Some politicians are trying to make this election about anything OTHER than your pocket book. The inflation rate in the United States is hovering over 8% – the highest inflation rate in 40 years. Democrats have “trifecta” control in Washington D.C. and Connecticut. They control the House, Senate and the Executive branch, President and Governor, respectively. Our families are struggling to make ends meet. Our dismal financial situation is because of the Democrat policies they’ve forced on the working people of this country.

If everything was wonderful, with the Connecticut economy booming, the Democrat trifecta having total power and control, could take credit for that too. Truth is everything is getting worse. The cost of heating and cooling a home is significantly higher, gas prices continue to rise and you’re paying more for less at the grocery store. Connecticut Democrats have controlled the House and Senate, as well as the governorship, for more than a decade, and only they must take responsibility because they were the ones calling all the shots. There is no balance in decision making in Connecticut politics in Hartford or Meriden. It’s the same people painting the same rosy picture, except you aren’t living in that rosy fantasy.

Life is hard, not always fitting easily into how you might like to see things transpire. But there is something you can do- vote for me and give common-sense policy solutions an opportunity to prove that the free-market system and fiscal prudence is the surest road to recovery. We definitely are living
proof we‘re heading in the wrong direction.

I signed the “Contract with Connecticut” on September 21 st and in doing so, I pledged to act on five initiatives; An affordable Connecticut, protecting our communities, making government work for you, putting families first and protecting local control in all areas of municipal governance. You may read further on the website Contractwithct.com and see that the Republican representatives have a detailed plan and offer transparent solutions to our most urgent needs.

My endorsements have been led by law enforcement. Because of unwavering support for our first responders, the Connecticut Fraternal Order of Police, and the Berlin Police Department support my candidacy. Meriden Police Union #1016 previously endorsed me. I’ve been an entrepreneur and small business owner. I’ve been endorsed by the CT REALTORS because I understand how important home ownership investment is for the majority of people and their communities.

Are you able to buy as much as you did 2 years ago? Winter is coming and will you be able to afford your heating bills? What do you think our economy will look like after the election, if the same people in charge that made this mess are elected to continue their inane policies?

In my last op-ed (RJ 9/29/2022) I stated that Connecticut now has over 340 taxes and fees levied on our 3.5 million residents. Beginning in January 2023 the highway use tax on trucks will go into effect because our Democrat-led state representative trifecta wanted even more tax revenue. I fully support repealing the truck tax.

It will raise the cost of food, consumer goods and services even higher. If not repealed and you live on a fixed income or must adhere to a family budget, you’d better be prepared to do with less-unless we change who we elect to represent us. That is why I’m asking for your vote.

I’m running for State Representative for the 83 rd District because I’m tired of seeing such bitterness and dysfunction at almost every level of our society. Even in our homes, just talking politics can be contentious. Which news station you listen to can be contentious. I’m sickened by being told how I must use the English language and what topics are and aren’t appropriate. The free flowing of ideas is where solutions are found. I don’t really care where or who has the best ideas, I want to live in a state where all ideas can be shared and debated. That’s where progress truly lies- we need to be able to communicate and listen to each other. We may not agree on everything, but respectful discourse paves the way to the
world of understanding.

TO: Jeff Kurz, Editorial Page Editor
FROM: Lou Arata
DATE: September 15, 2022

We’ve seen parental outrage over critical race theory lessons being pushed on students by teachers obsessed with interfering with the lives of our youth. There has been justified parental outrage over the competitive fairness and safety of girls in high school sports and we’ve witnessed the sometimes blatant disrespect of parental rights in the morality and sexual education being taught in our schools.

People are angry. Regardless of party affiliation, we all see it and feel it. I know folks who no longer watch the 6 o’clock news because they can’t stand watching one side or the other pound away at their talking points. It’s us, verses them and it seems to be everywhere.

Nowhere is this dynamic more evident than in the world of politics. Especially here in Connecticut, where for 40 years one-party rule has led this once “greatest of States” to the bottom of most financial metrics. Connecticut has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that total control of government by one party leads to failure and corruption. Policies are implemented, not in fairness but in the buying of votes to maintain power and control.

