All one can do is ask who the hell is this 41%?

Those who hate all things Donald Trump is an obvious answer as it continues to this day, but what else can be attributed to the defiance of the left to admit all of the pain of the last year and the next three years is technically all on them?

Whether we’re talking Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, most anchors and pundits on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, the network news channels, academia, the entertainment industry, they got a significant amount of people to believe they had the answers to all that ailed them. And they got people to buy it; like, snake oil salesmen!

In popular culture, a particular kind of confidence trick is associated with the snake oil salesman, in which the travelling salesman purports to be a doctor (with dubious credentials), selling fake medicines with boisterous marketing hype, often supported by pseudo-scientific evidence. To increase sales, an accomplice in the crowd (a shill) will often attest to the value of the product in an effort to provoke buying enthusiasm. The “doctor” will leave town before his customers realize they have been cheated.
— Wikipedia

It doesn’t take much to be either the salesman or the shill nowadays because it’s lucrative to be able talk shit effectively and with conviction, and as long as it’s the opposite proposed by Donald Trump and/or Republicans, any obviously stupid remedy can be peddled and sold.

While during the first days of his administration, Joe Biden cancelled the contract for the Keystone XL pipeline resulting in almost immediate gas price jumps, who really thought this was a good thing? Obviously Biden was given a mandate from his supporters to undo anything and everything President Trump successfully enacted as punishment for years of mean Tweets.

While during the first days of his administration, Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s border wall that resulted in the lowest numbers of illegal alien entry into the United States ever and the subsequent spike in border crossings to historic new highs, who really thought this was a good thing?

When people across the world watched the thoroughly mismanaged withdrawal of the American presence in Afghanistan, complete with people trying to cling to Air Force cargo planes taking off and falling to their deaths, unprotected servicemembers blown to bits at the airport gate, the Taliban inheriting billions in state-of-the-art weaponry abandoned, and an unknown number of Americans left behind enemy lines, who really thought this was a good thing?

When Americans are seeing a momentous jump in gasoline prices that results in almost everything, from empty grocery aisles to clothing to heating oil (it IS still winter), approaching all-time records due government-induced inflation, who really thinks this is a good thing?

Now that we’re finding out (something many of us already knew) almost everything we were told for the last two years from the Centers for Disease Control, federal health officials, parroted by politicians and the media was either wrong or a lie, who still demands everyone “follow the science”?

The thing that angered most people who in many cases tarred-and-feathered predatory snake oil salesmen, was not just that they ripped people off from their hard-earned money, but they took advantage of those who were susceptible to the smooth talk. People were angered that they were made fools of. That also took a certain amount of honest retrospection for those people to admit they were suckered.

But today, we have millions who have the benefit of a education believing they are incapable of being duped, thus also being very wrong.

No matter how much damage they see all around them (and may even be personally experiencing), they believe they are too intellectually superior to have done something now so evidently stupid as to have supported and voted for Joe Biden. To spare themselves the indignity of enduring dirty looks, some may have removed the Biden-Harris bumper stickers off their cars, but that’s as far as they’ll allow their pride to be harmed.

We’re now seeing the self-righteous sanctimonious who clogged our televisions, lecturing us on the need for vaccinations, boosters, mask mandates, remote learning, shutdowns, now backtracking, telling us the coast is clear and now THEY are allowing us to carefully ease back to normal while hoping never to address all the demands they made of Americans we now know were either unnecessary or just plain wrong. And the world knows the dozens of examples of those in power who inflicted restrictions on their constituents while breaking those same restrictions behind closed doors over booze or a really good meal.

The problem is these same people will continue to given themselves ego boosts by voting for Democrats like Biden again, if given the chance. It won’t matter how clearly bad for the nation this person may be; as long as it’s not a Republican, they’ll support those who STILL want police defunded, energy-killing climate change policies advanced, more of the world’s poor (and fentanyl) to cross into our country, foreign adversaries happily awaiting the next “strongly worded letter” coming from our State Department, and keep children masked and negatively affected.

Let’s never forget what the nation would look like today if Donald Trump had been allow to have a second term. Aside from a stable, if not record-breaking economy, liberals would still be protesting in the streets and snake oil salesmen and women would be telling us not to believe the low gas prices and inexpensive food, etc. They’d be telling us all how horrible the country is, hoping to say it loud enough to get a response from  the president.

Tarring and feathering the snake oil class might be considered a form of assault today but it’s not listed as a specific crime.

That says a lot of how much swindlers were despised by the unwilling duped. The willing and self-excused are another problem all together.

