Why shouldn't I believe his words?

I understand the perspective, that no one can be as bad as Hitler.  However, when someone says these things, and I have no reason to believe he won't do these things, a comparison is fair and reasonable. Did the German people know in 1933 what the outcome was going to be? Did my grandparents know they were going to need to flee their country 3 years later? Did my great grandparents know they would die in gas chambers? I don't hear any of his supporters denying he said any of this.  Sure, they are doing some serious gaslighting, to make it go away but why shouldn’t I believe what he says?

Honestly, I find him so reprehensible, so vile and disgusting, a convicted rapist conman, who has convinced people that everyone else is lying except for him and Fox News, spewing lies that are easily disproven. He is a traitor who will turn his back on the country if it helps him. He will sell anything to the highest bidder, to improve his own position, but will not lift a finger to help anyone else, especially those in need or those who oppose him. He has no understanding of country and honor; he only cares for himself. He can’t stand the majority of his supporters, but yet they continue to carry a torch for him because they see themselves in his hateful words. Isnt the president supposed to represents all citizens of our country, not just those who vote for him or those who cow-tow to him.

He is doing nothing to appeal to anyone beyond his base who is primarily white and evangelicals who want to turn the United States into a theocracy. He talks about this country being a garbage can, where conservative hero Ronald Reagan talked about America being the shining city on the hill. He wants to throw out all immigrants who come here simply to make a better a life for themselves. He does not care if they are here legally or not, claiming asylum from persecution in their home country or not. Those immigrants are me, those immigrants are my grandparents, and I am going to continue to believe they have every right to be here, to make a better life for their children because they see the city on the hill, and they want to put their children in a place to succeed for generations to come. These immigrants are not taking our jobs, they are working the one’s that no one else wants.   They work 2-3 jobs, often 7 days a week, with no benefits, unable to collect social security. They are the underbelly of our economic engine that powers our farms, our restaurants, our landscapers, and every other back breaking job that I certainly would not want to do myself. 

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." - Ronald Reagan Farewell Address January 11, 1989

Biden is Old

Biden is old, but so is the other guy

Biden has a stutter the other guy doesn't yet he has issues speaking
Biden has the best interest of all Americans, the other guy does not
Biden does not promote hate, the other guy does
Biden supports woman's right to privacy, the other guy does not
Biden tried to fix the border, the other guy said let chaos reign

All the evidence of High Crimes and Misdemeanors brought against Biden have (so far) been fraudulent or non-existent.

Is Hunter guilty? No idea, and I don't care! He is not employed by the government nor is he listed as an advisor to the President. If there is any evidence that the President was involved in any of Hunter's allegedly illegal business dealings or drug usage, then bring it and I will gladly jump on the impeach Biden bandwagon. Until then, kindly STFU because otherwise it is all gaslighting

All the evidence brought against the other guy, have resulted in 2 impeachments, 91 indictments, from Politico "In Washington, D.C., he faces four felony counts for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In Georgia, he faces 13 felony counts for his election interference in that state. In New York, he faces 34 felony counts in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. And in Florida, he faces 40 felony counts for hoarding classified documents after he left office and impeding the government’s efforts to retrieve them." He has been found guilty of sexual assault, defamation of the victim in the sexual assault case and fraud, for which he has been fined in excess of $500M. This should seem to be enough to disqualify a candidate or at least enough to scare away supporters but not in 2024.

In the past, this would have been a humongous red flag that should have been a non-starter, but people have been fed propaganda around political persecution, which is the biggest load of bullshit ever so he remains the presumed candidate. These same people would happily destroy Biden (see impeachment attempt above), in court if they could, while blindly and hypocritically supporting the other guy who has been convicted of far more egregious crimes. If Mitt Romney can find fault with sexual assault, why cant the rest of the Republican party?

Lets not even talk about Ivanka and Jared getting $2 Billion from the Saudi government while they were employed by the government or why Kushner could not initially get security clearance from our government

There is a reason why a panel of experts specializing in the American presidency, from both sides of the political spectrum ranked the other guy dead last.**

This election with these two candidates should be a no brainer. The other guy was supposed to go away but he didn't. His supporters are frothing at the mouth, and that is concerning to say the least. His party refuses to stand up to him and acquiesces at every single one of his demands. How is a down ticket Republican going to fair this year, when the RNC, now stacked with his daughter in law in charge, has already said they will spend all their money to get the other guy elected. Good for him, bad for other members of the party. It wont matter if they have pledged allegiance to the other guy, all he wants is your money to pay for his campaign and his crimes (see court fines above). It does beg the question of why do people continue to support a guy who lied about being a billionaire, who lied about not taking a salary while president, who lied about donating his salary while president (HINT: STOP GIVING HIM YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY)

The other guy has already told us he is going to be a dictator from DAY 1. That he will put his supporters in high positions, he will fire all opponents from the various ranks of government jobs. He has already tried to invalidate the results of one election, why do we think he will allow any other elections to occur?