We’ve seen for years the departure of wealth of both individuals and businesses, to States that are far more fiscally responsible. I’m frequently reminded of the tolls debate several years ago where the administrative costs associated with paving one mile of highway here in Connecticut was more than 9 times higher than the national average. What are we doing here that is so unique? Perhaps it could be we have had total State control by the Democrats for 40 years.

It’s unhealthy and it’s unbalanced. However, we the people have allowed this to be the case. This time in our history is unprecedented in its importance. It’s now time for people to stand up for the values, institutions and our way of life- the free-market system- before it’s too late to turn around.

Our State is being blinded with rising crime. Because of policies within the Police Accountability Act, passed along a virtual party line vote, police departments are unable to effectively perform their jobs. Republicans were steadfastly against defunding our police departments. Look around at many of our larger cities; if you were to listen to the people, they overwhelmingly support our men and women in blue and want funding restored to provide for their protection and that of their families.

Woke policies do not guarantee the public’s security.

The role and size of government continues to grow here in Connecticut and nationally. Connecticut’s largest employer, some 65,000 strong, is the State. The sad news is those jobs do not create wealth. The taxes State workers do pay, come directly from taxes everyone else who works in the private sector of the economy pays. The free-market system requires a healthy middle class. The middle class here in Connecticut has been under attack through unfunded mandates, forcing forever rising property taxes.

According to the Yankee Institute, in 2021 Connecticut generated revenue from 344 taxes, fees and other sources.

I say that it’s time for the people of Connecticut to demand their government gets its fiscal house in order so that we may begin to lessen the financial burden for all tax-paying citizens. When elected, I will pursue legislation and support ideas bringing some balance back to Hartford and opening up honest, transparent debate on issues where all views are heard and considered. Inflation and misguided Democrat-led policy legislation in Connecticut hurts every single person living on a fixed income, especially our seniors.

Republican ideas offered in committee and amendments to proposed bills are seldom respected by the majority Democrat party and the entire State is worse off for that.

I encourage every reader to visit my website, LouArata.com where I go into greater detail on some specifics. I care and will work for you.

Personal responsibility and accountability seem to have gotten lost in our present legislative environment. I believe a smaller government is a stronger government because that means more responsibility and liberty is given back to the individual and not controlled by the state.
If you agree, I am asking for your vote and your support.

TO: Jeffery Kurz, Editorial Page Editor, Record-Journal

FROM: Lou Arata

DATE: August 26, 2022

RE: Real Common Sense

Remember when, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, claimed during her press briefing that it would be “unfair and absurd” for companies to raise costs on consumers in response to the Biden administration raising the corporate tax rate?

That’s how they think. Forbes noted after the Psaki comments that it was “important to remember that corporate taxes must be paid by people,” and, “Any corporate tax increase will be paid by either shareholders/owners, employees in the form of lower wages, or customers in the form of higher prices.”

I suppose everyone who would be considered middle class knew that, except Press Secretary Psaki.

Higher prices are hitting every family and the cuts being made to the family budget are real. You’re feeling the loss of your purchasing power because of inflation, far more than those at the top. What can be done to provide real monetary relief to the middle class and those living on fixed incomes?

For one, I support stopping the money giveaways. This is a Democrat red herring, plain and simple, attempting to buy votes. This giveaway sweepstakes we’ve all been witness to is unsustainable. Unless, of course, you continue to print trillions upon trillions of dollars, out of thin air, increasing our super ballooned national debt. But that just feeds the inflation inferno even more, making the dollars you do have to spend buy less. Either way, you’re on the losing end.

Jobs and people working actually creates wealth and builds to stabilize the economy, both regionally and nationally, not unexpected “free” checks incentivizing sloth.

Secondly, I would propose to lower taxes here in Connecticut on individuals and businesses. State coffers are bulging due to the increase in tax revenue resulting from those inflated prices you’re paying. Fall is approaching and we’ve witnessed a more than doubling of the price of basic dietary staples and we all can attest to the rising prices of energy. And don’t forget that the truck tax will hit in January, which will be sure to drive up the costs of groceries and gasoline even more because shippers will pass those costs onto the retailers who will pass it on to their customers. Republicans have continually called for that tax to be repealed but Democrats have refused.

Mandates and taxes on our small businesses put forward by the Democrat elite in Hartford will only add to present costs. Do we want more of the same?

