL used to teach in a Denver area system, and her pay was shit. I acknowledge that some CPS teaching assignments ought to come w/ combat pay. And funding schools locally is a horrible system. But I don’t believe it is fair or accurate to suggest that all teachers are underpaid.
But, I digress. Add me to the list of folk who have never complained about the amount of taxes I pay. I fully support a robust and diverse array of public services supported by taxes. And as I sit in my very comfortable home, able to buy/spend pretty much whatever I want whenever I want, it would never cross my mind to say I pay too much in taxes.
(I regretted typing that, BTW. It’s me and my wife, so that’s for two incomes, and we’re a childless couple who have spent 30 years career-focused)
Here in Boston it’s similar- the city proper can pay teachers well north of $100k, but the suburbs, even the rich ones, are much lower. I’ve been told it’s because everyone wants to teach in Lexington ($$$$) and nobody wants to deal with the inner city kids.
