It's the last day of 2014. I am very ready for this next year to begin. Some crap happened this year that sucked not only for me, but for our country and for our world. Here's what I don't want to see any more of in 2015...
Mitch McConnell's face - Aside from him being ugly as hell, he's an obstructionist, a villain and a self proclaimed "master of gridlock." His voting history makes a statement. It says, I'm against the following...
- Women rights
- Rights of minorities
- Equal rights for homosexuals
- Better education for our children
- Making college affordable
- Cleaning up our environment
- The rights of injured people
- A healthier America
- Immigration
- People being able to earn a living wage
What is he for then? Guns, big money, combining church and state, and a Big Brother type government. Frightening.
Pandemics - People die. This is the #1 reason. But also propaganda spread by the media makes people go crazy. Media spins stories in a way that gets ratings. It's not different with the spread of diseases. They want us to panic so we stay glued to their every word.
Decapitations - We almost saw as many in our reality as we see on Game of Thrones. I don't mean to make light of these murders, but they're so horrific, it seems like a good way to separate myself from the atrocities of the world. But of course I can't. And the bigger problem is ISIS, a name I would rather not hear any more of in the news.
Racial profiling - Don't tell me racial profiling doesn't exist, because I know better. From Trayvon Martin to Michael Brown to Ezell Ford (and of course long before that, but I'm talking the last couple years), if racial profiling didn't exist, these men would still be alive.
Cowboy cops - Yes, I understand that not all cops are cowboys. Some do a wonderful job in protecting us from all the ill will and harm out there. But there have been too many senseless deaths as of late because a cop was trigger happy or acted with an unreasonable level of violence. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Dante Parker, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Kajieme Powell, Yvette Smith...I will note, all of these victims are African American. Does this happen to white people, I'm sure it does, but all too often it's the result of racial profiling in the first place that allows this to happen.
Airplanes disappearing - 2 right? That's 2 too many.
NFL players getting off easy - Yes, the NFL has been better about disciplining their players, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson...of course, it took the video of Rice's punch to get that ball rolling. 48 players have been considered guilty of domestic violence under NFL policy between 2000 through 2014. In 88% of those, the league suspended players for one game or not at all, 56% received no suspension, and 15 others were forced to sit out one game. These guys are role models for men and boys alike. Punishment should be quicker and harsher.
Obama bashing - Yes. This. The man has done a lot of good for this country. Here's just a few things he's accomplished:
- Allowed millions health insurance
- Got rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
- Brought our troops home from Iraq
- Instituted equal pay for women
- Saved the auto industry
- Created millions of jobs and lowered the unemployment rate
- Dow Average is up
- Gas prices are down
- Consumerism is higher
- Interest rates are lower
- Expanded hate crime definitions to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability.
- Expanded access to affordable government loans and Pell Grants for college.
- Eliminated Qaddafi and Bin Laden
- Started a nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia
- Removed restrictions on stem cell research
School shootings (or any shootings for that matter) - Self explanatory. Of course, this won't happen without some kind of gun control initiative. And don't even argue with me on that because I will disagree with you.
And for good measure let's throw in an end to racism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, misandry, and any other kind of hate and intolerance that might be out there.I'm sure I could think of more, but these are high on my list. What are some things you want to see end? What are you tired of hearing about? Let me know.