Third, it is my belief that the last thing you need to worry about while you and your family are trying to figure out how you’re going to make ends meet is to be constantly stressing about the safety of yourself, your family and loved ones and your property.

I fully support law enforcement and their efforts to provide safety for the pubic that they serve. The Police Accountability Act has taken away many of the tools police need to do their job, not just the qualified immunity provision. Criminals taken into custody, many with multiple prior arrests, are quickly released back out onto the street only to repeat their law-breaking activities. This hamster-in-the-wheel process makes the public less safe and is a stupefying waste of tax payer money. We are, in essence paying our police forces to essentially not be able to do their job. I will support improved legislation reversing this brutal trend.

An atmosphere of lawlessness cannot be tolerated. People shouldn’t have to worry about filling their tanks with $4 a gallon gasoline while also looking over their shoulder to make sure a repeat offender, who has been let out on bond after his 12th arrest, isn’t stealing their car. 

It’s a clear choice. A Democrat will increase the size and cost of government. During the height of $5.00/gallon gasoline, the Democrat controlled House voted 95-53 to give legislators a 43% pay raise. It’s in the Democrats DNA to raise taxes. Lou Arata will fight to bring down costs, trim the size, scope, and cost of government and look to root out corruption.

I am running for State Representative, 83rd District (Meriden, Cheshire & Berlin) and I ask you for your vote and your support, to bring common sense legislation back to all the citizens of Connecticut.

TO: Jeffery Kurz, Editorial Page Editor
FROM: Lou Arata
DATE: February 23, 2022

RE: Connecticut Imbalance and the Washington Connection

COVID-19 guidelines have been in place and changed often since March 2020, supposedly following the “science.” It is now being discussed that a fourth shot, a “second booster” called by some, will now be needed. What has always been the case with this pandemic, is that this has really been about control- especially control of the ballot box. With absolute control, any political party will be able to wreak havoc with our constitutional republic, make whatever changes to our laws it pleases and nullify local control and individual freedom of choice.

Connecticut legislators in Hartford have floated the idea of creating regional school boards and instituting a statewide property tax. They can do this because there is no balance of power in Connecticut. The Connecticut legislature has been controlled by the Democrat Party for 40 years. All of the Connecticut Congressional and Senate representatives are Democrats. It was British politician, Lord Acton in 1887 who wrote, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. That is why whatever the Biden administration attempts, Connecticut is sure to follow and support.

As out of touch as the Biden administration is, recording one of the highest disapproval ratings for a sitting president, so is Connecticut U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal who was “excited and honored” to congregate with the Connecticut People’s World Committee, an affiliate of the Communist Party USA at their 102nd anniversary.

I do not believe that what is best for you is actually on the minds of our politicians. Our government continues to grow, and get paid, while the rest of the population must try and fend for themselves; unless you want to be part of the growing number of people fully dependent on the government for financial handouts and the care and education (indoctrination) of your children.

Perhaps not so obvious is one way the federal government is growing its socialist tentacles. The ability of the government to dangle the financial carrot of subsidies and direct funding for vital programs makes independent programs hostage to federal mandates. The federal mask mandate for businesses of 100 employees or more gets struct down by the Supreme Court but SCOTUS upholds that same mandate for most health-care workers because most health-care facilities take federal dollars through Medicare and Medicaid.

Public schools only receive about 8% of their funding from the federal government but that’s enough to steer curriculums away from reading, writing and arithmetic to indoctrinating young minds with divisive ideologies like critical race theory (CRT) and non-gender specific athletic competition.

If you don’t do as you’re told, you lose your funding.

Where does this stop? If the federal government can mandate health-medical workers and care providers because they accept federal money, what about those individuals who take part in receiving Medicare and Medicaid? Could federal student loans require a student to take “woke” courses?

This is scary stuff and a horrible precedent may have been set. Many people don’t know what tyranny is, even when it’s staring them right in the face.

