As the midterms get closer and MAGA’s once-firm grip on every branch of government inevitably loosens, get ready for more and more fake outrage when they confuse the language of accountability with persecution. In last week’s issue, the SLO County Republicans (“Republican Party of SLO responds to ‘eradicate MAGA’ remarks,” July 9)—and in the June 18 issue, Aaron Ochs (“The local Democratic Party forgot about what’s important”)—did the whole “let’s all respect each other” song and dance while in the same breath supporting a man who has frequently said and done far, far worse than expressing intent to eradicate a toxic ideology.
Spare me.
Don’t fall for it, SLO County.
There will be more of this as they aim to direct our collective attention and focus away from the growing wealth gap, the treatment of our Black and brown neighbors, the rollback of environment protections, the failed war with Iran, voting rights under attack, Donald Trump’s declining mental and physical health, and Donald Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. All things the SLO Republicans would rather you forget, so they can be the victims come Nov. 3.
Rhys Behrland
Morro Bay
This article appears in July 16-23, 2026.
So this columnist acknowledges Americas many glaring problems, namely wealth disparity and the end of upward mobility, yet offers no solution other than putting someone from the opposing party in office or taking a majority of Congress.
What then? Where is your plan for recovery? How do you propose bring factories and production, with good wages, back to the US when corporations are unwilling to pay an American a living wage when they can simply pay a sweatshop laborer 50 cents an hour to do the same thing? How do you plan on breaking up financial and technology monopolies in the US? How do you propose balancing the federal budget? You provided no solution other than personalizing our systemic problems (caused by Boomers) into one man, Trump (a Boomer). What grade are you in, Kindergarten??
In 1950, the corporate tax rate was 42% and the top individual marginal tax rate was 90%. Because of these high tax rates, corporate leaders chose that instead of paying out that money to the government they would reinvest it in their companies through improved facilities, worker pay and benefit packages. There was once such a thing as a single paycheck family that could own a home, take a vacation every year and have a decent pension for retirement.
Today’s corporate rate is half that at 21%, disincentivizing CEO’s from reinvesting because they can now pocket the extra money or buy back corporate stock, thus increasing their wealth. They no longer pay workers and pensions for the private work force are mostly gone. They are, however, currently modernizing to incorporate AI and robotics in order to eliminate workers. Take the trucking industry. With regulatory assistance from the current administration they are pushing steadfastly toward robot trucks which will ultimately render the job of long haul trucker obsolete.
Alas, the only possible way to reverse these trends is to get money out of politics—repeal Citizens United and severely restrict corporate donations—and I’m not opposed to the same restrictions on union contributions. The reality of the Democratic Party is that over the last 40+ years they have become just as beholden to large donors because not doing so would have meant their demise when Republicans are taking exorbitant contributions from the likes of Elon Musk and the Koch brothers.
The more that you push labor costs higher and higher, the more that you incentivize the robotics and automation that eliminate jobs. The automation of fast food certainly accelerated after California raised the minimum to $20 for fast food workers, so at lot of places are struggling, and there is a lot more automated ordering and payment. Poor people are no longer able to afford fast food. Are workers better off is they can’t find jobs, or are unable to work more hours?
5% unemployment rate in California (slightly higher than the nation). There are plenty of jobs, so many that a good percentage of working class employees have two or three, whether they want them or not. And, yes, there are fewer fast food workers in California…by about 2%. But, yes indeed, the economy remains challenging for the working class. I don’t, however, see any solutions coming from the Trump administration. The tax cut we got this year has, for most folks, been swallowed up by tariffs and war.