I am no longer content with just staying out of it.

Remaining quiet and neutral is complacency, which is the last thing we need in these challenging times. We are about to discover if Americans have any backbones left. Are we just going to roll over and play dead, or in some cases, roll over and die?

The three most significant issues with me are Sending American Jobs overseas, dumbing down Americans, and Inequality in taxation.

My first peeve is sending American jobs overseas. I was a victim of sending jobs overseas because my company (The Sun-Sentinel) felt it was cheaper to outsource our graphics department’s work than to pay honest, hardworking Americans a decent wage. The rich have to get richer; they can’t stand to lose that bottom line because of rising prices, so they go overseas, outsource, and avoid paying Americans a decent wage. I am no longer content with this injustice.

The “Dumbing Down” of Americans

The “Dumbing Down” of Americans is my second biggest peeve. According to Wikipedia: “Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, cinema, news, video games, and culture.”

First, books are banned in our libraries and schools. Second, school children are pushed from one grade to another under Florida’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

Florida Schools insist on passing students

Why is this not a good thing? While working for the school system for a 2-year stint as a teacher assistant ESE, I have witnessed the passing on of children to higher grades after 3rd grade, no matter if they even understand the material being taught, let alone learn anything. I witnessed a child in 5th grade who was intellectually at level 1 get passed up to middle school. 

I am no longer content facing the possibility of an Intellectual wasteland

Finally, by the intense pushing of the Anti-woke agenda and the disregard for solid, proven science, anti-vaccine nonsense, and global warming denial. All this leads to lies and dumb conspiracy theories taking over our once-trusted newsrooms. Thus, the dumbing down of Americans. We should not be content with this situation.

My third peeve is the inequality in taxation. I am stuck in the middle, and I pay more taxes proportionately than billionaires! At some point, these mega-churches need to start paying taxes, especially if they wish to be so involved with American politics. So, it is clear that I am no longer content with this system.

Once in a while, I find myself rattling a few cages. This post is more robust than my previous post. I want to keep it relevant to some of the concerns we are forced to confront. Are we preparing ourselves for the changes coming? How will this affect me as a senior citizen? Why should I care? Why should you Care?  I care because I am no longer content staying out of it.