President Joe Biden and his administration have failed the American people at every turn. According to the most recent Associated Press poll, with an approval rating of only 42%, a staggering 56% of respondents disapprove of Joe Biden’s performance. He has failed to protect jobs in the US energy sector (gasoline prices), failed the women of Afghanistan, failed the US military (having left weaponry and sophisticated technology for our enemies) and our allies around the world who now view us as an unreliable and untrustworthy partner. He has failed on his Inauguration Day promise to be a unifier (his intent on breaking the filibuster rule, which guarantees the minority voice in the Senate). He failed on his promise to “defeat” COVID and to bring back bipartisan deal making. In 2021, President Biden signed 77 executive orders, 41 presidential memos, 173 proclamations, and 25 notices. Each relies on different authority for implementation but each circumvents the regular legislative process and the elected members of the House and Senate. He has failed to stop over 2 million illegal immigrants, many unvaccinated, from coming into our country or to secure our southern border and he has failed to own participation in the Hunter Biden cover up weeks prior to the 2020 presidential election.

Yet, with all the above documented failures, you never hear a word from the Connecticut Democrat Party or our elected Democrat representatives on any of these topics, except for the party spin and talking points, attempting to deflect any and all negative attention or responsibility. Then they have the nerve to say it’s someone else’s fault.

We must see the dangers inherent in these policies and work to change the direction of Connecticut. This can only be achieved by voting to improve integrity and bring balance back to our politics honoring the rule of law and protection of personal property and individual liberty- and move away from the chaos and destruction of tearing down this country.

TO:                        Jeff Kurz, Editorial Page Editor

FROM:                  Lou Arata

DATE:                    August 30, 2021

RE:                        Nation in Crisis

I watched a bit of Mike Lindell’s, (the MyPillow Guy), Cyber Symposium on FrankSpeech.com and while the content was mostly a bit heady with advanced mathematics, it is abundantly clear that mathematically speaking, the “Trump won” argument is now very compelling. The laws of probability, for anyone who studied them in school, come with a margin of error. Even given a broad margin, it would seem Trump won the 2020 presidential election by a landslide.

According to Lindell, while he and those working within his voter fraud operation face violence and cyber-attacks to themselves and their research, I wonder what the final outcome will be when his group presents to the US Supreme Court their case with new evidence of vote manipulation by the Chinese? Steve Bannon seems to be acting as a supporter and a sceptic simultaneously, which I find intriguing. I also ponder why the mainstream media won’t give it a sniff of coverage, to what is being exposed by the Symposium presenters. Lend your ears and maybe open your mind?

Meanwhile, the current Biden/Harris administration is hellbent on dismantling our institutions and values and making everything about race. Even grade schoolers are talking about how mixed up our country is. (That reminds me of the tale when John D. Rockefeller heard stock tips from a shoeshine boy and he then turned around and liquidated his stock holdings, just before the Great Depression market crash.)

Let’s look at what else is obvious: Biden’s ratings are in freefall, Afghanistan is a cluster mess and international embarrassment, our southern border is in crisis and COVID-19 spreading fiasco, consumer pricing is up 5.4%, we’re still having discussions of election fraud, there’s pandemic mishandling and continual “science” flip-flopping and the woke movement has gone off-the-rails wild. It’s looking like there should be, has to be, an opposition landslide in 2022. Historically, the incumbent party will lose seats in the mid-term election.

Did I mention the debt ceiling is now over $24 trillion and growing, BLM & ANTIFA violence and destruction continue and there’s record black-on-black killings in our major cities? How about the “anonymous” buyers of Hunter Biden’s “artwork?” Why must ALL the buyers be “anonymous?” Is it Chinese recompense?

Supporters of the Biden/Harris administration agenda pawn off much of the above as far-right conspiracy theory. However, the majority of the population now rejects that excuse. Sleepy Joe Biden took the Oath of Office and has failed, utterly, to uphold those promises for the American people.

We all knew of his mental decline before the election and he fails to speak directly to the public or hold live press briefings. He only takes predetermined questions from assigned White House Press Corps reporters! When Biden does actually speak, he has to read off a teleprompter or prepared cue cards. Then he marches offstage like a child going in the house for some SpaghettiOs. This is not how an open society is supposed to work.

In a recent interview on Fox News, former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who served both Presidents Obama and Trump, called on Biden to leave office— saying Biden was no longer “cognitively prepared” to be president of the United States. He further stated, regarding the dumbfounding Afghanistan withdrawal, where Biden left a dizzying stockpile of military armaments and our latest technologies for our enemies, that China and Russia will love to get their hands on;

“…Biden’s just been in hiding again, as he always has… And you know, honestly, it is time for him to leave. I’ve been saying this for a long time… And I think a lot of this is relevant to his cognitive ability. But he’s, he’s created a national security disaster for this country right now. And it’s time for him to move on and somebody else needs to do this job. He is not fit to be our commander in chief. It’s time for him to resign.