You won't see me flying a Biden flag but I am sure as hell going to support the person that has my best interest in mind and has the best interest of the American people, not just the members of his political party.

Biden is not perfect, nor is any other candidate, but he is the best bet for the future of American Democracy. He is the best bet for me, an American Jew to be able to continue to practice my religion as I see fit. If the other guy decides to ban and deport Muslims, what is going to stop him from doing the same to my people? If the other guy decides to deport brown people from south of the border without due process, what is going to stop him from doing that to my people?

A few more random thoughts to conclude my rant:

Do the Democrats have an excellent proven candidate waiting in the wings ready to replace Biden that is a sure fire win? If they did, they would have already thrown him to the curb. Removing Biden will only cause infighting within the Democratic Party as a bunch of people scramble to fill the void. This will drive media ratings, click rates and eyeballs and dollar signs.

Do the Democrats really want to replace Biden? No, look at the write in campaign in NH and the win in SC. I bet you if you were to ask a democrat, they will say similar thing but they will also support him because they know the other guy will turn our country into a fascist dictatorship, while simultaneously killing democracy, and how so many people support this position, is absolutely unbelievable to me, but here we are.

Is the media trying to drive ratings and stir up controversary? YES

Now make a plan to vote on November 5. Not one citizen should stay home this year, there is too much at stake that can impact us for the rest of my lifetime.

Think about it, and have a great Presidents Day

* https://www.politico.com/interactives/2023/trump-criminal-investigations-cases-tracker-list/

** https://thehill.com/homenews/4476288-presidential-experts-rank-biden-14th-among-presidents-in-survey-trump-comes-in-last/

Comments and Letter to BoE - February 1, 2024

Here are my comments from Feb 1 BOE Public Forum on the Budget and an email I sent in support of the budget.

Comments to the Stamford Board of Education:

 Hello, I am Jeff Herz a proud parent of 3, 2 of whom have graduated from Stamford High School and one of which is currently a junior this year at Stamford High. I have come out tonight to support the proposed budget for the 2024-2025 school year

I have been involved and active in the schools and in the district since 2006 and every year I watch as this board or other city boards pick apart the education budget and quite frankly it seems ridiculous that not once has a superintendent proposed budget passed unscathed. This year we must pass the budget through all 3 boards as is or risk significant long-term damage to our city, our schools and most importantly to our children.

To jeopardize parent facilitators, music programs, high school electives and AP courses, school security, support staff would be an absolute travesty that would significantly negatively impact our students and all of our schools. If we don’t preserve these programs now, what will keep demand for our city high?

We have a growing city, as indicated by year over year growth of our schools where all of our neighboring towns and cities are seeing decline enrollment. People want to move here and if we want to keep a high demand then we must continue to invest in the schools, and supporting this budget is the best to do that. I know this is a large percentage increase, but no larger than many other towns in CT who are facing the same sloped cliff as we are here in Stamford. Some of our neighboring towns have already approved budgets with a larger percentage than what is being proposed.

Lets support our kids, our teachers, our support staff and everyone who tries every day to make this district and city great by approving this budget with no changes.

Letter to Friends asking for support and additional details

The SPS Superintendent and CFO have submitted an operating budget of $333,737756 or a 6.43% increase over the previous year. Had they maintained all current programs, services and staff the budget would have been $344,488,841 or 9.95% increase.

Here is a link to the budget presentation some of which I have highlighted below :

•         There is an impending fiscal cliff caused by the expiration of $55M ESSR Funding (Covid related) which currently funds 100+ positions:

o   The fiscal cliff was also steepened by the city boards, holding the schools to a 0.88% increase in 2020-2021, when they were concerned Covid would negatively impact city revenue and spending needed to be reined in significantly.

o   The proposed 6.43% increase brings the 10-year running average back into line with an average of 3% annual increases.

o   This same fiscal cliff is being experienced by most school districts in CT and is not unique to Stamford.

