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On January 20th, 2021 our nation will install Joe Biden as our president. He was elected during a very unique time in our country as we, and the rest of the world attempted to navigate a pandemic caused by the coronavirus. We also experienced a time of extreme civil unrest. President-elect Biden will have the luxury of having a Congress that will be controlled by the Democrat party. He will be in charge of a nation that is currently divided on so many issues, including the outcome of the presidential election.
In 2008 I wrote a similar note concerning the election of President Obama. In this 2021 note, I will repeat some of the same things I said 13 years ago. In my opinion, at our core, we need to stop looking to government to fix our issues. It's that hope that has us still addressing the same problems we had 13 years ago. It's that hope that keeps us electing career politicians to "fix" our nation.
Because I am an American, I will support the efforts of our president elect, although I clearly recall being asked if I could support the efforts of our president when Donald Trump was elected. I also clearly remember the chants of "not my president" that were heard loud and clear over the past four years. I have no desire to see any US president fail, for if the president fails, our nation fails and I don't want that.
Having said these things, it's should be clear I did not vote for Joe Biden. I did not vote for him because as a nation, we should be tired of career politicians who work to position themselves to obtain the office of the presidency. I did not vote for him because he has been in politics for 47+ years and has nothing to show for this amount of time in government. I did not vote for him because I do not agree with him on the issues of taxes, our economy, minimum wage, student loans, protecting our borders, immigration and his heartfelt belief concerning the vote of minorities. As a black man, I don't need an old white man telling me that whom I support determines if I'm black or not. Quite frankly, I don't need help from anyone telling me if I'm black. I believe I have that figured out.
I did not vote for him because I believe his desire is to make this nation more dependent on government than ever before. It's scary when you hear him and members of his party put forth ideas that would make everything free. Think about this; if you have children who are between the ages of newborn and 13, for the most part everything they get (food, shelter, clothes, rides, healthcare, etc) is free for them. Even at a young age, when they want everything they see, you begin to teach them they can't have everything and that money doesn't grow on trees. At some point you begin to teach them they have to work in order to get the things they want. You begin to teach them that all this stuff they get from you is really not free because you, the parents, are paying for it. As they reach the age of maturity, you, the parents, stop providing your children with all this "free" stuff. My point is someone has to pay for this "free stuff", but I digress.
I did not vote for him because I believe he selected a vice president solely because of the color of her skin, and I believe that other selection are being made just because a person is a woman or a minority. Add to that the fact that many of his cabinet members will be the same people from past administrations who claim they have our best interest at heart. Biden and his party do not stand for the things I believe in but; let me be clear, I hope his time as president is successful and he is able to keep our nation great.
I say all of this because as I watched the campaign and listened to many discussions from radio personalities and everyday people, the true substance of the issues, 13 years later, were rarely discussed. All that was discussed was what a bad person President Trump is and how better we would be if someone else was in charge. Apparently, the someone else didn't matter. I recall seeing a sign in a yard that said "Anyone but Trump". This causes me to wonder how none of the other people who ran on the democrat side made it to the top. It causes me to wonder how the person who dropped out of the race first, was selected to become the vice president. All of the issues that trouble our country were not created by one man who was in politics for 4 years. I'm not saying they were created by a man who was in politics for over 47 years, but I am saying that during those 47 years nothing really has changed and he had 8 years to help "fix" things as vice president of the United States.
This election was more about voting out President Trump than it was about voting in Joe Biden. Many people know what they were voting against, but have no idea what they were voting for. Hold on cause we're fixin' to find out.
So 13 years later, I ask, why was Biden elected? What can this one man change? Thomas Sowell wrote about the use of words that really have no meaning. In my opinion, change, is one of them, specifically when used as a political tool. President Obama promised "hope and change." What was that and did you get a pocket full of hope or change? Biden wants to change America by increasing taxes, increasing the minimum wage, free college, end racism,and end violence with more gun laws. He wants to "Build Back Better". What exactly does any of that mean and how does that make America better?
As a society we all need to be smarter. We have lost the art of civil discourse. We have lost the art of the compromise. We have lost the ability to disagree on a matter and still remain civil. Our idea of a victory is MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). We no longer consider an issue and then apply our critical thinking skills. We look to others to tell us what to think and believe. When hit with facts, we scream and shout and call people names. We should be asking how a person who is supposed to be serving the people, became a multimillionaire. We should be asking why Biden didn't run for office after President Obama's final 4 years. We should be asking why the media has failed to discuss the faults of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, but wake up everyday eager to find fault with President Trump.
Earlier I stated I don't need Biden or anyone telling me if I'm black. Interestingly enough sometimes black is our skin color. Other time it's how we think or what we choose to believe. Somewhere there is a book written by someone dictating how we as black people are supposed to think. Interestingly enough there seem to be white people who have this book, but not some black people. What's worse is if I, as a black man, have a different view on the issues, it is expected for other blacks to call me names such as coon, sell out or Uncle Tom, and it is completely encouraged and expected for whites to call me those same names or worse. Apparently there's nothing wrong with that, because I am not thinking right. My re-education becomes everyone's top priority.
We want freedom, yet in our own culture, don't tolerate those who have a different view of life. We're supposed to be afraid of the police, we all grew up in the ghetto, (no) come from single parent homes (no) and just can't make it without the help of the white man,(no) who we hate by the way....
Here's a small bit of news for you. My parents are from the US Virgin Islands. Their parents are from the British Virgin Islands. I am doing a family tree on Ancestry.com attempting to go back as far as I can. So far no slaves. Did my people experience racism. Absolutely. Did my people screw each other over in an attempt to get more? Absolutely. Did my people work hard everyday and those without education make sure those coming up got an education? Absolutely. Do I have black and white people in America look at me differently because I am educated and employed? Absolutely. Does racism still exist in America? Absolutely.
Finally, is most of the destruction of black america, the fault of white americans or black americans? To me it's sad that every time there is an "event" in the "black community" we are still chanting "We shall overcome". What exactly are we still trying to overcome? It's sad blacks are still looking for the government to "set them free". It's sad that black americans still support a party that never really wanted them free or equal, and only come around every election cycle to promise more yet continue to deliver less. (Although I do not support BLM and what they stand for, note that the democrats pandered to them. Once they won, they basically dismissed this "movement.")
This new administration is going to experience some challenges. There is a large part of America that is not happy with the election results. For four years we were told Trump stole the election from Hillary. Now we are being told there is no way there was any possibility of election fraud in the 2020 election. We were told that everything we were hearing about Hunter Biden was Russian disinformation until it was no longer disinformation which conveniently was after the election. There is a large part of America who "voted Trump out", but have no idea what they voted in. Then there is the group who know what they voted in and want more; more free stuff. We are already seeing people and businesses canceled because of who they supported. As Americans, we are supposed to be free to support whomever we want. I'm not sure when that changed and I'm not sure when it became acceptable to punish those who do not share your point of view. I'm really not sure when it became acceptable for elected officials to insist people and businesses be canceled.
The preamble to the Constitution starts off with "We the people" not we the government.
We the people have to take responsibility for our actions.
We the people need to be the change agents in our homes, communities, and states.
We the people need to "secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity".
We the people need to wake up so we can remain a free and prosperous nation.
I pray this administration believes these truths and works to help us understand the role "we the people" play in making and keeping America great.
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