The unfortunate reality is then, we’d be stuck with the least acceptable 2020 Democrat candidate for President, actually becoming President; the cackling Kamala Harris. So, if not her, next we’d be looking at the current speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. And you thought this country couldn’t possibly have more problems…

We need to have our conservative leaders in Washington D.C. actually step up and start governing like patriotic Americans by enforcing our borders and pushing back the communist insurgency into our present political agenda. Start with the protection of our Constitutional rights and all the Amendments. Equality before the law is unequivocally essential to a free society.

The greatest voices, I find, are of those naturalized American citizens who became such by following our legal immigration process and the rule of law. They love their newfound freedom and individual rights, ownership and protection of personal property and personal choice. Most of those new citizens came from oppressed societies lacking basic human rights. Many of their stories echo a disbelief of how absurd the left in this country sounds, wanting to change and abolish much of our history, tear down our statues, remove GOD from our dialogue and limit what words we can and cannot use. Those inept minds seeking to reform our education system and our free and open society, never learned the adage that “to study history is essential to not repeating it.”

TO: CT Mirror
FROM: Lou Arata
DATE: August 27, 2021

RE: Destruction of Our Constitutional Republic

What the socialists are now trying to do is use race as the wedge in our society to gain full control of the police and the military. Class differentiation has never been successful because you may change your class, like millionaire athletes complaining about oppression, but race is always with you. This racial confluence was successful for Mao, as it was in Brazil for Lula DaSilva, who used race to bring about his revolution. He gained support of all minorities and raised himself into power, while allowing big business to continue operation, much like what we see China doing today. The CCP allows big business to operate under the watchful eye and control of the Communist party, which controls every aspect of the government and society. Sadly, the human rights abuses of the CCP continue and the world does nothing in response.

The reality here is quite obvious- power and control are sought by both political parties, as well as most bureaucracies, such as Big Government, Big Tech, foreign nations and multinational corporations. So are unions and your local Board of Education. Just about everyone can be added to the list. Therefore, where are we headed?

There is a reason for the seriousness of the political divide in America and why the process of compromise has been lost. Both major parties no longer fully support our Constitutional liberties and freedoms expressed in our Founding documents. One political party, the Democrat party, is actively advancing a socialist agenda that will bring the United States under more global control and a Marxist transformation of our Constitutional Republic. As scary and perhaps far-fetched as that might sound, maybe too hard for some to accept, please understand, proof is right in front of your eyes.

The Biden administration’s current agenda is pushing racial reform and spending restructuring, and the reorganization of our legal system, military and law enforcement. All of these topics are derived from Marxist revolutionary doctrine. A revolution is the breaking down of the existing power structures and turning it into something else. The revolution here in this country is well underway with most citizens blind to the process being thrust upon them.

Examples of the Biden agenda of eliminating our energy infrastructure and fossil fuel industry along with the onset of inflation, will assist in bankrupting the nation. Energy price hikes (gasoline is up 30% since January 2021) clearly point to the decrease of spending power for the great majority of Americans who earn under the top 10% threshold. Those that can least afford the ravages of inflation are stuck in this radical plan. Consumer goods manufacturers keep prices steady, but that 3.7-ounce bar of soap you were accustomed to buying, still has similar packaging, but is now only 2.6 ounces or 30% less for the same money. Getting the picture?

Packing the Supreme Court is a way of removing the independence of the court and furthering a politicization of the courts, to follow government wishes and not the neutrality and objectivity for the people. However, what is standing in the way of this Marxist reform is our Constitutional Republic. Our three branches of independent but equal powers, the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches, make it very difficult for revolutionaries to bring Marxist control over every aspect of American society, which is their intent.

As government continues to grow and exercise more control over society with ever increasing social mandates, taxation and reforms, many via executive orders, the percentage of our population dependent solely on the government skyrockets. The Marxist influence on the long-term political change of this country becomes more apparent as well.

