We fought a war to rid ourselves of tyranny

Independence Day doesn't have quite the effect this year that I would hope for. There will still be grilling and corn and fireworks and hokey patriotic songs (many of which are actually quite sad, like "Born in the USA" or silly, like "Firework," by Katy Perry). 

Our unrestricted ruler will sign a giant bill that may negatively affect the nation beyond his death ("from your lips to God's ears), while boasting and offering special deals on Trump perfumes. 

I read a commentator's answer to why Republican legislators would vote for so many ill-thought policies that not only will make their own voters poorer and more left behind but also blow up the national debt by over ten percent in one bill. So many bemoaned various parts of the bill that Trump, for one, has certainly not read, yet knelt before their Golden Calf and voted "aye."

The theory was that most Republicans so want to "own the libs" that their judgment is clouded and their lust for blood and some imaginary vengeance won the day. Interestingly, a large percentage of Democratic voters are college educated, with professional jobs, investments in the market, stable families, and solid insurance. 

Most Americans covered by Medicaid, likely to take the biggest hit in the next couple years, are people living in Red states or in rural areas of Blue states. Good luck to them as they find their already disappointing lives just little bit worse over the next three or more years. 

But over a third of Americans responded to a poll by saying they knew nothing about the Big Ugly Bill, roughly the percentage of eligible voters who could not be bothered to cast a ballot in the last presidential election. 

Americans love the myth of independence, of the self-made man, of Shane standing up to the bad guys and walking away in solitude. Americans also love the idea that someone will always ride to the rescue, will always provide medical care, and will always offer them a "new deal."

To keep my spirits up, I have been imagining a Democratic takeover of Congress in 2026, followed by Trump getting frustrated and angry at all the new roadblocks to his random pronouncements... and then his resigning as president in 2027, elevating Vance to the gig and (maybe) giving him a boost. I know. That scenario doesn't seem like a great thing overall, but it would at least take Trump out of the equation.

Now THAT would make me happy to be an American.