Month: June 2024

As a voting citizen, I felt obligated to watch the entire presidential debate on June 27th between President Biden and former President Trump. I pulled out my yellow pad and sat in my office glued to the television, prepared to see the energetic Biden I observed at the State of the Union. Within seconds, it was evident that he was going to present a view of himself that dismantled any hopes I had that he was up for the task, not only of debating, but of successfully running for office again.

His voice was slow, raspy, and quiet. His demeanor was low key and lethargic. He moved and presented himself as a feeble old man. His answers were slow, sometimes to the point and other times, rambling and incoherent. He was unable to effectively counter all the lies and rewriting of history Trump threw at him. At one point, he simply says that everything Trump just said was a lie. He didn’t adequately defend his record, his decisions, nor present his accomplishment in a way that inspired confidence.

Although Biden was clearly a better president and is a more likable human being than Trump, he looked too old and feeble to continue on as president for four more years. It was painful to watch his obvious decline in mental acuity and mobility. But it was also a wakeup call to the Democrat leadership, which I pray they will act upon this time.

Biden needs to step aside and allow another person to assume the presidential candidacy before it is too late. Following the debate, I emailed my request directly to the White House, imploring President Biden to step aside for the good of the nation. I emailed the Democratic National Committee and requested that they convince Biden to step aside and find another candidate to run. I emailed Senator Chuck Schummer and my governor, Galvin Newsome, and requested the same.

Overall, I think Biden has done a good job as president and I commended his record in my emails. However, there is no getting beyond the perception that he presents himself as old and feeble on the world stage and that his inability to effectively communicate his ideas, stay on topic, or issue rebuttals with energy and conviction will lead to his defeat this November.

Everyone says that the choice is Biden’s to make. But that does not mean that as many of us as possible should remain silent and not try to pressure him to do what we are convinced is best for the country and the world. Our silence is our consent, so I hope many people around him and others across the country are encouraging him to step away.

I question why he would remain in the race. How much is ego? How much is hubris? How much is personal ambition? How much is delusional thinking? I don’t know. But I’m praying that enough of us speaking out can break through to him and convince him to take a bow for the wins of the past four years and pass the torch. He has left the country better than he found it. It would be a tragedy to hand over the country to Trump, White Christian Nationalists and their Project 2025 plans and the Federalist Society. We need a strong leader to counteract the damage they have already done and the theocratic plans they have for our collective future.

Of course, if after all efforts fail and Biden chooses to continue running, I will vote for him. I take comfort in the fact that he is surrounded by competent cabinet members, career administrators and staff. I’ve watched many of them testify before congress and the senate on multiple occasions and they exude integrity, confidence, and competence in their administrative areas. None of them shrink before the MAGA Republican nonsense their representatives throw at them. The opposite is true of the previous Trump administration where they were either silent, lying, or frustrated with Trump’s incompetence, law-breaking, and lying that they resigned, were fired, or helped him at the cost of their professional and personal reputations. The Republican lead Senate failed to convict him twice and that is shameful. And now the judicial system replete with just enough MAGA judges are failing us with unfounded delays.

No matter who the democratic candidate turns out to be, I will vote for him or her. I am actively joining the chorus of democrats encouraging Biden to step aside. But if he doesn’t, I will vote for him without reservation because the other choice is completely unacceptable. Trump and the current Republican Party is a threat to our country, the world economy, humanity itself, the rule of law, and the environment. I just wish more Americans were paying close enough attention to see this.

Since retirement, I have sought to rid myself of a lifetime of collecting stuff. I was never a spend thrift, spending money without purpose on expensive toys. I preferred watching money grow through savings and investments. I preferred the satisfaction of donating money to good causes. And I preferred spending money on education and travel. That isn’t to say that I didn’t spend money on things someone convinced me that I needed. I did.

