What positive changes are you looking forward to as outcomes of the USA 2024 presidential election?

I need reassurance

Please try not to antagonize others here or tell me how bad things are now...my interest is in where those who put him in office think things are headed in this next administration.

I'm about to run out of pie so might just be reading not participating here.

I'll offer one that I hope is not too controvertial:  RFK Jr being appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

- Get rid of fluorinated water - win!
- Get rid of toxic gick in our food - win!
- Make children healthy again - win!

> "Kennedy elevated concerns about ultra-processed foods and poor nutrition, food additives, pesticides and toxic chemicals, and the harms of industrial agriculture, among other issues."

> Overhauling dietary guidelines, reforming federal programs that pay for ultra-processed foods, taking on crop subsidies, potentially banning pesticides and chemicals are just some of the priorities Kennedy outlined during the campaign.

(Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/15/nx-s1-5191947/trump-rfk-health-hhs)

Sounds like he would make for a great permie!

I don't know how much help I can offer you.   I'm going way out to the end of the limb and going to say that you are speaking about the Orange Man.

I voted as I have in the last three elections - Libertarian.  I dislike not having other real parties running for the office.  I do agree with the idea that our government has gotten way too large and we need a return to a more common sense spending.

Do I have hope that things will change greatly - maybe - for without the support of Congress, he can accomplish little.  As in all things there is hope for something better!!

I've sent some PIE your way, enjoy!


Peace

Pete,
RFK jr's views have definitely caught my eye...ban pesticides and herbicides...I'm all for that!

And in case this seems like baiting I'll say I've been around more radical thinking than many here and can take it whether I agree or not

My interest is to hear from rational (or even irrational but nice ) permaculture folks who aren't wanting to aim violence at democrats or at anyone who might think differently than themselves.

Maybe an easier request would be for reliable unbiased news sources?
Is that an oxymoron?

Without going into the merits could we list some?

Thank you to those who replied both here and in PM's....I appreciate thoughtful positions.

I am with Judith, News rather than Editorials by the media. My opinion is that all of the networks needed to register as PAC's this election cycle. As far as what I hope to see is , lower food and utility costs, secure borders, something that brings everyone together other than a war.

I think both sides want similar things... we just argue over how to get there.

I am hoping for peace and prosperity and the freedom to work on my garden and homestead the way I believe is best.  

Specific to news articles. I see many saying that Joel Salatin was tapped to be advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture. I'd say that is a win from a permaculture stand point.

I'd also say that the USA is spending way too much money that it doesn't have. We can argue over what we are spending it on... but a permaculture principle is to know your limits. Our government has not done a very good job at that under any president in my lifetime. While it is extreme, I am intrigued by talk of spending less money. We can't continue to borrow forever. At some point it catches up to you.

Lastly, I hope the president will actually put America first as was promised. I do not like hearing of bills passed to send hundreds of billions of dollars to other countries when there is so much need here. I firmly believe that a person should provide for their family first and then be generous with others. I believe the same with a country. Take care of your own first, and then be generous with others.

Is Project 2025 part of the new agenda or invented controversy by the news media?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

I do not believe Project 2025 came from Donald Trump, nor do I believe he intends to use it at all. I have not read it... so I can't speak to anything specific on it. However the news and snippets I have seen, make it sound like a plan created by someone dreaming. I don't think Trump had anything to do with its creation, nor do I think he even knew about it until it became a thing.

@Judith - I know you made the comment about wanting to hear from people who do not want violence towards democrats or others. I just want to say that I don't know anyone on the republican side who ever called for violence towards anyone (criminals and terrorists aside). Everyone that I know and everyone that I have heard, would never want violence. In fact, I have seen several videos of former democrats, talking about how surprised they were by how nicely they were treated by republicans. Those same people, after switching sides, found that their democrat friends and family turned on them. Calling names and shunning them.

If you have any news articles or videos where someone did promote violence towards democrats or towards people who believed differently, I would be more than willing to explain or denounce them as needed.

There can always be those outliers in any ideology... but unfortunately the extreme left (people screaming at the top of their lungs at reporters, people who think its ok to be almost naked in parades where children watch, and people who block roadways in order to protest oil), are identifying as democrats. This makes people like Bill Maher, who considers himself to be a liberal democrat, look like a conservative.

Judith Browning wrote:Maybe an easier request would be for reliable unbiased news sources?
Is that an oxymoron?

Without going into the merits could we list some?

Thank you to those who replied both here and in PM's....I appreciate thoughtful positions.

1440 Daily Digest and Tangle are both very nice sources.  1440 reports the actual event, and nothing else.  Tangle reports the event, and uses clips from both the left and the right showing some of their opinions, and then follows up with a section called "My Take" where the news owner gives his own opinion.  I really enjoy both sources.

Here is an excerpt from today's 1440:

"India Goes Hypersonic
India successfully tested its first long-range hypersonic missile over the weekend, the government said yesterday, maneuvering midflight and impacting with precision. Watch the launch here.

