During the last four presidential elections it has become more evident than ever that Republicans are losing voters. The party of the wealthy, white nationalism, homophobia, Islamophobia, sexism, and the party which seeks to repeal the first amendment and establish Christianity as our national religion, is attempting to use immoral and unethical efforts to retain their diminishing base.
The Trump administration’s latest effort to discourage Democratic voters from going to the polls is unforgivable.
I was the Assistant Manager of Field Operations in Reno, Nevada, during the 2010 Decennial Census. When the Continental Congress included a national census in the Constitution, they understood that their new nation would be growing and changing. Thomas Jefferson conducted the first census in 1789, and it continues every 10 years and is mandated by law. At the core of the Census Bureau’s efforts is privacy. Their purpose is singular; to count the number of people living in the United States as accurately as possible. The truth is that census workers consider the form completed if the respondent answers just five questions.
Republicans are attempting to add a question to the 2020 census. The question involves citizenship. This question has no relevance to the purpose of the census and is nothing more than another effort by Republicans to discourage likely Democratic voters. This is a thinly veiled effort to increase the power of ICE; Trump’s personal gestapo.
Throughout the 2010 census we received enormous support from the Hispanic community. Church leaders, Spanish news and radio stations, and community leaders made it known that we were not working for ICE or the Border Patrol. Legal or illegal residence was none of our business and had no relationship to the purpose of the census.
Republicans oppose democracy; they continue to support their fascist president.
Not a single new question has been added to the census since 1950; and there are sound reasons for this fact. None are needed. Current rules and questions are more than satisfactory to guarantee the best and most accurate results; and accuracy is the prime directive.
If you support this question, you have never read the Constitution and support a fascist form of government.
Trump is the greatest danger to the future of the United States in 243 years. The Civil War, two world wars, and the attacks on September 11, 2001 pale in comparison to what Trump is attempting to accomplish for his puppeteer, Vladimir Putin.
Finally, a fact or two which might interest you. Recent polls reveal that most Americans are progressive. These numbers have grown because of Trump’s regressive policies which have harmed America irreparably. Millennials are now the largest voting bloc in America. This group of 18-34 year old Americans tend to be progressive, less likely to be religious, and are supportive of the rights of minorities, the LGBTQ community and women. They reject the failed policies of white old men in Washington including Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Chuck Grassley, and many others whose time was past more than a decade ago. They support younger men and women who support them, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib.
Women continue to dominate our population 51-49 percent, and they reject Republican’s policies. They believe that a woman has the Constitutional right to control the health of her own body. They demand full equality in the workplace and in all aspects of society. They reject Republicans who support the NRA gun lobby. They don’t like it when their children are murdered in school, knowing that there is an easy solution to the problem.
I expect a record voter turnout on November 3, 2020. If I am correct, Democrats will destroy what remains of the once Grand Old Party. The “Party of Lincoln” has not existed for more than 30 years.
If the citizenship question is added to the census form, I suggest that all Americans refuse to answer; this will not void the form.
Tell your friends about my blog; “The Truth Lives Here.”
Op-ed by James Turnage
Read “Down from the Mountain,” by James Turnage on Amazon’s free Kindle app
The Truth With No Restrictions 