Because I enjoyed dressing up for work, creating and maintaining a comfortable and beautifully decorated home, gardening, and cooking and entertaining, I accumulated a lot of items to help me achieve these lifestyle choices. But now I’ve slowed my roll. I don’t have anywhere to wear all these clothes, shoes, coats, handbags, scarfs, and jewelry. I no longer cook and entertain on the scale I once did. And I’m not so keen on redecorating for every season as I once was. In the past, I was fond of having an occasional garage sale, but those days are over. Now, I’ve taken to donating a lot of items, passing some on to the kids, and I’m writing down the instructions for an estate sale in my will. The point is that you can’t take any of this stuff with you and while you’re here, it all becomes a mental burden to look at while it collects dust.

It’s hard for younger people to grasp this. I had a heated conversation with a family member about the danger of spending every available dollar on expensive toys, foregoing savings and investments. I realize that people have different mindsets when it comes to owning things. In my opinion, that family member has an unhealthy attachment to his stuff because it interferes with his mental and financial stability. Despite the overwhelming credit interest and maintenance cost associated with his expensive toys, my son in law can’t imagine selling any of his items. In the past, I made the mistake of paying off their creditors when I saw interest rates to the tune of 25 -29%, only to have them turn around and purchase more stuff on credit because that money was freed up for new monthly payments. I learned my lesson to never do that again.

We live in a nation where most people don’t have $400 set aside for an emergency. I think we have created an unhealthy relationship with the accumulation of things. No item should be paid for multiple times because of credit interest. My credit card pays me, not the other way around! There are a couple of rules I learned in my thirties that have served me well. First is that immediate gratification and impulse buying lead to financial debt. The second rule is that things do not make me happy. While certain things have utility, I keep them around, but after that, I get rid of them because I find that clutter is a mental weight.

The problem is that everywhere we go, everywhere we look, someone is trying to sell us some item that is guaranteed to make us better or happier. It’s usually a lie. What I’ve discovered through the years is that there is greater happiness in breaking free of the clutter from useless items and even greater satisfaction in donating to good causes. However, the greatest satisfaction comes from watching my savings and investments grow with every dollar I do not spend on frivolous items. This practice has provided my current financial security and future benefits for my grandchildren. Some call it building “generational wealth” and you can’t do that by spending every dollar you make.

June 15, 2024

Dear Chief Justice Roberts,

I am a regular voting citizen of the United States.  I write to you out of my deep concern and regret that I can no longer trust the Supreme Court to make decisions that are in line with our Constitution and that serve the best interest of the people as opposed to the interest of wealthy individuals, religious zealots, and corporations.  It is evident that the Court has been compromised by a lack of accountability, right wing religious ideology, and bribery.  I speak specifically of Justice Thomas and Justice Alito. 

I feel like this is a stolen Court through the political maneuvers of Senator Mitch McConnell and hearings wherein Republican nominees lied to the Senators and the American public with regards to overturning Roe v. Wade.  No Supreme Court has a record of perfect decision making, however, none have been as suspected as our current Court of acting in bad faith.

I feel like your highly politized and religious Court has not only endangered the lives of women, but your Court has poisoned our political system with dark money, made us vulnerable to more gun violence and subjected to undrinkable water and unbreathable air.  Your Court has made a mockery of the rule of law by even considering presidential immunity.  You have successfully provided cover for a man who would essentially destroy our nation and remove the independent power of the press, the justice system, and even the Court. 

I grew up during the civil rights era.  I now understand why civil disobedience may be the only avenue left for many Americans to restore their civil rights that are clearly under attack by the religious right, wealthy ideologs, and greedy corporations. Our very freedoms and well-being are under attack by a Republican Congress that seeks to siege complete power over our lives and livelihoods with the blessing of your Court.   

No woman should have to jeopardize her mental and physical life in favor of an unborn, unaware, and unviable fetus. I do not believe that human life begins at conception.  According to Genesis, it begins with breath.  If religious members of your Court believe life begins at conception, then they should support a woman’s right to not have an abortion.  How is it constitutional to force a woman who believes differently to favor the life of another “person” over her own?  

