Guest Opinion: These facts bother me. Do they bother you?


David D. Jones
Sat, January 1, 2022, 2:57 AM·3 min read

Does it bother you that a very small percent of the top 1% of our population owns 40% of the wealth? It bothers me. Does it bother you that the military industrial complex is in business partly to sell weapons of war to foreign countries, weapons that could one day be used against us? It bothers me. Does it bother you that 50% of our taxes go to finance the military, when many of these weapons will never be used by us and the money could be put to much better use? It bothers me. Does it bother you that the Senate of the United States so often votes against House-sponsored bills that are in the best interests of the average American? It bothers me very much.

Does it bother you that the Republicans in the Senate vote as a block instead of for what’s best for the American people? It bothers me. Does it bother you that so many members of the Republican Party favor an ex-president who wants to create an autocracy with himself as the head of state? It bothers me.

Does it bother you that our current president hasn’t found a way to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory rather than allowing each person to decide for himself or herself, when to do so means many thousands more will suffer or die, and that, at the very least, the pandemic may be prolonged?

These facts bother me. Do they bother you?

What do you think of an ex-president who obtained the allegiance of many lower and lower- middle class individuals in our country, implying that he would help them financially, but then lowered the tax rate for millionaires and billionaires and did little for his followers except give them promises? This bothers me. What do you think of a political party that helps pay for over a hundred military bases around the world while at the same time votes down a bill that gives the average man the chance of a better life such as improved health care and other benefits by passage of the Build Back Better Act. Does that bother you especially when the United States is the richest country in the world and while other lesser nations do much more in the way of spending for social needs? Does that bother you as much as it bothers me?

Does it bother you that so many members of the Republican Party put our need for structural improvements to the environment before human needs as evidenced by their voting patterns with regard to the Build Back Better Act. That bothers me. Does it bother you that the Republicans in the Senate prevent the American people from having what they want, irrespective of the many polls that indicate that this party consistently votes against what Americans both want and need?

I have given you important facts about our country. How will you vote in the coming elections? It’s up to you to decide what kind of a nation you want to live in.

David D. Jones lives in Warminster.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Guest Opinion: These facts bother me. Do they bother you?