The Native Iowan

Ive been driving a lot today. Thinking a lot. Listening to the half hourly news…

I decided I needed help to figure out what is what in the USofA. I watched the recent anger, the recent protests, the recent angst. What I see confuses me a whole bunch.

So I decided to ask for some help, some advice. I asked two people I know well, respect a lot and who had each attended one of the many “protests” held over the week end. It was titled/ advertised as the “hands off” protest. The following is what I sent…

Hey there… need some help if I may…

As an outsider looking in, I am confused by what I see in the USA. 

I understand the polarised nature of the US society… sadly most of the world is split along a 50/50 line. No matter what the question, 50% say yea, 50% say nay. Influences and preferences sway left and right.

Ive lived “overseas” since January 1981. I now hold 3 passports. I have only ever voted in one country, Australia. It’s illegal not to vote here.

So, I’m not the most political creature, but I am a long time commentator. And a very conservative businessman. I started a business in the Solomons in the 80s, my son and daughter run it today. I have a business here in Australia. I am well versed on taxes, liabilities, trade, commercial finance, etc, etc. As a businessman I have never seen a “good” elected administration. They all suck in some way, shape, form, they all mismanage the public purse. 

I claim to be a centrist… I think both (all) sides of the political spectrum to be corrupt, self serving, unfaithful, cant respect any of them. New politicians may have a modicum of self respect, but they lose it shortly after taking office. Too much temptation. Too much corruption. 

I use Australia as an example of bad governance, bad decision making… in the name of “Green”, manufacturing has been shipped off these shores to Asia and beyond. Aus is resource rich but is phasing out coal, something they export heaps of. Phasing out natural gas, another thing they export heaps of. And ore… no smelting/ value adding of resources done on these shores, anymore. No oil is refined here anymore. Minimum wage is something like 20$s an hour. Rent is around 3500$ per month for an average house. A Macdonalds burger is 20bucks. Its is a very expensive country to call home.

I have not been back to the USA since 2019. 

So I am wondering what and why the protests. 

I get it… Trump is a despicable human… or such I believe. I get it. He is impossible to “like”. I have an articulate reason why I believe Trump aint respectable. I know why I dont like him. 

But why the protests… is it for shutting down USAID? Cancelling all things DEI? Taking boys from girls locker rooms? Claiming that there are only 2 sexes.

Are his policies unacceptable? I dont know. I dont live there. In my opinion the USA is in a mess. I’d like to think the last election has led us to where we are. I’d like to think supporting the system is the best first choice.

I feel/ fear the emotion I perceive in the USA to be very close to hysteria. I do not get the violence and civil dismantling taking place. Ive lived through civil wars and huge amounts of civil unrest… and do know it aint cool.

So, I need some help and I see you were at a protest. 

What are your take aways? Why did all this happen? 

In my past I too attended a protest that was really a riot spiced with looting plus a few murders thrown in…

Hope all is well with you. 

Come visit Australia

Smiles

Mike

I cant publish what my friends said. I cant/ won’t quote them. But I will summarise what I gained from the experience, from the interaction…

I found that emotion is the driving force. I failed to gain any articulate clarity as to why or how, but I got consensus that it was “BEAUTIFUL”. My old buddy, living on the West Coast, said it was… “…beautiful, like the old days, man…”. My close female friend in the midwest too said it was “…beautiful, nice, friendly…”.

I didn’t get to understand why they each wanted to join the protests, what they individually were protesting. An inherent distrust “of The Man” is a shared theme with my old buddy, but I didn’t get much of a reason why…. “dismantling the system” was mentioned, but I remain uncertain what system we speak of. I heard an articulated fear that the loss of the Dept of Education would be bad, but a quick discussion on the past 50year decline of standards fosters agreement that change is needed. Is it a bad thing that each state now gets to mange their own education-system? Give it a chance.

The deportation theme is a hot potato. Both agree that legal immigration is good, and the recent mass-migration of illegals has not improved their lives…. BUT… both have BUTssss….

The LGbtxzy+Tranz theme is a distraction. Live and let live is easy, but dicks in the girls locker room aint cool. Each of my friends agree with that. Both have children.

Billionaires running the country… nothing new, agreed. We all agree that the Elites are the puppet masters. My contention has always been that both DNC and RNC politicians/ operatives work for the same people.

So it boils down to personalities. Not polices. Or such is my take away… and it was beautiful…

more later