Before you vote in 2024 ~ just ask a few simple-complex questions connected to our Democracy

Before you vote in 2024 for the next president, political party and/or an ideology, please take a few minutes to answer some critical questions. A major key word in the process is criticality.

That skill that teachers tried to teach us regardless of the subject being taught and learned. Remember? Critical Thinking Skills using curiosity, logic, inferences, research, reasoning, analysis, credible-validated information, metacognition and always asking thought-provoking questions

Along with such skills, please try to answer the question with honesty, integrity, credibility and a personal connection to citizenship.

The questions are not meant to sway or prod, but rather clarify in your mind, heart and spirit the reasons why a candidate or a party is worthy of your sacred vote – a vote meant to be venerated and protected. A vote for which blood was spilled by past generations over many decades to make it so. Therefore, shouldn’t each vote reflect veracity?

The following is a simple-complex check list for your consideration. Simple because it’s in simple English and tends to lean towards using common sense. Complex because the legacy, context and connections between citizenship and the right to vote demands serious thinking, credibility and trustworthiness.

CHECK LIST BEFORE AND AFTER VOTING

• Is the candidate qualified as to their personal integrity, trust and character? That is, does the candidate have a pattern of being honest or dishonest as to language, behavior, history, values, demeanor and attitudes?

• Does the candidate believe in unifying the country? Does the candidate promote inclusivity, working together or divisionism?

• Does the candidate ask you to believe with “blind faith” what they say, regardless whether what they profess is fact-less, gaslighting, fake news, confirmation bias and/or blatant rebuked lies?

• Will the candidate and their party become your enemy if you don’t agree with everything the candidate says, does and wants you to do whether it’s legal or illegal, ethical or unethical, right or wrong? Will you be dismissed and/or punished for disagreeing and opposing a different point of view?

• Would you vote for someone who has been proven to be a pathological liar, misogynist, twice impeached, criminally indicted on election fraud, criminally indicted on willful retention of national defense classified documents, election tampering in several states, indicted on providing hush money for sexual liaison(s), indicted and found guilty for business fraud in New York, found guilty of sexual assault and twice found guilty of libel?

• Would you vote for a candidate who was found guilty of defrauding students through an unaccredited, uncertified bogus university offering misleading marketing practices and resulting in $25 million in settlements?

• Would you vote for a candidate found guilty and forced to pay $2 million to eight different charities for illegally misusing charitable funds at the Trump Foundation charitable funds for political purposes. The 8 different charities were:
  Army Emergency Relief
  Children’s Aid Society
  City-Meals-On-Wheels
  Give an Hour
  Martha’s Table
  United Negro College Fund
  United Way of National Capital Area
  U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
  * The settlement forced the Trump foundation (Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump) to acknowledge 19 admissions of wrongdoing of personal misuse of funds and imposed restrictions if ever Trump created a new charity and to dissolve the current foundation.

• Would you vote for a candidate who lied, politicized and radicalized the deadly realities and consequences of COVID-19 (a once-in-a-generation crisis pandemic) by misleading American citizens with national misinformation that was consistently and repeatedly unfounded and rebuked?
  (Friday, February 7 and 19, 2020) “It’s going to disappear. One day. It’s like miracle – it will disappear. It’s like the flue.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  (Thursday, February 27, 2020) “Definitely would be in far greater number that the number that we’re talking about.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  (Multiple times) “Coronavirus number are looking MUCH better, going down almost everywhere – coming way down.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Wednesday, June 17, 2020: “(the pandemic) is fading away. It’s going to fade away.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Thursday, July 2, 2020: “Getting the pandemic under control.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Saturday, July 4, 2020: “99% of COVID-19 cases are totally harmless.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Monday, July 6, 2020: “We now have the lowest Fatality (Mortality) Rate in the World.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Multiple times): “Children are virtually immune to Covid-19.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Thursday, August 27, 2020: “The U.S. has among the lowest case-fatality rates of any major country anywhere in the world.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Thursday, August 27, 2020: “Trump launched the largest national mobilization since World War II against COVID-19, and America developed from scratch the largest and most advanced testing system in the world.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Repeated by Trump and administration: “What happens is you get better after being sick with COVID-19. That’s what happens. You get better.” “You get better and then you are immune.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Repeated by Trump and administration: “85% of people wearing masks catch the virus.”
  (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation)
  Wednesaty, March 4: The Trump White House rolled back Obama/Biden Food and Drug Administration regulations that limited laboratory tests states could run and how tests could be conducted.
  Friday, March 6, Monday May 11: Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful.” “If somebody wants to be tested right now, they’ll be able to be tested.”
  NOT TRUE! (Untrue, unfounded and misinformation) – The distribution was chaotic, incompetent, lacked enough tests, large numbers were recalled for lack of proper containment, shipping was flawed and receiving agencies were not ready to handle misinformation by misinformed citizens. Information provided by Google (actually Verily company hired by Google) was flawed with limitations and errors, limiting access in some areas.
  There are countless specific dates verified throughout the Trump administration placing political brand, expediency and power in front of the well being and welfare of American citizens.

• Would you vote for a candidate that threatens political opponents within the same political party and others who challenge the candidate’s ideas, thinking and legacy?

• Would you vote for a candidate that never offers any critical reasoning or original ideas about solving difficult and challenging 21st Century issues but rather consistently blames others for past, present and future problems?

• Would you vote for a candidate that does not rebuke, disapprove or clearly speak out against White Supremacists, Domestic Terrorists, January 6 Insurrectionists and Racist/Hate Groups?

• Would you vote for a candidate that consistently speaks to you using incomprehensive elementary school vocabulary using vague generalities, rumors, innuendoes and made up conspiracy theories insulting your intelligence?

• Would you vote for a candidate that has spoken with respect and supports authoritarians, demigods, despots, autocrats such as Putin of Russia, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Erdogan of Turkey, Lukashesko of Belarus and Bolsonaro of Brazil?

• Would you vote for a candidate that has demonstrated to believe in a kleptocracy – that is, a government whose corrupt leaders use political power to expropriate wealth by embezzling, fraud and nepotism at the expense of the population?

• Would you vote for a candidate that has expressed disdain for Gold Star Families, wounded, captured and killed veterans describing them as “losers” and “suckers”, not worthy to be remembered and honored?

• Would you vote for a candidate that regardless of the final presidential election results, would not accept the final outcome regardless of countless legal findings, final court decisions, same party verification, verifiable recounts by same party elected Secretary of State?

• Will you vote for the candidate and the party that unequivocally represents a vote for Democracy, the Constitution, Rule of Law, Guiding Core Principles and the Quality of Life of future generations?

• Will your vote reflect your desire to want to be challenged as a citizen to solve arduous crucial problems together in a bipartisan process, regardless of politics, because you believe in what is right and true for each other – and each other’s children.

• Will your vote reflect a shift from the “Me, Myself and I” and “grievance politics” to the greater calling established in 1776, 1865, 1945 and 1964? . . . 2024 awaits each of us.