Opinion: The danger of political intimidation

Political intimidation threatens the integrity of our democracy.

Recently someone removed a political sign from the end of my driveway. That doesn’t make America great, it makes our democracy WEAK. It’s a crime and an attack on free speech.

Everyone needs to be seriously concerned and oppose those who believe it’s okay to threaten and terrorize anyone who disagrees with them.

My wife and I feel like victims in our own neighborhood and are wondering who took the sign. Many people in our neighborhood have signs for the opposite political party and we ask ourselves could it be them. Some of my friends have told us that they are afraid to put up political yard signs because they fear retribution.

Sometimes I hear people talking about taking violent action against those homeowners who have political signs that they don’t like. Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property in violation of the criminal laws of the US for the purpose of intimidation to create fear among the public. When there are rules concerning the use of political signs and the rules are broken and nothing is done to enforce those rules, it reinforces lawlessness and fear. Some suggest that we should do away with the US Constitution including the First and Second Amendments, however that is what dictators do in Third World countries to silence their citizens and take away gun ownership except for those in the military and a chosen few.

Democracy is messy but isn’t it a million times better than living in a country where we could never publicly disagree with our leaders, like people can’t do in one-party dictatorships? No one political party has all the answers. I feel having opposing political parties makes the US stronger. My political choices are based on the information I take in, some correct information and some wrong, and sometimes lack thereof. In the past I was a state delegate and I voted on more than 400 issues in the party platform. I often wish voters would stop listening to political spin, get out of the echo chamber of political news, and actually research the facts.

What separates the US from Third World countries is that we treat our sewer and water, we hold our political leaders legally and criminally accountable, we have freedom of press and freedom of speech, and  we help feed, house and educate the poor. I am glad we help those less fortunate—it helps reduce crime.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has stood up to the big chemical companies concerning  “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. He never tried to stop the making and using of such chemicals, he only signed into law common sense regulations to protect all Americans from exposure to the hazards of these chemicals and protect our soil, water and air. That’s not politics—it’s just good for all Americans.

Concerning which political party is supporting families: The TCJA (2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act) permanently removed the Alternative Minimum Tax for capital gains for the super-wealthy, and the TCJA removed the deduction for all personal exemptions, which penalizes those who have children and anyone who itemizes on Schedule A. Imagine a family of four that files Schedule A and they could still deduct $18,000 (four personal exemptions x $4,500 adjusted for inflation since 2017 for four personal exemptions off of their taxable income) and they are in a 24% tax bracket: They would have saved $4,320 federal tax per year. The TCJA is a bait and switch Ponzi scheme to help the super wealthy pay less income taxes.

Governments impose tariffs to raise revenue and then spend more. It’s another bait and switch to raise revenue (same as raising taxes), then Congress can pass legislation to lower taxes for the wealthy. High tariffs make goods more expensive for the American consumer and manufacturing, and it hurts American companies trying to sell goods abroad. It’s really a tax on the American consumer.

A presidential candidate who will have the power if elected to immediately force the DOJ to dismiss all federal criminal cases against him, is a vote for a Third World-type leader who will be above the law.