I agree with Donald J. Trump that we are at a pivotal moment in our history. We are at a fork in the road where one side wants to continue to evolve our society in a positive direction where everyone is included and the other side wants to take this country back where only a privilege few enjoy what this nation has to offer. In my mind and the minds of most Americans we know the proper direction to take. However, the Trump phenomena has incorporated a shady group that has always existed in our society, gave them voice, gave them empowerment and now they are openly threatening revolution if they don’t get their way. This is no hyperbole, the very heart of Trump support is of the same mindset and goals as the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930’s, whether the Trump supporters recognize it or not.

Racism in this country has always existed and always will. Like diabetes, it cannot be cured, only controlled. If gone untreated, diabetes will kill you. If gone uncontrolled, racism will destroy a society. This is where we stand as a nation today with this election. Much has been said about how Trump received over $6 billion in free air time covering his rallies with little to no commentary or fact checking from mainstream media regarding his rhetoric or the chants at his rallies. In the 18 months of coverage, the angry racism at the core of Trump and his supporters was heard unchallenged at a national level thus emboldening their views and allowing them to think they could actually take back control of the nation they felt they lost in the 1960’s during the civil rights movement.

Avid supporters of Donald Trump initially said it was about economics. Many went on to suggest that his base were working class, middle class Americans who have not recovered along with the rest of the nation from the 2008 recession. However, an examination of his core supporters reveal they are actually upper middle class or retired. They are actually doing very well thank you. While it is true that most are White and not college educated, few live near or have any interaction with minorities. This would imply that they rely on what they are told about the minorities, not what they actually experience. So when you see a large group of White supporters chanting “Build the Wall” and a candidate making baseless claims that Mexico is sending us their rapists, drug dealers, killers across the border they tend to believe it. When they are told that Blacks are lazy, they believe it because they have never truly interacted with anyone outside their racial subsect of America. Its tribalism and Trump has masterfully harness this to his advantage and the media has been complicit.

One has to ask how a man who is certainly a terrible businessman who lost nearly a billion dollars of other people’s money in one year in the casino business during an economic boom and has been sued thousands of times for not paying debts for services rendered is seen as a business success story. He claims he is successful but refuses to release any independent documents to support that claim. Anyone else would be laughed off the stage but not him.

One has to ask why they would trust a man who outside his real-estate operations outsources all his manufacturing jobs to China, Mexico, Vietnam, and Bangladesh will bring jobs back to this country. One has to ask how a man who decries how we’re not using American Steel and Aluminum gets away with using Chinese Steel and Aluminum for his construction projects.

One has to ask how a man who claims he’s for law and order openly admits to essentially bribing government officials for his own benefit and incites his supporters to act violently against his dissenters gets away with it.

One has to ask how a many proven to be untruthful in over 70% of his statements to the public is seen as “telling it as it is” by his supporters.

One has to ask how a man who openly cheated on his wives, boasts about sexual deviancy is seen as an Evangelical Christian.

One has to ask how a man who has provided no detail plans for how he would address the economy and job growth if elected aside from giving his economic class even more tax breaks at the cost of several trillion dollars more added to our debt and place us in another recession according to every economist who examine his plan can get away with saying he will eliminate our debt and grow jobs. Trump advocates even more trickle-down than ever before and this has never worked.

One has to ask how a man who now says there is an “international conspiracy” underfoot to steal the election from him is getting away with relying on the Russian Government with use of an international group known as WikiLeaks ran by an Australian to make his point.

All the above don’t matter to his core support because all that matters to them is that he is not Hillary Clinton and he gives them a voice to normalize their racist views about the world and it’s only getting worse. Trump has united with Stephen K Bannon of Breitbart. Breitbart is documented as a news organization favored by White Supremacists/White Nationalists who not only call for bringing back segregation and support the belief of an international conspiracy led by (wait for it) the Jews to undermine our “sovereignty.” This is now the organizational structure of the Trump Campaign and the core believe of his base of support.

As Trump’s national support continues to fall and Republicans break ranks from him due to his admissions of sexual deviancy caught on tape (mind you nothing else, not the racism, failed business deals, anger, corruption, lies) his base support grows ever more angry and fervent. Now they are gobbling up the same rhetoric the Nazis ate up in the 1930’s about grand international conspiracies of the press, establishment, money interests and Jews.

They are certain that their candidate is winning because they support him. They cannot conceive that they are a minority group of supporters because either they don’t venture outside their group or their anger blinds them to reality. As such, if Trump loses, it’s because the system in rigged or it was stolen. So now they are threatening revolution if that occurs.

