America 2019, So Far

As tanks roll down the streets of Washington on the Fourth of July,  we are reminded that we are no longer celebrating America's independence.  Instead, we are celebrating a man whose ego knows no bounds, and whom everyone wishes would just go away.

Having said all that, it's time to take stock of America in the first half of 2019, and wonder where all that freedom and democracy went.

--An economy with low unemployment, so long as you can put up with stagnant wages while still paying for college.

--Trade wars with China and Mexico that end up making the American consumer collateral damage. 

--A President who rules by tweet, pals with dictators, and can't be prosecuted as long as he's in the White House. 

--Twenty Democrats trying to convince voters over two nights that they have what it takes to be the next Commander in Chief.   The front runner is a former Vice President who's older than the Current Occupant by only a few years. 

--In its zeal to keep dangerous criminals south of the Mexican border, the government is keeping men, women and children who aren't lowlifes in conditions that resemble a poorly-run animal shelter. 

--The Supreme Court gives the OK to states who jury-rigged voting districts for the sake of keeping certain Congressional seats in the hands of certain people in perpetuity. 

--A woman's right to determine what happens to her own body depends on where she lives.

--Women who claim the Current Occupant  sexually assaulted them decades ago are now waved off as being not his type. 

--Busing school children across city lines to achieve racial balance, which was a hot topic more than 40 years ago, has resurfaced with Senator (and Democratic presidential candidate) Kamala Harris saying she was affected by it.

--A new poll tells us that Americans' pride in their country has never been lower.  Wonder why that is?

--Nike has pulled its line of shoes with the  Betsy Ross flag design.  It seems to remind African Americans of white supremacists rather than American independence.  Wasn't slavery also prevalent then too?

--More people cared about how "Game of Thrones" ended, or that Netflix is losing reruns of "The Office" to NBC than bothered to watch the Democratic debates. 

As John Mellencamp would say, "Ain't that America?" Land of the free.  Home of the exploited and gullible.  And the clueless.   Happy 4th. everyone.