On 12-29-23, the Washington Post penned an article to: "Read the Maine decision to remove Trump from the 2024 primary ballot".  The Enlightened Prisoner read the article and responded thus:

 (In quoting Secretary Bellows from her written decision:) "I do not reach this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred, and the highest court of this State has repeatedly recognized that “no right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live.”

Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows has demonstrated in her decision a profound respect for our country's premise, a nation of laws, not men. Her documented decision is a thing of pure patriotism.

     On 12-26-23, the Washington Post penned an article of "Americans tell us why they’re feeling better — or worse — about the economy", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

We are a pensioner family with fixed incomes and have outlived our IRA, Roth, and stock invested reserves. We avoid direct financial help from children, (okay we accepted putting our cell phones on their family plans), and we use a reverse mortgage plan for a bucket (small) of money for emergencies, (mostly the spiraling costs of medical and long-term care insurance), or appliance replacement and home repairs.

Of course, the increased costs in food market prices, car maintenance, restaurant and entertainment have caused limitations.  But, treated responsibly, (don't spend more than you make), and pay off credit purchases monthly usually results in getting a high credit rating, which of course means little for our economic plan but gets us lots of mail solicitations from credit card companies.

Still, we refuse to fall into that speculative trap of fee-based investments and feel slighted by our savings institutions continuing to penalize us with insignificant savings account interest and claiming CDs are better than the passbook compound interest rates we grew up with that rewarded thrift.  Maybe better for them, eh? 

In short, we feel like the silent and ignored generation. But hey, one from our generation is running the Administration of government right now and seems to have gotten things back to better stability. While some overpaid and underworked elected representatives run around acting like brats we used to put on corner stools with dunce caps. And they don't seem the least bit interested in compromising their selfish interests to create the country we can and should be.

Yet, we're still paying our fair share of taxes but resent the amount of debt our government is obligating to our children and their children. Thanks for listening, just wanted to speak my piece.

On 12-26-23, the Enlightened Prisoner published thus:

   I don't care how many times President Biden trips over his own feet or mistakes he makes in speaking.  The Biden Administrations' creditability and stewardship for operating our government is far superior to that demonstrated by Trump's. 

   Which is exactly the reason the electorate voted the incompetency of Trump and his band out of office.  And are they able to do self-analysis and show improved methods for their creditability and stewardship?  No, instead they shame themselves in the manner described by Socrates, "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser."

Or the words of Eric Hoffer, "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

     On 12-23-23, the Washington Post penned an article that "Law enforcement investigating threats to Colorado justices after Trump ruling", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Judicial decisions have usually been accepted for the wisdom contained in the written opinions of jurists (usually judges who are considered experts on the social science behind legislated laws).

But who has time to read them and consider or put their thought towards the depth of reason they represent. If it doesn't agree with the way I thought it should be, it is to be condemned. And besides, didn't the media also publish some derogatory information on this or that jurists being associated with the wrong political party or being seen with...them?

That seems to be the crux of reporting lately and it is a dangerous reflection again on threats to our democratic society. Simply put folks, there has to be some final authority for decisions, and those decision makers must have our confidence of doing what's best for us all. After all, those decision makers have no armed and ready force that mandates their decisions. Just the logic and reason of their words.

So, lets endeavor to accept them as that authority unless or until we find a better legislative way to deal with the problem it poses to our sensibilities. In short, find what appeals to the intelligence of the majority.

     On 12-22-23, the Washington Post penned an Opinion for, "Dumb liberal decisions aren’t a smart reason to rally around Trump", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

I find it incredulous that a portion of our electorate find a choice in Trump because he's an underdog. Actually, he's a mutt lacking in creditability, a stark absence of appearance for civility behavior, and certainly an inability to project urbanity for the stewardship of governance.

Finding respectable reason to support Trump is a forgone conclusion that you have an inane capacity within your ability for picking associates.

And I hope you find this a well-meaning insult of personal character and not meant to denigrate our community of domesticated mammals.

   On 12-15-23, the Washington Post penned an Analysis, "Trump’s deal with LIV Golf is awkward for his impeachment-happy allies", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

I'm not sure I understand how the preliminary remarks by Comer and his impeachment seeking friends relate to the criminal intent of the Biden family. 

Maybe if they used some comparison examples, like it's similar to what Trump did when he...

    On 12-12-23, the Washington Post penned an article on "Patrick Mahomes regrets outburst, calls it ‘not a great example for kids’, and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

In a way it was refreshing to see an apology from a member of our sports entertainment industry for wrongful conduct in a public display. What's lacking in our societal order is a display of similar character in our political entertainment industry.

     On 12-7-23, the Washington Post penned an Opinion titled: "The Trump dictatorship: How to stop it", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

The liberal Republicans who would have you believe the country suffers from ills that can only be fixed by totalitarian governance are feeding you lies. They continually cite malfeasances of current government that exist only because of their reluctance and undemonstrated efforts to join in finding fixes.

Be warned that they are asking you to turn over your Constituted liberties to their brand of power governance that circumvents what has been the reason for our country's greatness. Representative government with cooperative efforts to find and apply kind and fiscal workable solutions, despite political party differences.

    On 11-4-23, the Washington Post penned an article on "Doug Burgum suspends long-shot presidential campaign" and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

In a statement, Burgum said: “While this primary process has shaken my trust in many media organizations and political party institutions, it has only strengthened my trust in America.” He also criticized the Republican National Committee’s debate requirements, calling them “arbitrary criteria.”

I don't know fully about his Presidential qualifications but, he certainly hit that nail on the head. It's the uncontrolled money in politics that drives the party's power brokers and the for-profit media's responsibility to fairly represent everyone making the invasive sacrifice politics requires.

   On 12-4-23, the Washington Post penned an Opinion piece for "Politicians in both parties need to face up to the national debt", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

How come these anxiety producing reports on our debt crisis always pick on reducing the programs that mostly take care of our dependent pensioners or our national health care?

How about the administrative costs for running the government such as maintaining a well-supplied military, or a law enforcement, incarceration, and justice system. Then there's the costs of the increasing personnel, space, and equipping to support our Legislative and Executive branches of government. Also, there's all those government agencies and departments that regulate and take care of our lands and fair conduct of our industrial, food, and supply chains.

That's right folks it's a package deal that everybody matters, or nobody matters. It's a government that provides some of the best living conditions possible within the comfort, security and opportunity from a county that always assumes a leadership example for the rest of the world's governed societies.

So you're damned right it takes taxes, a lot of tax revenue. So, if you've got a Legislative or Executive representative telling you taxes are too high or unnecessary, then you've got a political nutcase who smooths your feathers but doesn't want to admit how uncaring they are for what ruffles them in the first place.

     On 12-2-23, the Washington Post penned an article entitled: "Trump pardoned them. Now they’re helping him return to power", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Of all the known actions of Trump for which a courtroom finding is unnecessary for condemnation, this abuse, this malfeasance of the elected office he occupied stands as evidence for his perverted inhuman traits to undermine our societal values.

The misuse of a humanitarian device like pardons being used as bargaining chits to promote a self-serving agenda for perversion of our political system stands alone as the greatest evidence of Trump's path to treasonable conduct.

As a human being Trump has no equal as a lying, untrustworthy and for certain deraigned personality. Wake up folks, he desires an office for his personal demagogue use, not for any benefit to US. And sound the alarm because now you've met his corps of pardoned misfits to help make it happen.