A primary fact that we need to acknowledge is that the country is being pushed into a socialist/Marxist revolution by the far left. The strategy is to fundamentally break down the existing power structures in the military and society by removing patriotic conservatives, veterans, gun owners and conservative Christians. Only by repressing those conservative elements can the reduction or elimination of those loyal to the Constitution and to the people, take place. Purging or minimizing the loyalty of conservative elements and replacing soldiers and police loyal to the new regime, a socialist America, and increasing the population of those loyal to the government, outlines the real war that’s taking place.

If more people would actually study world history and be taught in school the strengths of capitalist principles, with particular emphasis on the United States’ influence on the freedom of people around the world, it would be most evident to all that we are indeed the last stand for individual rights and the protection of personal property and personal liberty. It’s the continuous increase in governmental taxes which are slowly dwindling personal wealth from the majority of our citizens and benefiting wealth accumulation for the top 1% group of individuals.

The left wants to have chaos in the streets because it instills fear in the citizenry. We have all seen what has become of cities like Portland, OR and their woke uprising. Leftist Mayors are not enforcing the rule of law, even though the great majority of the country, and especially those minority communities within the effected cities, want a greater police presence for their individual and business safety. The lack of prosecution is by design to enrage the populace. As policing becomes more federalized, they take away local control and autonomy and the right of states to self-governance. It’s the state’s self-governance that is the foundation of our Constitutional Republic. What woke folks want are an army and a federalized police force that resembles that of Venezuela or Cuba, where dissention is crushed and total control and loyalty is given to the regime. Not to the people.

According to an October 29, 2013 Investors Business Daily report, Breitbart.com and Diane Sawyer for ABC News, covered the story of then President Obama purging 197 US Military officers in a five-year span. He referred to it as, “my military” and an answer of “No” to a litmus test question, the main point being “Would you fire on an American citizen?” would have you replaced. It was reported that many of the officers were removed for arbitrary or no reason given, among them were 37 Four Star Generals.

Reforms in the name of equity, reparations and policing are being employed to use race rather than class, to overturn the existing structures of our society, assisting the creation of a new breed of law enforcement, loyal to the regime. Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s first Chief of Staff, famously said, “Never waste a crisis.” Today, we face a crisis of titanic proportions. It is the contrived disintegration of the United States by powers opposed to the inalienable rights of the citizens of our Constitutional Republic.

We are all being subjected to a woke way of life dictated by socialists and communists like the Squad’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, radical immigrant Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., or billionaire George Soros, where cancel culture and violence, such as BLM and ANTIFA, is to be perceived as a “necessity” to achieve some undefined notion of “equity.”

Contrary to that socialist push by the Democrat agenda in Washington and several states such as Connecticut, I would urge every single reader to visit FlagOfficers4America.com and read the open letter drafted and signed by over 150 retired US Military Generals and Admirals. It’s a blueprint in getting our Constitutional Republic back and out of the hands of those wishing to disarm and bring us all down under a tyrannical government.

TO:                  Nick Carroll, Berlin Citizen, Editorial Page Editor

FROM:             Lou Arata

DATE:              May 19, 2021

RE:                   Propaganda

The word propaganda was coined in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Determined to halt the spread of Protestantism, he created the ‘Office for the Propagation of the Faith’ to oversee the Church’s missionary efforts in the New World. The term propaganda originally did not carry the negative connotation it does today and up until 1911, Encyclopedia Britannica didn’t even include a definition.

During World War I the word became synonymous for big fat lies when the Allies made the word familiar to the masses of Great Britain and the United States. Politically, propaganda has been used for centuries, but it was the effectiveness of the war effort that governments observed, and systematically deployed the entire range of modern media to stir the collective populations into action.

In fact, it was such an extraordinary state accomplishment of exciting mass enthusiasm in support of fighting in an ugly global brawl, that government and business took notice, realizing “public opinion” was a force that could and needed to be managed. The Allied campaign was so successful celebrating Democracy that after the war, propagandists went to work for the likes of General Motors, Procter & Gamble and General Electric.

Walter Lippmann’s famous 1922 phrase, “the manufacture of consent” was in reference to the management of public opinion. It was a “necessity throughout the public sphere,” sentiments employed by businessmen, journalists and politicians alike.

