Why I Am Not Voting for Donald J Trump & You Should Not Too!

The 2024 Presidential Election is twenty-two days away. Unless you can tune out the news, social media, your neighbors, and chatter everywhere, you will know that Donald J. Trump is running on the Republican ticket and Kamala Harris is on the Democratic ticket.

Before I tell you the reason why I am not voting for DJT, allow me to tell you about myself. My name is Marisa. I live on Long Island (Suffolk County). I have worked in finance in corporate companies since my twenties. I am married and have two young adult children, both in college; I do own a home, and like many residents on Long Island, some weeks are ok, but we also have our struggles; there are times we had to cut back and learn to live on a budget or live smaller.

Long Island is a diverse, densely populated island with high property taxes, high rent, and high utilities too. School taxes are also included in property taxes, so the better the school district is, the higher the property taxes are.

Better school districts are in more affluent neighborhoods- these residents can afford tutors for SATS and ACT testing, and they can hire university brokers to ensure students are placed in the right university and get the best deals; the residents can oversee their children’s academic curriculum without any interference such as a job, a boss, bills or any pending obligation. Having said that, in less affluent neighborhoods, a small percentage of students rise to the top. In addition, they can get the same type of higher education because of their scrappy, tenacious parents who work hard for their children and push for some discipline or value. Finally, everyone works hard on Long Island, and many students continue their education after high school. Not everyone needs a Harvard Degree – We have many great colleges on Long Island. Both my children attend one in Nassau County, and both are doing well.

So, my point is that, as a middle-class housewife working in finance since my twenties, I have been trying to make ends meet, live the American dream, and make a good life for my family. Hoping that somehow or someone will help the middle class has always been something I hoped for.

And that hope has never stopped; it is always an aspiration!

AHH! TO RESUSCITATE THE MIDDLE CLASS!

CLEAR!

Was there a DNR I did not know about?

The ugly truth is the middle class died when President Reagan was in office; moreover, the middle-class dream died in the early 1980’s when mortgage rates were as high as 18% – and the irony is nothing was said; capitalism was at its highest. At the same time, a new arrogant class showed up humorously coined the “Yuppie.” The almighty yuppie was short for young urban professionals; everyone wanted a taste of the yuppie’s lifestyle, greed, money, jobs, long hours, and even cocaine.

Everyone was mesmerized by the dangling carrot. The government slowly changed the laws, raised taxes, and handed out credit cards to anybody who asked. The credit cards had high interest rates and hidden fees, with grandiose promises that minimum payments were all needed to be paid. Eventually, their plan succeeded, and a divide and conquer occurred. Some people could pay off their debt, while others could not. Since then, the 1% of the wealthy population has benefited from tax breaks. I believe lower-income families have some breaks that can work for them, but the middle class has become extinct.

My husband and I are the perfect examples of those who have tried to strive for the middle-class dream. We were born in the 60s and grew up in the 70s. We were surrounded by family members and witnessed our family’s success stories in their own way. Who owned homes, cars, and vacation homes? We had food on the table and basically a sense of security. We grew up with values and respect for our family and our country. I kid you not; that is how I felt. I am a first-generation American; my parents were born in Italy. My husband is a second-generation American; my husband’s grandfather was born in Italy, came here from Italy, raised 12 children as a junkman, and was a widower after his 12th child.

Fast forward to the 1980s when we were married, we were hoping to buy a house, but we couldn’t, so we rented; in the 1990s, with help, we purchased a condo; still delusional, we believed we thought it was possible. It was difficult; we were young, unfocused, and undisciplined, but it made us work harder. But I say all of this because as we tried to strive for what our parents and grandparents had, “the all-American Dream,” no one was telling us it was out of reach; no one was actually telling me and my husband that the playing field changed and each forward move we took the finish line was moved as well.

So, my point is that regardless of what is in our bank account daily, The effort it took to scrape the money we needed to buy the house we are living in now, everything we sold to adopt our children and to figure out how to make ends meet at times. Well, that is the steadfast persistence of the middle-class spirit because, truthfully, what choices do we have?

Although the middle class died in the 1980s when mortgage rates were raised for a minute to 18%, other things were occurring as well: tax laws were changing, credit card fees were being added, and credit scores were being implemented; these minor changes affect the bottom line, and it affected the middle-class. Moreover, these changes chipped away at all of us.  Prime examples are when doing taxes or when elders were planning to retire. We felt it after taxes were taken out of our paychecks, and if we were lucky, we felt if we received a bonus check, that net amount was also a surprise. There were many hurdles and hoops to jump through to get approved for home and college loans, too. And we listened to the experts to save and learned to budget.  Truthfully, or sadly, we thought we were the middle class, but we were not fully thriving, and I always felt like I was hitting a wall because the middle class did not exist.

The middle class can be a household with both partners working one or two jobs or one head of household with one or two jobs working; we shop for food because we have to feed our family; we shop for clothes because we cannot go naked, we shop for gifts various times of the year because we celebrate holidays such as Christmas, and Birthdays! We enjoy holidays like the 4^th of July, throw big barbeques, and take our families on vacations, if possible.

We can actually drive the economy if only the government will let us. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party must realize this.  Madam Vice President, when you say that you came from this type of upbringing, kindly consider bringing us back to life; give us the tools we need to grow so we, too, can feel the Shangri-la of the past. 