Hypersonic missiles can fly at more than five times the speed of sound—more than 3,000 miles per hour—and have a range of over 930 miles. Hypersonic missiles are able to fly lower than ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept. They are also highly precise, do not need to follow a predetermined trajectory, and can change course midflight.

Saturday's test took place on Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of India's eastern state of Odisha. India now joins three countries—the US, Russia, and China—in demonstrating hypersonic capabilities. North Korea and Yemen's Houthis claim to possess hypersonic weapons; other countries—including Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea—are reportedly pursuing them."

All their news is like that, just an event that happened with no opinion either way.

Tangle's newletters, because of the format used, would be harder to post an excerpt of due to length.

Both are free email newsletters.

 1440 Daily Digest and Tangle are both very nice sources.  1440 reports the actual event, and nothing else.  Tangle reports the event, and uses clips from both the left and the right showing some of their opinions, and then follows up with a section called "My Take" where the news owner gives his own opinion.  I really enjoy both sources.  

Thank you Trace!
I will check both out soon.
They sound like the sort of thing I've been looking for.

 If you have any news articles or videos where someone did promote violence towards democrats or towards people who believed differently, I would be more than willing to explain or denounce them as needed  

Matt...
This is from the last election cycle when the results were not accepted.
local to us.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/933052625/police-chief-resigns-in-arkansas-after-death-to-all-marxist-democrats-posts

I don't believe all Trump supporters feel this way but I do think he gave those who already felt that way 'permission' to express their violent thoughts openly.  
We live in Arkansas by the way...just down the road from KKK headquarters.

And interestingly, when we moved here it was a very blue state.

The pendulum swings

Judith Browning wrote:... This is from the last election cycle when the results were not accepted.
local to us.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/933052625/police-chief-resigns-in-arkansas-after-death-to-all-marxist-democrats-posts

And this is an example of something I would denounce, and I believe any republicans that I know (politicians or citizens) would also denounce the words. For anyone who does not read the article, there was an account on a social media site that was inciting violence against democrats. They believe the account belonged to the police chief. He denies the posts were his... but also resigned after being questioned. It makes him look guilty, but doesn't seem like it went anywhere after that. I think there might be some question of who wrote those posts... but whoever did, was wrong. They should never have said those things. And should probably have some jail time for it.

Judith Browning wrote:...I don't believe all Trump supporters feel this way but I do think he gave those who already felt that way 'permission' to express their violent thoughts openly...

I want to be clear that I do not think Trump is perfect, and I do not believe in all of his actions. For instance, while I do not think Trump was behind the January 6th event, I also do not think Trump handled it well. But I do not recall any speeches or clips or posts that I would interpret as "permission" to express violent thoughts. Do you have an example?

I do not recall any speeches or clips or posts that I would interpret as "permission" to express violent thoughts. Do you have an example?
 

I suppose these quotes are taken out of context and some might say they are untrue, AI generated even...they were in the news when he said them though and the voice is there.
I won't paste them here as the link includes the sound clips and it is trumps voice.....

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-violent-rhetoric-timeline/680403/

Judith Browning wrote:I suppose these quotes are taken out of context and some might say they are untrue, AI generated even...they were in the news when he said them though and the voice is there.
I won't paste them here as the link includes the sound clips and it is trumps voice.....

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-violent-rhetoric-timeline/680403/

First of all... thank you. There are so many people that complain about politicians for no good reason, and have nothing to back up their complaints. You do, and I appreciate the chance to chat about it.

Second, I did have to smile a bit when "...go home, go home in peace" was included in a list of quotes inciting violence

Third, I had time to read the quotes, but not to really give a full analysis right now. I'll try to come back later and be more comprehensive. At face value, those all sound like things Trump would say. So I will take them as true. Some I do not agree with. Some I don't think are really speaking of violence. Both candidates use the term "fight" very often. I do not believe either one meant it in terms of violence... I think they meant it in terms of doing their best, philisophical arguing, and that sort of thing. Some statements I agree with. Most statements that I think are actually referring to violence were directed at specific people for specific actions... not whole groups of people for disagreeing.

I have been hearing a lot along these lines as well (questioning) and had a chance to talk it over with a friend of mine. We are both US expats, both slightly more leftist than Lenin, and both of us left the US many years ago, when we both felt we no longer fit in there. The names change, but the situation hasn't really, although there were some nice bright spots occasionally when family asked when I wouldn't come back.
The way I see it, these things haven't changed at all:
- the US carries an insane debt load that one day is going to come calling
- some people's voices are louder than others, and that makes other people feel very scared (and this goes in every direction you can imagine)
- there are few good jobs in the US. Health care, benefits, decent wages, dignified work are really hard to find. I graduated from a really good school only to find there was nothing out there (and that's how I ended up leaving the US in the first place, to get a good job abroad). Unless your daddy is someone important, your prospects are not great.
- housing has reached a crisis. My father could drive a truck and buy a house, with my mother staying home. Twenty years ago, my husband and I both worked two jobs and still couldn't buy a house. I'm amazed to say that it's even worse nowadays.
- everything is ridiculously expensive, and when jobs are tight, money is tight, and you can't figure out how you're going to pay for things, everyone is reaching a breaking point.

