I just pointed out to a woman in Florida that about 2.5 million adults in Florida do not have a diploma. And a huge amount of the 1.5 million of Florida’s former incarcerated are among those 2.5 million. Another thing to consider among people who lack a diploma is that being “special ed” impacts, creating a prescription for trouble which is harmful just like those prescriptions for oxycodone that are making news. And a high percentage of those adults end up in jail.
No need to worry too much, because the White House told Us that it has Made America Great Again and announced a while back that it will now Keep America Great. All of that is propaganda.
Florida is an important state in presidential politics and I foresee it rejecting the current politics that affects these millions of people and their families and friends. With all the talk about 2020 from candidates, the media, and pundits, I feel that among those millions is The Force to undo harm and expose the propaganda for what it is.
When the media explained how Americans were lingering in the “rust belt” and upset because eight years of Obama didn’t help, I knew that the frustration reported was smaller than the media and the polls showed. This reminds me about how the Titanic was in front of what appeared to be a small chunk of ice without knowing the real conditions.
Florida just passed legislation to hold back about eighty percent of former incarcerated men and women, but the mistake made by Governor De Santis and his supporting cast in the legislature was titanic. And I will go even further to say and predict that the Republican Party in Florida may not recover for a decade or more.
I could be wrong, but The Force includes the children of those men and women who wish to have their voting rights restored and all those people who can volunteer now to make a difference in 2020. Barring electoral fraud in that state by people in power, there could be a landslide in the making. The mass incarceration was one thing, but the moment has come for payback. The disgruntled in 2020 will shift the power in Florida and everywhere. And with Democrats in power in Tallahassee and in other state capitals, former incarcerated citizens will obtain much greater justice as well in seeking jobs that really do not require a diploma and make it unlawful to require a diploma where it is not necessary. Employers will have to conduct job interviews for everyone and will find people that are capable. That effort could start with businesses that have contracts with the state.
The mobilization starts now. Probably not since the Civil Rights Movement has America been in this kind of situation. Dr. King popularized that history and now people seeking office in America will do it on their own. They will outflank the conservatives in their communities that do not do enough. And the people will be diligent. A spark has been ignited in both Florida and New York City in the South Bronx.
There are states like New York that have been abused by Trump’s policies, including his tax reform, that seem like sure winners in 2020 and this new plan for 2020 could wipe out some of Trump’s congressional support. And the same thing could affect Republicans all over the country.
And looking at other aspects of how Trump Made America Great we turn to no new health care which we should call Trump Care, one percent student debt forgiveness out of 44 million students, and this growing number of more than 40 million adults without a high school equivalency. This nation is in bad shape and it’s not just urban areas. It’s Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia also among other states.
We can also learn from the past as I have just learned about what fascists did to Jews in 1938 after Hitler annexed Austria. Trump-like “obstacles” were in place everywhere as Jews frantically tried to cross borders to escape the persecution imposed on them. And consider that this came at a moment when many Jews had committed suicide. Gestapo or customs agents, “sometimes” would push Jews across a border where those Jews could find their way to escape oppression, but only if those Jews could prove that they had paid all their taxes.
The rhetoric at that time predicted what was to come. “We will solve the Jewish problem, and will not be dictated to by anyone else as to how.”
There were countries that made it difficult for Jews, just as Florida has just made it difficult for ex-convicts. Those countries included Holland and Belgium. Jews in flight from Austria and Germany could be returned there as borders were closed to Jews with insufficient funds that was caused by spending large sums to escape.
And there were lots of other obstacles to consider.
Australia did not want a “racial” problem by allowing in Jews.
Northern Ireland wanted artisans.
Rich Jews were preferred in Palestine.
British Guiana was not considered “ideal “
Jews could get help from the consul of Liberia in Austria for a price, but had to agree not to wind up in Liberia.
Northern Rhodesia would take only about five hundred Jewish families.
Central America did not want doctors and intellectuals.
Peru didn’t want lawyers.
Argentina said it had done enough.
The Dominican Republic stating that it would take in 100,000, only took in about 700.
Cuba wanted $500 a person.
Bolivia had entry fees of between 36-50 British pounds when Jews made it to Brazil, but if any of those people had a job waiting for them the fee was waived.
Brazil was closed to non-baptized Jews and permitted only those who were baptized as children.
Even in 1938, the thinking of a final solution was on the lips of people. An example was that Jews belonged either in the Danube River or in the city cemetery.
It is really important to provide this kind of information to reveal the thinking in America at this time because knowledge matters. Much of what takes place is bad, selfish behavior. And it was known in 1938 that Germans had diminished themselves to a level of “dishonour and cowardice” as more and more inhumane actions developed.
Former incarcerated men and women have to promote the fair treatment of everyone. For example concerning undocumented immigrants, know that it has been illegal for them to work in America, but undocumented immigrants have been allowed to own businesses in America. And that means that these immigrants could hire anyone including the former incarcerated. Respect should be given to everyone. And sharing this as well will deflate the power of people who have very questionable allegiance to all people and is the essence of what the Jews faced in 1938 as few people wished to help. Many conservatives still have serious, fascist vestiges which have to be eradicated.