Edward Bernays wrote, in 1947, “The Engineering of Consent.” In it, he defines “engineering consent” as the art of manipulating people and he maintained that entire populations, which were undisciplined or lacking in intellectual or definite moral principles, were vulnerable to unconscious influence. They were susceptible to want things that they do not need and to support various ideas and programs that they did not fully understand. This was achieved by linking those products and ideas to their unconscious desires. According to Bernays, this practice was extended to everything, including the fluoridation of water supplies, presidential elections, and the creation of superstars in the entertainment industry.

And so, it goes, from American Dream, to the Mad Men of Madison Avenue, to today politics. We are now being bombarded by an unrelenting stream of propagandists pushing their particular take on what we should do and think, what we should buy and what we should support, through every form of media. The pure truth is that in the art of persuasion, not all the information presented or implied is factual.

Now we see major global social media corporations controlling content and obstructing free speech, thereby prohibiting the free expression of ideas and thought.

Fake news is absolutely real and so is the stupefying amount of hypocrisy that surrounds us.  I’ve written in the past that we collectively must decide as a nation whether we want to retain those rights safeguarding our individual liberties and freedoms as contained in the Declaration of Independence, our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or will we allow a globalist socialist/communist takeover of our system of governance, disarm our population and enable the ever-growing elitist tyrannical forces to control every aspect of our lives through an all-knowing governing body?

Beware of the man behind the curtain.

I will respect you and your right to think, however you decide is best for you. Just don’t go trying to force me into something I know or feel is wrong or immoral. It might be nice if we were all the same and shared the same opinions and outlook on life. But we don’t and I doubt we ever will. Many politicians pontificate that it is our differences that make this nation of immigrants strong. I challenge that overused tag line and offer that it has been, for the most part, the willingness of previous immigrants to assimilate into our society that has made this country so strong.

Cancel culture and those woke folks have gone too far, IMHO. Movements popularize their agenda through propaganda, their talking points, and the main stream media (MSM) supports those messages with exhaustive repetition. Malcolm X said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” If falsehoods are mentioned often enough, for long enough, the public will end up going along with the fabrication. The MSM does not necessarily publicize all relevant facts and certainly cherry-pick the news stories they want you to hear.

Media hypocrisy is best demonstrated by the entire disfunction surrounding the Hunter Biden story that’s unravelling now. The suppression of specific known information about Hunter Biden, undoubtedly assisted his father in the 2020 presidential election. If the original NY Post breaking story was followed up on, we would have a much different nation today and we are all aware of the obvious bias the MSM has against conservatism.

I’ve been a huge fan of sports all my life. However, I’ve decided to stop paying attention to major league sports and their advertisers. I could care less what a “celebrity” or a professional athlete thinks. One lives and “works” in a pretend world with ridiculous salaries and the other gets paid exorbitant amounts of money to play a game. Both live in a fantasy world and live a fantasy life. I believe John and Jane Doe working several jobs to make ends meet and raising their children together are the real heroes in this world.

The bottom line is the eternal fight for power and control. Only as free-thinking individuals can we be assured to continue our lives as free people.

What lasts are the real, real things. Family. Faith. Love. Not the opulence of your home, the car you drive or the gaudiness of personal accessorizing. Some people have money and lots of material stuff, but they lack class and a civility towards their fellow man. We have all seen the obnoxious gyrations of some screwball or self-entitled jerk, that makes you shake your head in wonder- why do they act like that?

What do I want to see more of?  Honesty and people helping other people, not more people looking for more handouts.

TO:                         Nick Carroll, Editorial Page Editor- Berlin Citizen

FROM:                  Lou Arata

DATE:                    March 25, 2021

RE:                         What are we doing to ourselves?

Is everyone equal and deserving of a guaranteed basic “living wage” regardless of how hard they work, or if they work at all? Rome ended up needing “bread and circuses” to control its’ population so the rulers could enjoy their elite status lifestyles.

The wealth disparity in this country and globally is accelerating at a staggering pace due to the dismantling of the middle class. Entry into the middle class was the cornerstone of the American Dream and the avenue out of poverty, often via ownership of a private business. If you were told January 1, 2020 that later in the year the government would be deciding which businesses were allowed to be open or closed and what businesses were deemed “essential” or not, would you have believed it? Probably not.