Furloughed federal government workers can watch so much free basketball
Government shutdown: Freebies, deals and help for furloughed workers
Government shutdown: Resources for federal workers who can’t make mortgage or rent
Peach State Federal latest Georgia credit union offering help to furloughed workers
Oklahoma bank covering customers who go unpaid during government shutdown
If You’ve Got A Federal Employee ID, Here’s Where To Score Free And Discounted Food And Drinks
20,000 Pizzas, Knitting Classes and Movies. Just Some of the Freebies Small Businesses Are Offering Furloughed Federal Workers
Free Museum Entry For Furloughed Federal Workers
Free pop-up markets for federal workers affected by shutdown open in D.C. area
Creative Escapes for Furloughed Workers! FREE
Food Pantry, Churches Helping Furloughed Federal Workers
Banks soften due dates, offer help to furloughed federal workers

With the laudable, altruistic rush to help a fellow American in need, one can only ask why now and what makes these people so damn special?

Democrats move to prevent foreclosures, evictions on unpaid federal workers

Sorry, but it takes more than ONE delinquent payment to be foreclosed-on or evicted, so either this is an overly sensational #ShutdownStories headline or those government workers have issues.

Many Americans are still reeling from the after effects of the many Obamacare falsehoods delivered.

If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your doctor, too. The only change you’ll see are falling costs as our reforms take hold.
— President Barack Obama, 6/6/09

For “people who already have insurance, and the employers who are providing it,” Obama said at one campaign event, “we will work to lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family.” So was he talking about lowering the rate of increase? It sure didn’t seem that way. On CNN he said, “We’re going to reduce costs an average of $2,500.“
— Investors Business Daily, 9/23/15

As was predicted and as we all now know, the results of the politics was devastating to the lives of millions of Americans.

We found that since the ACA became law, among small businesses, the rise in premiums has been associated with $19 billion in lost wages, small businesses (20-99 workers) lost 295,030 jobs, 10,130 business establishments, and $4.7 billion in total wage earnings. Florida lost 17,950 jobs; Ohio lost 19,000; Pennsylvania lost 15,680; and Texas lost 28,010 jobs due to higher sensitivity to rising health care premiums and the ACA.
— American Action Forum analysis

Let’s look at some simple numbers: around 800,000 federal workers who are furloughed versus almost 300,000 Americans who actually lost their jobs. One would think those who didn’t have the luxury of knowing they would eventually receive back pay would’ve loved a public outpouring of freebies to help them get by.

“I feel so alone”: How federal workers are suffering after 3 weeks without pay

However, Americans received nothing. No sympathy from the media who are actively looking for personal stories of angst and misery today. No slack from banks. Certainly no free (promotional) meals in pricey downtown D.C. restaurants or from supermarket chains. No free movies or museum passes; zip, zero, nada.

A new nightmare for furloughed workers — preventing damage to their credit scores

No one gave a damn about the careers of Americans destroyed, homes and cars lost, marriages disrupted if not destroyed, and all of the other collateral damage done when you lose hours or your job altogether during a lousy economy.

So, yes, while many of us understand the hardships many of these federal workers are going through, we’re also rather disgusted by the media overreach to make us all feel their pain today while they could care less about the pain of millions of Americans a few short years ago.

And guess which America the media and punditry sympathizes with?

For example, a Boston restaurant which has been open since the late 1820s (no, that isn’t a typo) will soon be closing because of mandatory minimum wage hikes that will make it harder for them to compete. There is scant media, social or otherwise, outcry for the looming financial harm to their employees.

Michael Weinstein, CEO of Ark Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Durgin-Park, this week said the restaurant will close on Jan. 12 because fewer customers are coming through the doors and costs have risen. Manager Kenneth Thimothee said the state’s new minimum hourly wage, which rose from $3.75 to $4.35 for tipped workers and from $11 to $12 for other employees, is partially to blame. And Durgin-Park will not be the only high-profile restaurant that will close this year, said Bob Luz, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
— Boston Herald, 1/5/19

The minimum wage law was passed by the Massachusetts Democrat supermajority and signed by the RINO governor, which is why so little of its destructive and predicted ramifications are being talked about. The federal government #shutdown is now being given headline status because a Republican president can blamed and all we’re hearing is how adversely it’s affected federal employees.

“As we discussed, I am a federal employee who has recently been furloughed due to a lack of funding of my agency. Because of this, my income has been severely cut and I am unable to pay the entire cost of my mortgage, along with my other expenses.”
— Office of Personnel Management “sample letter” for employee creditors

Remember that when you have hard times and you’re pleading for compassion from some of these very same people.

Federal Workers, Some in ‘Panic Mode,’ Share Shutdown Fears on Social Media

Many Americans who’ve interacted with federal employees are less than sympathetic.

Voters are overwhelmingly aware that there’s a partial shutdown of the federal government, but so far at least it isn’t bothering them.
— Rasmussen, 1/4/19

Maybe because more of us have had to endure the negative ramifications of the illegal alien presence in our country than any interaction (good or bad) with a faceless federal employee.

While we know some federal employees who fall into that “essential” column, too many others are publicly whining about their paychecks (which they will recoup in full once the shutdown ends), and despite what they say, it’s all about them; NOT the general public who they claim to care so much about.

