Antifa are (almost) complete fascists!

Throughout the 20th century, mainly World War II, our planet was plagued by fascist governments hoping to dominate and rule the world. The most notable fascist is the former leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Nowadays, the word “fascist” is thrown around a lot from the left, mainly using it as an insult to degrade their opposition. A big group that uses this tactic is Antifa, which stands for anti-fascist. The group is notorious for committing violent acts, normally causing extreme riots and, more-often-than-not, threatening people who disagree with the group through more violence. So, while Antifa contends that they hate fascism and fascists, the question comes up on if they are the true fascists, and that they just have a twisted viewpoint.

As I said earlier, the word “fascist” is brought up a lot in a method used to denounce people’s arguments, and is typically used against Republicans and other right-wing or right-leaning individuals. In order to be on the same page, I think it’s important to come up with a base definition for the word. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of fascism is as follows: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. With that being said, I think it is important to say that I do not personally think that any current mainstream group is fascist, but I do believe that Antifa is the closest to that definition.

If we look back in history at the Axis Powers in World War II, the leaders of Germany and Italy, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, are set-in-stone fascists. They fit every part of the definition, and they shutout their opposition, anyone who didn’t 100% agree with them, through force and domination. Now, I believe that this is one of the most important aspects in showing that Antifa is the closest group to fascism, as they are an extreme group who use violence and force in order to gain the upper hand, much like Hitler and Mussolini. Another hint at this notion is that of political ideals. Hitler and Mussolini both called for the nationalization of their countries, thus allowing the government to have complete control of the economy, which is a leftist idea, and which is an idea that Antifa completely supports. However, I do believe this is where the similarities end. Antifa does not support “racial and national purity,” Hitler did.

So, while there isn’t a true fascist party in the United States, Antifa is the closest to being the fascists in action and economic philosophy. Conservatives aren’t anywhere near the definition of fascism, and it’s complete hypocrisy for these accusations to be apparent when the accusers are contradicting themselves.

Legalize Marijuana

To start off, I would like to say that I am not a stoner in the slightest, in fact, I’m not a big fan of marijuana in general. However, I do disagree with the article “Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized - Drug Education Is No Solution” by Li Qiu. I’m somewhere between a Republican and a Libertarian, and I put personal freedoms above everything. Moreover, I sternly believe that more government interventions lead to worse results.

As I said earlier, I am not a stoner by any means, but I believe that people should be able to consume what they want if they choose to, and let them deal with the consequences.

In the 1920s, the US passed the 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol and liquor within the states. While Congress hoped that it would “clean up” America, it ultimately led to higher crime rates, as people still got ahold of their substances and led to the emergence of organized crime, such as the Mafia and Al Capone. Ultimately, this amendment was repealed and was a win for personal freedoms.

The war on drugs within the United States has been going on forever, and there really doesn’t seem to be an end. I believe that we should just legalize marijuana (and in my libertarian fantasies, legalize most drugs), and allow people to choose what they want to do. If we legalize weed, the US will have an even heightened economy, due to legal sales and the ability to tax the transactions, and crime rates will fall, as drug-dealers and drug-consumers won’t be punished anymore. Frankly, even if the substance isn’t legalized, it won’t stop anyone from buying or selling it, so the only way for this issue to be progressed is to create proper legislation in order to decriminalize it.

The Wage Gap is a Myth

I am currently writing this blog post on national Equal Pay Day, a day where we stand up to the patriarch and demand that women make the same amount of money as men. However, what if I told you that this issue wasn’t an issue at all, and is really a manipulation of statistics in order to paint the US and conservatives as sexist bullies. While this may seem exaggerated, it is true, and the wage gap between men and women is completely false.

To start, in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed in the United States, mandating that men and women make the same amount of money for doing the same job, and outlawed wage discrimination based on gender. However, if this is the case, why do women only make 75 cents to the man’s dollar? It’s a twisted statistic. Many people believe that this means that women will only make 75% of what a man makes for doing the exact same job. However this is not the case at all, as this statistic is a measure of average income taken between all men vs. all women, not accounting for different jobs. It is as simple as this: men made “x” amount of money in 2018, while women made “y” amount. Once again, this does not account for any variants within the workforce, only total amounts of income.

Every single person contains different sets of characteristics, experience, and accolades, which combine for many variables. The wage gap statistic does not account for men containing such variables: hours worked, different careers, willingness to travel for work, college majors and degrees, full-time vs. part-time, and amount of overtime worked. The reason the statistic provided earlier shows that men earn a full dollar, is solely because they work more, take more risks, and put work before everything else. If these variables did not exist, the wage gap myth wouldn’t ever be put out.