I do believe the average American is good. We work together, we want to take care of each other. We have a certain something (which is what keeps me volunteering with the consulate and reaching out to other Americans). But I think a lot of people are at the stressed-out point where 1) they're looking for someone to blame 2) they're sensing things are unfair and 3) they're willing to try anything to improve the situation. People are looking past certain character flaws in politicians because something's gotta change.
And all of this is not just happening in the US, it's happening in many other countries. I personally believe that shifting jobs around the globe in search of marginally better profits and tax dodges is what really screwed us. We can talk about income distribution and similar benefits but I truly believe that people want to be useful and feel some sort of satisfaction in how they spend their lives, not either sit idle or do work you don't enjoy or believe in. When you see rich people getting richer, and you're worse and worse off (especially if you're hip deep in social media seeing all the things you don't have), I can't blame people for feeling fed up.

I do ultimately believe (or try to believe) that everyone just wants the best for their families. If I was in the same situation I was in years ago when I had two small children, one disabled, and I worked like a dog and still couldn't pay my bills, I might be able to swallow my reservations and vote for someone who might offer me a tax break, or a chance at a better job, even if I disagreed with a lot of their other platforms.
(and that's a whole nother can of American worms: we get two options because of the two-party system. A vote for a third party is, unfortunately, a vote thrown away. Nowadays there are so many platforms people care about, and they don't necessarily line up the way we might expect them to according to one side or the other. An example is a gay friend of mine who cares very deeply about gun liberty and told me she was voting on that. I was a bit surprised and she said she thought most of the "controversy talk" was just blather and attention-seeking-- what mattered to her was being able to defend herself. It's the old saw- assuming makes an ass out of you and me-- I can't assume I understand other people's motivations.)

I have no axe to grind on this one being neither American, not ever likely to be so. However we all live on the same planet and America is a big player. I probably wouldn't have voted for Trump, but didn't fancy the opposition much either! It's a sad state when you vote for the 'least worst' candidate - and we have a similar situation in the UK despite a multi party system. I suspect that Trump gets a particularly bad press on this side of the Atlantic for various reasons, but you can't really say he doesn't do what he says he will do, which isn't always the case with politicians I find. Many of them seem unable to give a simple answer to a question.
There have been a few hopeful things pointed out since the election; one of which as pointed out above, is some interesting appointments to government positions. Another thing is the opportunity to streamline the government in order to reduce taxes and debt. It will hurt, I have no doubt, but as the UK appears to be going the opposite way at the moment, it will be interesting to see which way produces better results for the respective countries, and not just financially. Unfortunately we do live in interesting times!
On the global scale in theory international trade is a win win situation, but I can't help feeling that the playing field isn't level and that dealing with countries that have poorer human rights and environmental protections - both carbon emissions and poisons - is detrimental to the world as a whole in the long run.

Judith Browning wrote:Maybe an easier request would be for reliable unbiased news sources?

Ground News is attempting to do that by aggregating other news sources and pointing out how "left" and "right" biassed sources are doing it differently.

Judith Browning wrote:Maybe an easier request would be for reliable unbiased news sources?

Those are awfully hard to come by We are all biased in different ways and it affects how we view the world (world view is the term people use most often). It affects how we treat others, how we act and react, what we buy, where we live, how we view others that we don't agree with, and so much more.

I don't mind biased opinions if they are upfront about it. I don't like it, when people twist things or leave things out.

Thank you Trace and Christopher for your news source suggestions.

Have not checked out Tangle yet but 1440 and Ground News are the sort of thing we've both been interested in and not aware of.

I didn't realize what a relief it would be to read news that left out sarcasm and inuindo.  Usually the news is troubling enough without the added angst

Judith, I had really hoped for more response to your original question, which I'd rephrase as "What positive changes are you looking forward to as outcomes of the presidential election?" I don't really have anyone in my life that I can ask that of and I thought there would be a lot of people here who might take up the gauntlet.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Judith, I had really hoped for more response to your original question, which I'd rephrase as "What positive changes are you looking forward to as outcomes of the presidential election?" I don't really have anyone in my life that I can ask that of and I thought there would be a lot of people here who might take up the gauntlet.

Me too!
And I like your title suggestion so will rephrase.

I think, it's a delicate subject as there are such intense feelings and hopes no matter who one voted for.

After my recommendation earlier for Tangle as a good news source, I got this in my email today:

"As many of you know, Tangle was recently named a finalist for the Shorty Impact Awards in the “News and Media” category. The Shorty Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in digital media, and we won. We didn’t just win the award for News & Media, but we also won the “Audience” award — which means we were selected both by the Shorty committee and that all of you out-voted our competition. "

Tangle was called "a model of balanced, independent media".

I agree with that assessment.