Given the clear compromise of Justice Thomas and Justice Alito, I call upon them to recuse themselves in any dealings that appear to a reasonable person to be a conflict of interest.  To average Americans like me, they should have nothing to do with issues surrounding Trump or January 6^th.  They should never be involved in issues before the Court where they have received gifts from people involved in a particular case.  This is corruption.  At this point in my life, I believe we are being subjected to a highly politized and highly corrupt Supreme Court that lacks accountability and that cannot be sustained.  Your rulings will be viewed as illegitimate and civil disobedience will become the only recourse many will find.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Juanita Hall

Congressman Bryon Donalds is on Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice president. As such, he and the others on the list are making the most outrageous comments in order to gain favor among MAGA Republican voters. His latest comment to black Republicans explained how blacks did better under Jim Crow because marriage rates were higher. I decided to write to Bryon Donalds regarding his affinity for Republican policies that supposedly benefit black people.

Dear Representative Bryon Donalds,

June 8, 2024

I watched your attempt to clarify your unfortunate comment regarding the black family being together during the era of Jim Crow on CNN.  To be honest, I find your attempt to attribute Republican policies to the black progress we see today not only ingenuous but lacking credibility.  I’ve lived long enough to experience the many roadblocks’ conservatives have placed in our way since the Civil Rights Movement.  It takes an extraordinary amount of tenacity, courage, and intelligence to overcome them.  I’m one of the lucky ones.

I am a black female senior citizen and a democrat.  I am also a Christian.  I attribute my excellent progress with obtaining an education, getting married, raising three law-abiding financially successful children, and retiring comfortably to policies enacted by the Democrats and to my Christian values of love, kindness, and hard work.  My grandparents fled the Jim Crow south for safety and economic opportunities to the Motor City, Detroit.  My parents later moved us to California where red lining curtailed our progress.  However, when the Democrats passed the Fair Housing Act, my parents had the courage and foresight to move us into a white neighborhood where housing values appreciated, the schools were better funded, the groceries were cheaper and healthier, the police were not omnipresent, and the air and water were clean.  I followed suit with my own family.

The reality is that since the passing of the Civil Rights laws, Republicans have sought ways to curtail the progress of black people, women, religious minorities and LGBTQ folks.  In my experience, even though I was an excellent student and state identified as gifted, my mother had to demand I had access to college preparatory courses at the predominately white high school I attended.  It was Affirmative Action that opened the doors to colleges and universities for me to attend.  I lacked guidance from the college counselor who refused to assist me in choosing any college at all, so I chose the University of Southern California where my brother was already a student.  I later learned that I could have attended an Ivy League school with my academic credentials, but I was never afforded the knowledge that some universities were more prestigious than others. 

The Political Party that encourages continued discrimination against women, people of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ folks is consistently the Republican Party.  Your Party does not open doors for people of diverse backgrounds in this country; it closes them at every opportunity.  Your Party has managed to make “diversity”, “equity”, and “inclusion” bad words and continually bans books designed to teach tolerance and reduce bullying among children. I will argue that the progress you see among black people is the result of reproductive choice, access to education, Obamacare, demands for criminal justice reform, and the ability to choose who and when to marry.  The ability is begin building generational wealth is despite the Republican policies, not because of them.  Your Party deserves no credit!

Your Party seeks to “Make America Great Again” when the only ones who experienced nirvana were white Protestant males.  The rest of us were second class citizens, locked out of schools, neighborhoods, healthcare, job opportunities, and some were locked in closets. There was no liberty and justice for all.  There was no realized aspiration of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for every American.  There was no equal justice under the law for everyone.  Those things were reserved for white males.  That was your great America!