In conclusion, men and women do earn the same amount of money for doing the exact same job, and sometimes even make more than men, and statistically, women do not possess the variables that men have when looking into the 75-cents-to-1-dollar falsehood. Same choices and variables lead to the same amount of money, thus debunking the myth.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdyxdFAgGKE

http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2015274,00.html

https://www.dailywire.com/news/38858/new-study-confirms-yet-again-gender-wage-gap-due-ashe-schow

https://www.dailywire.com/news/4858/7-facts-you-need-know-debunk-equalpayday-lie-ben-shapiro

Checks and Balances, not Tyranny

In the blog post “TRUMP BY THE NUMBERS” by Ann Coulter, on her respective website, Coulter argues that we, conservatives and Trump supporters alike, need to hold the President accountable for the campaign promise of building the wall.

She argues that Trump is like a “waiter who compliments us for ordering the hamburger, but keeps bringing us fish.” While I do believe this is a good analogy (I'm a sucker for analogies), I do think she’s missing a very integral part; the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives. If she wanted to make her analogy better, she could say that one of the parents won’t let us order what we want.

Anyways, while I understand Coulter’s fury with Trump for not making any progress on the Wall, it’s not all on him to make the decisions in this country, in fact, that’s exactly why we became our own country, thanks to tyrannical King George. If we want any progress on heightened border security, it can’t be Trump vs. everyone else. In fact, this country can’t work as a “vs.” situation; Democrats, Republicans, and President Donald Trump must work together. All sides must reach a deal, or compromise. While this could mean that Trump could get his dream of a wall, he might have to allow DACA to stand as well, or some other type of legislation Democrats want to protect. We have to work together for this country to succeed.

Coulter does provide many facts regarding the current border wall situation, however, it is all overshadowed by her refusal to be open to other perspectives. While she could be considered to be a credible source by some, due to her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan, consistent readers of her definitely should not solely look to her for news. She is too one-sided and relies on only surface-level amounts of research. For example, in this very piece she posted, Coulter states multiple facts regarding Trump’s journey of immigration throughout this term, but completely disregards how our government works, not taking account for our system of checks-and-balances. Due to this, I truly believe she is not a source to rely on, and her pieces are nothing to hold dearly.

Trump Supporters or Democrats: Who's More Open to Compromise?

In the Wall Street Journal article, "Trump Base Wants Immigration Compromise," by Tim Kane, the author contends the idea that Trump supporters are open to bipartisan compromise regarding immigration more than any other group. Kane presents research from a survey he has conducted, where he asked the following hypothetical question: "Would you support legislation with $5.7 billion for a U.S.-Mexico border wall paired with permanent legal status for aliens covered by President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program?" The results of this survey show that Republican support of this hypothetical question is at "49%", Trump base support is at "54%", and Democrat support only clocking in at a measly "18%." Throughout the rest of the article, Kane repeatedly shows that Republicans and Trump supporters are definitely open to getting a deal done, even if it meant looser immigration standards, while Democrats were far more stubborn. During my reading of this article, I found myself agreeing with nearly all of what Kane was saying, as it feels nowadays that Democrats and left-of-centers seem to be contradicting themselves all of the time, claiming tolerance and open-mindedness, but only if it supports them in some way. While I do think this is an important and insightful piece, Kane and I do have a bias, as we both tend to agree and identify with Republicans and other right-of-center affiliations. However, Kane still is a credible source, as he does have a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, and has published many non-fiction titles, generally pertaining to economics. In conclusion, while both sides are ready to get a deal done, they both must realize that compromise is all about finding a balance, and if we continue in this stalemate, nothing will even be able to be accomplished, leaving the country more divided than ever. 

What's Going on with The Wall?

The New York Times has an article called the “Five Key Takeaways From the Tentative Deal on Border Security.” It mainly addresses what is happening in the government right now surrounding Trump, the wall, and if any deal will be made between democrats and republicans. The article encompasses a few ways for the wall to come to fruition, and how the government could potentially head back into another shutdown if no deal is made between both parties. After reading, it’s clear to see that there are many different paths Congress and the President can take, and it’s only a matter of time until we see what the conclusion will be. This article would be good to read if you want a better clarification on what is currently happening with the border wall within our government.

Hello fellow classmates!