Consequently, is Trump the next president who can save the middle class? Can he do something for me or the demographic I am in? Can he save anyone in any class or any group of people?

NO, HE CANNOT – TRUMP IS FOR HIMSELF. HE JUST WANTS A VOTE, AND THAT IS IT!

Former President Trump has many followers who believe Trump is their redeemer. The same group was behind him the first time he was president those years. I remember that certain things were abnormal, such as his speeches and how he spoke to the press, especially women, in his press box. I was shocked at how he attacked many individuals, especially those against his beliefs or who had misspoken about him on his Twitter account. I was literally embarrassed by how the world viewed him and America. I was Dumbfounded by the unintelligent words that came out of his mouth during the pandemic. But that is in the past, and I want to focus on the now: this election, the next four years’ term.

So why am I not voting for Donald J. Trump, and neither should you?

1. Donald J. Trump is a pathological liar who lies to benefit for his own gain.
2. Donald J. Trump is not in the arena to do the heavy lifting for his constituents.
3. Donald J. Trump is not in the arena and has no constituents. He sees his followers as minions, tools to get to the finish line.
4. Donald J. Trump follows the dictatorship format when he speaks; he repeats his content three times.
5. Donald J. Trump idolizes current dictators – such as Putin, Erdoğan, Inácio da Silva, and Kim Jong Un.
6. Donald J. Trump does not believe in a woman’s right to make her medical decision.
7. Donald J. Trump is a convicted felon.
8. Donald J. Trump is an adjudicated sex offender.
9. Donald J. Trump – TWO WORDS – JANUARY 6^TH As a sitting POTUS (Literally, he was watching it unfold from the confines of the White House and was rooting for his underlings), those unfortunate men and women were doing his dirty work and had blood on their hands! For what?
10. For the big lie – Donald J. Trump, to this day, refuses to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 presidential election and has convinced many of his MAGA followers that it was stolen. Along with power-hungry accomplices who drank the Kool-Aid and thought the world would fall in line, they tried to spread the big lie; however, four years later, their legacy is just a stain in history.
11. In the same vein as the big lie or lies, Donald J. Trump is not spewing as some people call it. Trump is speaking the words, and when he orally proclaims that journalists are the enemy, he does it in a Hitleresque style; anything he says is said three times because, by the third time, the listener believes it is true.
    1. Journalists are the enemy.
    2. Women are not fit to do anything right (has no respect for them)
    3. Immigrants are to be feared and are rapists and murderers – Every one of them.
    4. Dictators know precisely how to run a country, and it was nice to see how their soldiers marched (his own words)
    5. “I don’t need you; I just want your vote.”
12. Donald J. Trump mishandled – The COVID-19 pandemic; this includes all the unintelligent speeches and dialogues telling the doctors and the press what they should do.
13. Donald J. Trump – Is a hack salesman who has made it his business to sell cheap products with his name or his image on the products- all these products are shamelessly being sold for exorbitant costs and manufactured outside the United States of America.
14. Donald J. Trump – Project 2025 is real and will happen!
15. Donald J. Trump – Chose JD-Vance as his running mate!

The above list might look like a “why I hate Trump “; even so, I don’t care anymore because I want t to focus on the man’s character at this time instead of his issues and policies. The bottom line is that the truth is that his policies are not in the interest of the American people; he does not respect the U.S. Constitution; he does not honor the checks and balances that our forefathers implemented. And Donald J. Trump is ready to dismantle our entire Democracy that the people built for the people. Unfortunately, he is not doing this alone.

Therefore, I am not voting for Donald J. Trump because I do not believe in his policies and because our Democracy is in danger. Sadly, if Donald J. Trump becomes our next president, our government will be unrecognizable. Project 2025  is a valid threat to the United States of America; our Supreme Court is primed to make the necessary changes. The players are all set, waiting to get on board to do their part. All we have to do is vote in the clown.

Now allow me to amuse you all and explain why  I am not voting for  Kamala Harris. I am not voting for Kamala Harris because she is a woman or a woman of color; I am not voting for Kamala Harris because she is a Democrat or because of her policies.

I am voting for Kamala Harris and Governor Walz because two deranged, misogynistic men are threatening our country’s Democracy.

This election is about keeping us safe from social issues and potential dictatorships. We need Gun Safety Laws and our schools protected. Our LGBTQIA communities need to be safe, our immigration laws need to be fixed, and their communities need to be secure as well.

Women’s healthcare, the right to choose, must addressed; however, that care must include medical care for young ladies starting at pre-puberty to women after menopause for every woman in the country.

Yes, we have a lot to clean up and many serious problems that need to be addressed – I know a woman can do the job. Women have been dealing with these types of issues throughout our history. Kamala Harris, along with Tim Walz, can do it for sure; we cannot have history repeat itself, with four years of hated remarks, insults, fear, and maybe lastly, the threat of a dictatorship on our land.

Harris and Walz have the stamina and knowledge to take us to the next four years to grow, to be safe, and to be prosperous.

Finally, Madam Vice President, if you read this blog, please resurrect the middle class with better tax breaks. Let’s lower the rising cost of health insurance… we don’t have any tax breaks and we need help.