Everything your Party is currently doing tells me, and many other Americans, that you want to return to those days.  Your Party’s unreasonable stance on abortion and contraception tells us how much you despise the intellect and aspirations of women.  Your attacks on the LGBTQ community tells us how you want to push them back into the closet and re-subject them to bullying so they will kill themselves.  Your attack on the justice system tells us that you want to return to a two-tiered criminal justice system where wealthy white men (like Donald Trump) are immune from prosecution and all others are over-policed and strongly prosecuted. Your attack on immigrants tells me you value white Christian people over all others.  And your attack on teachers and science, tells me you want a nation of ignorant workers who are easily exploited and expendable cheap labor.  Your attack on regulations means the maintenance of toxic air and water in poor neighborhoods, leaving folks sick and their children stunted.     

My family is building generational wealth.  But it has been through the policies of the Democrats that opened doors that were previously closed, giving us access to better education, better jobs, decent healthcare, bank accounts, capital, and allowed us to control our reproductive choices. 

I truly have no idea why you are a Republican.  They think men who look like you are criminals and belong in prison, not in professional careers.  Our country does need workers, but your Party can’t stand the idea of immigration when the pool of available workers are brown and black people.  It speaks to their inherent belief that all men are NOT created equal.  And that is the problem I have with MAGA and now with you.

Our Constitution promises equal justice under the law. School children and attendees at civic meetings begin with the Pledge of Allegiance wherein we proclaim a commitment to “liberty and justice for all.” But in many ways, these words are more aspirational than reality. Some Americans seem to be just fine with a justice system that harshly punishes the poor and people of color and seeks to pardon wealthy white men.

This past week, during Trump jury deliberations in New York, I asked my husband if he thought Erik Trump misspoke when he predicted they would win in the hush money trial because they were “white”, and the case was nonsense. My husband thought as I did that Erik spoke a truth that he might have preferred to keep silent. It’s evident to me that because Trump is wealthy and white, he has been able to break laws his entire life with near impunity until now; so being prosecuted feels really unfair to him and his family. We’re talking about a man who cheated on his SAT, dodged the draft, sexually assaulted women, discriminated against blacks in housing, cheated contractors, defrauded banks, defrauded Trump University students, and evaded taxes. Think of the many people through the years who were prosecuted and served time for crimes like this. He never did. For all his crimes, he was never prosecuted criminally until now. Most times, the law turned a blind eye. On occasion, he paid small fines, or he successfully tied things up in court leaving his victims without justice.

Many Americans, like me, are glad he was finally held criminally accountable for at least one crime. His more serious crimes involving stealing classified government documents and conspiring to steal the 2020 election have been successfully postponed by Republican judges who have co-opted our justice system through clever legal maneuvers. It is frustrating to say the least.

However, other Americans, most of whom are avid Trump supporters, are outraged that he is being held accountable at all. To their minds, Trump is somehow either incapable of breaking the law or is above the law altogether. No, it doesn’t make sense, but here we are. I hear them passionately proclaim that he hasn’t done anything wrong. I hear them echo his claims that this is all a political witch hunt. They aren’t interested in the truth; they are interested in protecting their dear leader. After the guilty verdict, the calls for riots and violence against the judge, prosecutors, jurors and all democrats are actually pretty frightening.

And then there are a handful of short-sighted Americans who submit to an unjust two-tiered justice system wherein some people are actually treated better than others and rightfully should be held to a different standard. They hold people like politicians and wealthy elites as somehow too valuable to society to be held to the same laws as average citizens. Unless someone is murdered, they seem to be okay with “white collar” crimes wherein elites evade taxes, falsify legal and business records, defraud banks and business partners, bribe politicians, extort others, and sexually harass women. They mistakenly view these as victimless crimes, failing to realize that we, the American people are the actual victims. The idea that any American would select a convicted felon as president is a terrifying thought. I’m hopeful the persuadable folks who are still reasonable will recognize what is best for our nation before it is too late.

In a way, I’m grateful that Trump has highlighted one of our nation’s psychological shortcomings when it comes to upholding the rule of law. We now see more clearly that we have yet to realize the aspiration of our founding fathers for equal justice under the law. But with the criminal conviction of Trump in this small and comparatively insignificant case, we have moved a step closer to that goal.