The crowds at Trump rallies today show remarkable parallels to Nazi rallies in Germany and the United States (yes there was a Nazi movement in the United States prior to World War II). White Nationalist fervor against the “other” the “international conspiracy to rob us of our sovereignty” still echo over 80 years later. The Breitbart organized Trump campaign is capitalizing on the fear, anger and hatred of a minority of White supporters to gain acceptance and influence. They know they cannot win this year, but they want to make a place in our body politics that will remain for the next election cycle to come.

I fervently believe that although Trump is a racist misogynist, he is doing this more for money than power. As such, he’s become a useful idiot for Steve Bannon and the White Supremacists he represents. As such, even with Trump gone, they want to remain a group to be feared and worked with in the future.

They want to take hold of American Politics as the Tea Party did with the Republican Party. It is my view that despite how bad the Tea Party is, the Trump faction of the GOP is far worse. In fact most of his support were never Republican or Tea Party when he started. This group of racists joined thinking this was a chance to become normalized and take control of the nation. When you have a candidate who begins his campaign with a baseless and repugnantly racist attacks on Latinos, that candidate will draw in repugnantly racist followers.

Donald Trump will not win on November 8^th because his support is fading among the majority of voting Americans. Hatred of Clinton won’t be enough to get him over the finish line and he knows it. He stopped trying to pivot to more centrist moderate Americans and has doubled down with red meat for the fringe White Supremacists of this nation.

The game plan for him is notoriety that he hopes to capitalize on to keep his businesses afloat, possibly launch a new media empire catering to racists like Breitbart does. However, his supporters who will be very angry when Clinton wins will begin to increase their violence and organizing militias to fight back the United States Government. What they want is a close race to tell their followers the election was stolen in an effort to rally support for their cause, the violent overthrow of the United States Government and imposition of a Nazi-like White Nationalist Government.

I do not believe for a second they would ever be successful in such an endeavor. Consider what they would be up against, the best equipped, trained and organized military force in the world. Their numbers are small, but they could create havoc, violence, injuries and death in their attempt at overthrow and use of terrorism that they are already planning. The recent arrest of Trump supporters planning a terrorist attack in Kansas stands as evidence of this.

The best we can do to minimize this clear and present danger to our society is to do what we can to get out the vote and ensure a landslide victory for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats running for Congress and State Government to do as much as possible to dispel any accusation of a “stolen election”. We cannot allow this group that talking point. If it’s close, they’ll use it and will use it effectively. They’ll use it to justify acts of terrorism forcing the government to negotiate with them, at least that is how they will see it. Either way innocent blood will be spilt if we don’t drive these people back to the margins of our society where the must remain.

These people have always been with us and always will, there is always a fringe population in any society that places fear, hate and violence above everything else to justify their existence. They cannot be allowed to be considered a normalized, legitimate voice in our body politic, they must be marginalized of they will fester and like a cancer destroy us. This cannot be ignored and brushed off anymore. The stakes are too high.

Most of the time my Twitter Account and Blog will focus on National Politics. However, acknowledging that down ballot races are as important as those at the top and being a proud resident of Maricopa County my entire life, this Blog entry is for those of us in Maricopa County regarding who in my humble opinion are the best options and what ballot initiatives should be passed or denied and why. I suggest those of you from outside Maricopa County submit similar guides for your local jurisdictions. Couldn’t Hurt.

Initiatives:

I’m voting Yes on Proposition 205 which will legalize recreational marijuana use in Arizona. My reasons are simple and backed by scientific and criminal justice data. Marijuana is not a dangerous drug. The cognitive effects on the body are no worse than alcohol. Further, the criminalization of Marijuana costs the State of Arizona hundreds of millions of dollars each year in arrests, incarceration, court costs and subsequent imprisonment or probation services for simple possession. This stretches the budgetary needs of police and Court institutions that could be better spent on crimes that directly impact the community in a harmful manners. Further, States that have legalized recreational marijuana have not only seen an increase in state revenues via taxation, there have been found to be a drop in Opioid addiction rates. Prescription Opioids and Heroin are clearly more addictive and dangerous than Marijuana. Legalizing recreational use and regulating it is a no brainer.

I’m voting Yes on Proposition 206 which will increase the minimum wage in Arizona from $8.05 an hour to $12.00 an hour by 2020 and will also establish the right to earn sick time from being employed. Although it is arguable a small increase, it is better than leaving it where it is. The argument that increasing minimum wages cause job loss is a provably false argument. In reality, you increase the minimum wage, employees have more money that will be spent generating more money through the economy which has the result of increasing net job growth as employers need more employees to handle the extra business. This has been proven time and time again. No validated study has shown any net job loss from raising the minimum wage. Again, another no brainer.