It’s no surprise to anyone with open eyes and ears, that international agencies and corporations, and the anti-capitalist Democrat agenda are closing in on what has been so taken for granted: the American Dream. As reported by CNBC, according to YELP, an alarming 60% of the closed small businesses during the pandemic, will never reopen.

Have you noticed that everything we want is cheap, such as clothes, TV sets and toys? In contrast, the cost of everything we need is expensive, like health care, housing, education and food. We can also add gasoline to that list, thanks in part to the swift Biden executive order cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. This was done supposedly in our national interest. However, the International Energy Agency projects our oil share of total energy production falling only 8% over the next 20 years, from 32% to 23% by 2040; regardless of how fast electric vehicles are employed. 

So, in the name of safety and preventing a health care system being inundated with sick people, we have lived through COVID-19, its endless list of executive orders and profligate Congressional spending. The first stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act passed in March 2020 totaled $2 Trillion. In December, a second $2.3 Trillion relief package passed. Now we have passed the third “American Rescue Plan” (ARP), a $1.9 trillion “relief” package drafted by our elected brain trust in Washington D.C., all while over one half a trillion dollars still remain unspent from the first two bills. Alarmingly, only Democrats voted for the third overreaching bill and that pork package contains only 9% in direct COVID-19 relief.  The remaining 91% is for pet “progressive” projects, with the funding printed out of thin air.

Making the ARP bill even more flabbergasting is that half of the money will not be spent until years from now, benefiting mostly Democrat-controlled state governments and their enablers, government employee unions. According to a New York Post article, monetary transfers to state and local governments amounts to $350 billion dollars, or 116 times more than the entire revenue shortfall for ALL state governments. State aid is being allocated disproportionally to the states with the highest unemployment rates. Interesting isn’t it, that the top 10 states with the highest unemployment are Democrat controlled states? The greed is sickening, as is bailing out and rewarding poorly managed fiscally irresponsible states and cities.

All this spending results in the bureaucrats of this country becoming a privileged and untouchable class. There exists an obvious growing difference between government and private-sector employment compensation and benefits. I can’t help but think of the comparison to the Soviet Union, where there were two classes of people: those in the government and those who worked to pay for them. What are we doing to ourselves in this country? Why are those in the private sector in this country putting up with the socialist power grab we’re witnessing in our nation’s capital?

As the wealth divide widens, at some point, unfortunately probably sooner than later, another catastrophic economic crash is waiting to happen because we cannot just continue printing paper money and spending it when there is nothing backing the currency. President Nixon took us off the gold standard in 1971. Every man, woman and child in this country now has an additional $17,000 debt wrapped around their neck, thanks to Biden’s “relief” bill.  But the Democrats don’t care. It’s more important to fund foreign country initiatives, balloon payments to public unions and illegal immigrants than to do right for the American people.

The socialists and communists in the United States House of Representatives and Senate are making sure the National Guard and the barbed wire topped fencing surrounding the Capital Building is being kept so that votes on bills may be completed safely in the dead of night. If it wasn’t for the demands of GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., who forced the Senate clerks to read Biden’s COVID ARP bill aloud, all 628 pages, few in the chamber would have even read the bill before voting.

Another historical financial concern for every individual and company, both here and abroad, is in the works, championed by the World Economic Forum (WEF). With all consumer and national spending eventually accomplished through a new digital cashless monetary system, if the WEF, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Central Banks and the UN have their way, it will be catastrophic for your personal independence. This transfer to a global system of digital money, controlled by the government, will be the end of cash used in society. It would be wise to remember all of the gold held by individuals in 1933 was confiscated by the Federal Government under President Franklin D. Roosevelt to pay for our national debt. It could happen again. What would you do if the Fed and the US treasury cease to honor the cash you have saved in your 401K, retirement and savings accounts?

Some have called out legislators in Washington as closet socialists, voluntarily dismantling the freest country on earth. Why are we allowing this to take place? Perhaps the Democrats, who face two years of running Congress with virtually no room for error, have to push their fragmenting radical agenda through as quickly as possible.

Lou Arata has been a candidate for the CT 83^rd House District and is Vice Chairman of the Meriden Republican Town Committee and the Meriden Public Utilities Commission.