10 Losses I Expect to Experience Whenever A Republican Gets Into Office

The western world is leaning right.

I’ve lived my life as though these losses have already taken place. Why?

Because there has ALWAYS been a group of Americans whose #1 goal is to cancel The New Deal. From the very beginning, they’ve hated it with a passion.

That’s also why I never refer to Democrats as the lesser of two evils, because although they don’t deliver 100% of what I would like to see happen in this country, Republicans offer zero progress to Americans. They’re committed to regressing, back, back, back to a pre New Deal era.

The New Deal was a hated piece of legislation from the start.

As time passed, even the people that it benefitted began to question whether it was a good idea. Propaganda is a highly successful political strategy for changing public opinion and convincing them to vote against their own best interests. This baffling behavior is yet another flaw in the design of the human brain.

How Do You Help People Who Vote Against Their Own Best Interests?

I may not have totally understood the longterm political ramifications of Reaganomics, back in the day, but I did sense that I had a much greater chance of survival in America if I learned to not expect my country to have my best interests in mind.

With that thought at the forefront, as I matured, and better understood human nature, I adopted a realistic world view.

1. I live as though my husband could lose his social security tomorrow by staying out of debt and keeping my overhead as low as possible. That way we can hopefully survive on two part time jobs at minimum wage if need be. Republicans have never made a secret of their desire to get rid of social security.
2. I live as though I’ll lose my state pension one day or have it drastically cut. I retired from public education in the state of Maine, one of a handful of states where employees only pay into the state pension plan. I’m also keenly aware that the state of Florida just passed legislation which restricts all new teachers in the future from joining the pension plan. Other states will follow.
3. I live as though abortion will become illegal in many if not most states and birth control will become harder to get. I got my tubes tied when I was 27 because I didn’t want any more children. All those years ago, I fully understood that men are allowed to have all the sex they can get, but women needed to protect their personal autonomy from a world that was always looking for a way to punish or restrict us. Republicans hate women.
4. I live my life as though my brilliant transgender friend will need my protection because I know that Republicans will hate her if they see her. Her accomplishments, which exceed most people’s do-nothing lives, will often go unnoticed or unappreciated. My gay friends face the same terrible social consequences. Republicans need them to kick around in order to create a moral high ground to stand upon.
5. I live my life as though Medicare will be privatized. They’re making great progress with that already by offering Medicare Advantage to senior citizens. Forget Medicare for All. American retirees aren’t even supporting our current original Medicare.
6. I live my life as though Lake Erie will become a dead lake again and Lake Superior will be greatly compromised. During the 1960s Lake Erie was declared a dead lake due to eutrophication and pollution. The Great Lakes hold 20% of the entire world’s fresh water, but Republicans are dying to drain waste products into these natural wonders.
7. I live my life as though climate change will continue to threaten my granddaughter’s existence after I’m gone. I bought land above the 45th parallel in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a possible refuge for her in the future. Republicans are climate change deniers.
8. I live my life as though the modern world we enjoy will be greatly compromised due to our crumbling infrastructure. I keep a larder full of food, have a backup power source rather than a fancy car and an RV. This is a significant worry of mine because repairing our crumbling infrastructures is actually something that both parties can agree upon, but Republicans hate to give democrats a victory of any kind.
9. I live my life as though Trump or a Trump wannabe will take back the White House in the midterms. Since many Democrats have decided once again that both parties are the same, our ability to unite against an impending fascist government is highly unlikely. It will be a nightmare and bring the hope of any kind of progress to a screeching halt for years to come. In fact, we will regress instead.

On a side note: I’ve searched high and low for articles written by Republicans criticizing their own party.

They may be out there but they’re rare. Democrats, however, trash their own party every day. Clearly they do not understand that the western world is on the verge of full fledged fascism and Republicans are leading the way.

And ….. drum roll, please, #10!!!!!

I live my life as though our National Parks, protected lands, USPS, public schools, universities, any institution that defines a modern, progressive country’s quality of life will be attacked, privatized, or completely obliterated in order to either make money for a few or keep the general population uneducated.

If you don’’t know that numbers 1–10 have been a Republican wet dream for decades, then you’ve been sleeping under a rock with your thumb in your mouth.

They’ve never made a secret of their intentions. Since The New Deal, the social model that helped to build a strong middle class for the first time in the history of this country, there has always existed a group of Americans dedicated to these goals.

I live as though all of the above will happen. And, when I hear Democrats say that the two parties are the same, I know for sure that we’ll never be able to sufficiently unite against Republicans. They will always have that added advantage over us, because Republicans largely unite over two issues — abortion and guns. They understand the power of unity and use it to their advantage without fail.

This is why I’ve always lived my life as though the amazing progress made in the 20th century never happened or that it’ll never repeat itself.

It was a blip on the screen of social evolution, a rare and amazing time period. Who knows where we’d be today if it had been allowed more than a few decades to flourish. We were on the right track but soon derailed by evil forces that to this day will not rest until they’ve taken us all back.

Back, back, back, to the Dark Ages. If I spot you in the dark shadows of a dirty world ravaged by climate change, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Teresa Roberts is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.