Candidates

In Arizona, we have the right to vote on whether or not a Supreme or Superior Court Judge can keep their seats. I won’t go into the list for Maricopa County but I strongly urge voters to go to www.AZJudges.info for specific information on each judicial officer and vote accordingly.

For President I’m voting for Clinton/Kaine, Duh!

For U.S. Senator I’m voting for Ann Kirkpatrick. John McCain is way past his “sell by date” and has been far more of a hindrance in the Senate than an asset to the State or Nation. He still fixates on his hatred of Obama to the point he won’t support the once Centrist positions he took in the past to include immigration reform. Although Kirkpatrick is more of a conservative Democrat than Progressive, she still supports correctly the Affordable Care Act and is willing to work across the aisle to get things done as she’s shown in the House.

I live in Congressional District 6 and of course I’m voting for W. John Williamson who is the Democrat. Regardless which Congressional District you reside in, I strongly encourage you to vote for the Democrat over the Republican. The obstruction of the past six years is from Republican Control of the House. Any legislation for ordinary Americans is shelved in order to push Legislation for the 1% at the expense of ordinary Americans. There is no sign the Republicans in the House will change their obstructionist ways with Clinton so we must remove as many of them as possible.

As with the above, for State House and State Senate and for the same reasons, I’m voting for the Democrats. My State Senator currently is Nancy Barto who sponsored legislation that passed and became law requiring doctors to literally lie to their patients regarding abortions. Our House and Senate are filled with Tea Party extremists who focus solely on disproven ideology than the needs of the citizens. They all need to be replaced.

For Corporation Commission there are only two Democrats running, William Mundell and Tom Chabin. We need to also select a third among the three remaining Republican Candidates. Of them, Tobin is the least objectionable and in the pockets of predatory corporations in Arizona.

For County Board of Supervisors in my district there is only one Republican Candidate. This is sad because Maricopa County has some very qualified Democrats to run for office but few put their names in. Fortunately Bill Gates is too bad.

As with Board of Supervisors, we only have one Republican candidate for County Assessor. Fortunately it’s an office that really has no power.

For County Attorney I’m voting for Diego Rodriguez instead of Republican Bill Montgomery. Although Montgomery has done better than his predecessor by not licking Joe Arpaio’s ass, he has yet to follow through on investigating him or at least appointing a special prosecutor for Joe’s continued illegal racial profiling.

For County Recorder Republican Helen Purcell has been there for as long as I can remember. Other than some suspicious ballot issues from 2014 no real scandals. However, it’s time for a change especially dealing with a party like the Republicans who could very easily miscount votes in a County that’s turning Purple, so I’m voting for Democrat Adrian Fontes.

For County School Superintendent I’m voting for Michelle Robertson. Steve Watson is too much into privatization of Public Schools to the detriment of those living in impoverished areas.

For County Sheriff I’m voting for Paul Penzone. This is the most important race for Maricopa County. Sheriff Joe has been in office too long and has only helped himself out while giving racists in Arizona and around the nation a focal point to freely express their racism. Joe’s campaign is already launching debunked claims of Penzone being a DV abuser in response. Well because Maricopa County Tax Payers must foot the bill for County Officials undergoing criminal and civil actions, Joe has already cost us over $50,000,000.00 over his racial profiling issues and contempt of Court. This tab is expected to increase to $75,000,000.00 by next summer. The only card Joe plays is the racist card because he is a racist. He still contends he’s investigating President Obama’s birth certificate despite Trump now saying he was born here. As with McCain, Arpaio is well past his “sell by date” and must go. If he remains, our Board of Supervisors will either have to increase taxes or cut services. Since they are Republicans, they’ll cut services. Either way, Maricopa County citizens suffer with Joe remaining in office.

For County Treasurer, Joe Downs. For Constable, again we only have a Republican running named David Lester.

By the way, I’m not a fan of write-in or third party votes. In a Purple State like Arizona is becoming, write-in and third party votes are wasted votes that only benefits the extremes of the Republican Party. All votes are important.

Finally on my ballot is a “Question” whether Western Maricopa County should issue and sell bonds for school improvements in Western Maricopa County. Of course yes.

Your comments are welcomed to this voting Guide. Whether you agree with me or not, please get out and vote. No excuse for anyone of any party affiliation to not vote this year.