Federal workers already collect bigger salaries, on average, than workers in the private economy doing comparable jobs. Their benefits packages are also on average 47 percent fatter, according to the Congressional Budget Office. They get up to 49 paid days off a year. And firing them is often impossible. Then, at age 55, if they’ve put in 30 years, they get a gold-plated ­retirement package almost ­unheard of in private enterprise, including defined benefits that protect them from inflation.

In short, federal employees are riding the gravy train, and the rest of us working stiffs who pay the taxes to support the federal government are taken for a ride.
— New York Post, 1/2/19

We’re being inundated with news story after news story about the hardships these employees are now facing because of the Democrat/Trump impasse over the relatively meager funding of the border wall.

Our personal experience with federal employees has been mixed, but I will say some of the conduct we have been exposed to would NEVER be tolerated in the private sector, but then again we all know how some private sector coworkers would conduct themselves if they knew they couldn’t easily be fired.

There is also a very visual consistency when it comes to federal employees and media stories tend to back this up: they are literally well fed and comfortable.

When we lose our jobs, how many restaurants and schools offer us a free meal?

Jose Andres, who owns restaurants in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and other places across the U.S., has reached out on Twitter saying that his D.C. locations will be providing a free sandwich for lunch to federal workers impacted by the partial shutdown.
— Fox 5, 1/4/19

A Maryland school board member is seeking immediate action to make school lunches free for all students in his county during the federal government shutdown. Prince George’s County is home to several federal offices, including the Food and Drug Administration, National Archives, Goddard Space Flight Center, the Census Bureau and National Archives.
— Fox 5, 1/5/19

We were always on our own or left to the dubious mercy of some of the very public sector employees who saw no sense of urgency in our situation, in fact, some of them considered us a nuisance.

Again, look at the local news reports with footage of federal employee as well as interviews, and you’ll see one thing in common: gluttony.

How many of these government workers, when we go to them for help, really give a shit but we’re supposed to care once the shoe is on the other foot. We’ve personally experienced horrible customer service at the VA hospital in Washington, D.C. and the employees involved will remain because things rarely get fixed within the government club.

Public employee unions are trying to stop reform of the Veterans Administration, where in 2014 it was uncovered that employees doctored patient waiting lists to make themselves look good. Vets on the phony waitlists died waiting for care.

We’re now talking about federal employees who’ve lived off the taxpayer dime for literally decades so they can retire in manners few of us can relate to. Unlike the private sector where performance is essential to the survival of the employer, public sector employees don’t have to do a good job because the government will never go out of business, per se. Unlike the private sector where bad service means fewer people coming into a restaurant, federal employees will have a job even if their customer service skills suck and they know it.

Federal employees even showing up for work has become a topic of discussion….

Now, multiply this by the 438 agencies and sub-agencies and you understand why (despite media insistence Americans care) most Americans are somewhat unsympathetic regarding a government shutdown.

Seeing how inflated wages aren’t enough, the American people are given an entire week annually to show government employees just how much we couldn’t survive without them.

Honor public servants in your community with a note of thanks by organizing a letter writing or e-mail campaign. You can also distribute an electronic thank you card which can be forwarded to other public servants.
— Public Service Recognition Week “Celebration Toolkit”

The Southern Maryland/Northern Virginia region is one of the wealthiest in the nation. When I first moved here in 2009, the first thing I noticed was the head-turning number of very expensive cars driving north on Route 1 heading into D.C. every morning.

Remember, there was ZERO sympathy for those in the American public who suffered the ramifications of those in the White House and Capitol Hill who were assured they could keep their doctors and health insurance and families would “save” $2500 annually in premiums. The result of those blatant lies were lost jobs, broken families and no one in the federal government issued suggestions to the impacted on how to stave off creditors. No one offered free meals to those who lost hours at their places of employment and subsequently had trouble meeting their financial obligations.

As the government shutdown will be blamed solely on President Trump, we’ll be bombarded with as many federal employee #ShutdownStories sob stories as can be rounded up.

CNN: “Federal worker: I worry every day about food”

Crimes by illegal aliens can be managed and muted. But when the American people are negatively impacted by misguided liberal Democrat policies; policies the political class and their staffs exempt themselves from, there is no sympathy, let alone comparative media coverage.

Despite what you’re consuming from the media elite who are relatively shielded from the long-standing inaction of the federal government regarding the effects of illegal immigration, some federal employees are onboard with the president.

More than half of federal workers approve of Trump’s changes, ­according to a June poll. After all, they have to pick up the slack from these bad apples and resent seeing them promoted regardless of their inferior performance.

Federal employees and contractors are living pretty well off forcibly confiscated tax dollars of the American people. Even though they mostly will be reimbursed for their #shutdown inconvenience, one number we’ll never be told is how much money it would’ve cost to fund the government every day to pay these employees; some of whom are productive but many more who are dead weight.