“I’m not supposed to be here”, President Donald J. Trump recounted from the lectern at the Republican National Convention this past Thursday evening.

He wasn’t. If he had not slightly rotated his head to view a graphic during his speech, the bullet shot by the assassin perched just 130 yards away would have killed President Trump.

How? How could this have happened?

We have witnessed the historical demise of our country and standing in the world over the last three and a half years. It’s as if everything has been done to destroy the country from within. I have often said that in a nation of 335 million people there is a fine line between some sense of order and absolute chaos.

We’ve crossed over that line. The United States is in deep trouble. Details of the assassination attempt continue to be revealed. Any thinking person knows that the real explanation sits on the spectrum of gross incompetence to something much more sinister. Not surprisingly, the FBI immediately took over the investigation. We will never know the truth.

Democrats with their Goebbels-esque media arm and academia have waged a war on truth and information - from the supposed pandemic, to the 2020 election, to the withdrawal from Afghanistan, to the economy, to all the global conflicts.

Americans have suffered through historic inflation, a spike in oil, gas and utility prices, a decline in real wages, high taxes, crime, despair and global conflict.

Credit card debt is at record levels. Consumers are defaulting on their loan obligations. Auto prices have sky-rocketed and loans and leases are unaffordable. Mortgage rates have spiked and the dream of home ownership is out of reach.

We are seeing an open border policy from Democrats that has brought tens of millions of illegals into the United States. Most of these illegals are males of military age. Many have been released from prisons and insane asylums in their home countries. The rights and welfare of illegals have been elevated above the rights and welfare of U.S. citizens. Democrats are raiding Social Security and Medicare to fund illegals.

The lies and fraudulent accusations against President Trump were the real assault on our republic. Democrats have committed a level of prosecutorial fraud never before seen in this country. Federal agencies have been weaponized against President Trump and his supporters. Nothing can be trusted.

Democrats have defunded law enforcement and Democrat District Attorneys have elected to not prosecute criminals making Americans unsafe. A country founded on property rights and the rule of law has lost its property rights and rule of law. The United States of America is a late-stage empire. Will it survive?

Our once great State of Colorado sadly reflects the national demise. Colorado suffers from a liberal Democrat Governor, Democrat majorities in the Colorado House and Senate, a corrupt Secretary of State and two Democrat U.S. Senators.

Do any of these people represent your interests? Are any of them working to improve the lives of everyday Coloradans? Colorado leads the country in auto theft. The Mayor of Denver had his own car stolen. A study by U.S. News and World Report (“In Colorado, Elevated Crime Rates Dampen the Rocky Mountain High” published May 9, 2024) revealed that Colorado is within the top 3 worst violent and property crime rates in the country.

The report stated,

“Colorado violent crime, which began picking up around 2014, surpassed the national rate in 2018, then spiked by 30% from 2019 through 2022 while the national rate largely plateaued. Data from 2022 indicates Colorado’s crime rates that year exceeded the national rates in multiple property and violent crime subcategories; the state’s car theft rate was nearly three times the national figure.”

Colorado has a homelessness crisis but that hasn’t stopped Colorado Democrats from importing more illegal aliens into the State and taking money and resources away from Coloradans and handing them to illegals. Colorado Democrats are depriving our children of public school resources in order to house and feed illegals.

This is not an accident. It’s an agenda.

Eagle County is “represented” by Meghan Lukens (HD26) and Dylan Roberts (SD8). Have either made an effort to make our county and state safer? Not a chance. In fact they have done the opposite by supporting efforts to deprive law-abiding Coloradans of their 2nd Amendment rights and making it more difficult to arm school safety personnel. They have never spoken out about the devastating impact of the illegal immigration that their party has brought to this state.

Instead, Lukens and Roberts are focused on putting 6,000 Coloradans out of work by shutting down the coal-burning power plant in Craig and damaging our environment and way of life by pushing for a high-speed rail line through our beautiful valley. Eagle County has been hit with a crime wave never before seen. Just within the last month, the Eagle County Sheriffs’ office has reported a seizure of 23 lbs. of cocaine, another seizure of 18 lbs. of cocaine mixed with Fentanyl, multiple high-dollar thefts, and numerous domestic disturbances.

Our community is still mourning the murder of a 9th grader in Gypsum.

Where is the media? Your local coupon rag, the Vail Daily, brings no attention to the real issues facing our community. Rather, they have unleashed the likes of Richard Carnes, Jay Wissot, and Mark Lewis to spread lies and hate against anyone who doesn’t support the Democrat agenda. They are promoting political violence, and we just witnessed first-hand the consequences of their hateful messaging.

It is up to us to stand together to Save America and the State we love. We are at a pivotal point in American history. I believe this late-stage empire can not only survive but prosper again with the right leadership.

Get involved as if your family, your life, and your livelihood depend on it because they do.

Michael E. Wheeler

Eagle, Colorado