•         The 6.43% budget increase is within the same range as other districts in CT, some of which have already been approved by local municipalities:

o   Norwalk BOE has approved a 8.2% increase;

o   New Canaan BOE has approved a 6.54% increase

o   Danbury is proposing a 17.5%

o   Bridgeport is proposing a 22% increase

•         Stamford ranks 13 out of 22 Fairfield Country School districts in per pupil spending in 2022-23

•         Compared to state average, SPS spends 10% more instruction and student support and 50% less on Central Office (administration)

•         SPS continues to grow, but at a slower .28% annually. Most neighboring towns and the entire state is facing declining enrollment

•         The kindergarten age requirement being implemented this fall, where students must be 5 before Sept 1 are eligible for enrollment. This will reduce the number of incoming kindergarteners and number of teachers needed for this coming year.

•         Costs for transportation, special education and insurance are all rising

•         In the past the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives have cut an additional $10M from the proposed budget. If that happens again the following draconian steps will be necessary*

o   Limited Elective Course Offerings (High School)

o   Limited Special Program Offerings (AP Classes, IB Program, Early College Studies, AgSci, etc.)

o   Eliminate positions (Dean of students, Department Heads, Athletic Directors)

o   Reduce security staff (K-12)

o   Reduce office support staff at schools and central office

o   Reduce school based (Assistant Principals) and central office administrators

o   Elimination of Instrumental Music (elementary)

o   Reduce Parent Facilitators (K-12)

o   Plus additional cuts

(*) - These proposals are mutually exclusive and have no impact on the discussions with the high school teachers regarding the number of courses they teach

What makes America great?

What makes America great?

A quarter of a million people wanting to come to our country every month, willing to leave family and friends behind, everything they have known for their entire lives to make a better life for themselves and for their children.  People who often work 2-3 jobs to support themselves and their families, often getting paid under the table, unable to collect social security or other benefits because they are outside the system, but they know their children will be better here than where they came.  Those children of immigrants are motivated to get ahead, to make better lives for themselves too, not willing to complain about the cards they were dealt or blame others for their misfortune. That desire of people to be here and make their mark here, is what makes us great.

It's 51% of our population being able to get modern healthcare as they need as determined between their doctor and themselves, without government interference.  The United States is supposed to be a free country, where we are allowed to make medical decisions based upon our needs and our beliefs, not those of others forcing their beliefs into our hospitals and bedrooms. There is a reason puritans left England to find freedom on these shores and that very freedom is what makes us great.

It's believing that everyone, including elected officials, are accountable to the rule of law, that we hold all citizens to the same set of standards, that there is not one set of rules for the elite (politicians, entertainers, rich, famous) and one set of rules for the opposition or for us peons. You do not achieve greatness by holding one party to a set of standards, without holding another party to the exact same standard. If you commit a crime, you do the time, regardless of who your daddy is, who you work for, how much you earn, how many movies you make or how much they grossed etc. It’s that all men (and women) are created equal, and that is what makes us great.

It's allowing individuals the freedom to be who they want to be and love who they want to love.  Someone else’s (gay) marriage has absolutely no impact on the sanctity of your marriage, so if you don’t want to be involved, then feel free to not participate.  However, you have no right to tell others how they should be living their life or to tell them who they should love or how they should dress or (see above) what they decide with their doctor about what medicine they can take.  Over the years different groups have fought to prove that they have the right to exist equally in our society and that evolution is what makes us great.

It's understanding that we are all one nation, indivisible, that united we stand but divided we fall.  It’s supposed to be about loving your neighbor, not believing they are your enemy just because they believe something ideologically different from you. Or maybe they believe in a different g-d than you or maybe they do not believe in g-d at all, or maybe they look different than you or speak a different language than you but that does not make them your enemy.  In fact, they love their country just as much as you do, and that should be the first step towards mutual respect and understanding.  Having empathy for your neighbor, understanding their concerns, having a conversation, and being able to talk about the problems facing each of us is what makes us great.

It’s taxing the wealthiest individuals and corporations, so their profits are invested back into the community and into the corporations themselves.  When we had infrastructure that was not falling apart, when we had brand new schools, new roads, new bridges, and we were sending men to the moon, the tax rate was 70%.  Corporations reinvested their earnings into themselves, rewarding their employees, inventing new products which allowed us to go to the moon. When profits are reinvested in the corporation it multiplies and does trickle down so that all employees benefit from the rising tide.  When those profits are not reinvested but rather paid out in dividends and stock buybacks it only finds itself in fewer, larger pockets and not distributed to all those on the boat. It’s that willingness to understand that we are part of a larger community bonded together to make our companies, our neighborhoods, our city, state and nation a better place that makes us great.