The collective apathy of citizens in our country gave us our current nightmare of corruption, cruelty, short-sightedness, and glaring incompetence. We took for granted that our Constitution, the rule of law, common sense and basic decency would continue to provide the guardrails that shielded us from the worst of human nature. Many citizens believed it didn’t matter which political party controlled the government because these guardrails were in place. We naively believed that all political parties ultimately wanted what was best for the country. We thought reasonable debates about how to deliver what was best for our country was the purpose of Congress. So, for most people, it seemed like going with the flow was a reasonable thing to do and they didn’t bother to vote.
But we were wrong. In a short period of time after Trump was re-elected, we saw how the consent and the cowardice of the Republican run House and Senate as well as the Supreme Court rubber-stamped incompetence, cruelty, greed, lawlessness, and the undermining of accountability. It’s been disheartening to watch protesters shot dead by ICE agents with impunity. It’s been heartbreaking to see immigrant families violently separated and girls raped and impregnated by ICE agents in detention camps. It’s been devastating to learn about women dying because they are unable to secure a medically necessary abortion or being criminally prosecuted for a naturally occurring miscarriage. It’s been infuriating to watch this president enrich himself and his family through insider trading, selling access, and taking obvious bribes for pardons, tariff deals, and favorable government policies. It’s been disgusting to watch the Trump name and image plastered all over the place. It’s been maddening to see our history and the accomplishments of women and people of color hidden or erased from public view. It’s been awful to watch lifelong public servants be fired because of their race or gender or prosecuted because they tried to hold this president accountable. It’s terrifying to watch the racists and xenophobes and homophobes become so loud and bold as they detort Christianity. And it’s been scary to watch the brain drain of innovation, science and research away from the United States as the government defunds university research and fires experts.
It’s impossible to ignore the inflation, destruction and devastation brought upon our country by this president and the complicit Republicans in the House and Senate. It’s not just that they are wasting our tax dollars on Trump vanity projects, a senseless war with Iran, or tariffs that make everything cost more. All of these things have also destroyed our reputation around the world. It’s no wonder the upcoming mid-terms scare Republicans. They fear accountability to the point that they will lie, steal, and cheat to win. They redistricted to give themselves more seats in Congress. They are pulling out all the voter suppression policies they can muster. And of course, they are engaging in fearmongering, demonizing democrats as communists. But we must vote anyway, in higher numbers than ever before.
I’m not a communist. I’m a citizen who believes in democracy, science-based public health policies, a robust safety net, free and effective public education, reproductive choice, access to affordable health care, and clean air and water. I want my tax dollars to fund research, infrastructure, defense, and the projects for the public good. I believe in personal responsibility as well as service to community. I believe in innovation and fair competition with reasonable regulations for business. I believe religion is a private affair, not something to be imposed on others by the state.
As I re-watch the “Handmaid’s Tale”, I often wonder just how courageous I am. Would I be willing to fight to the death to save our country from those who would strip women and LGBTQ people (and in our case, people of color, too) of their basic rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? For the sake of my loved ones, I’d like to think I would. Thankfully, that is not a decision I have to make at this moment. Right now, before the mid-term elections, the fight requires much less from us.
First, we must vote blue in every local, state, and federal election. Second, if we have time and/or money, we must donate to or volunteer for blue candidates to help them get elected. Third, we must support organizations that are fighting this administration in court and in the court of public opinion. Forth, we must protest in ways that make sense to us. And finally, we must encourage (and maybe even persuade) our family and friends to join us. This is not the time to be timid. And hopefully, the apathy train that brought us here is gone for good.
If we can win both the House and the Senate as well as local and state positions, we can hold lawbreakers accountable and start repairing the damage that has been done to our country by these greedy, selfish, egotistical men who have hijacked our country. And maybe we can finally move forward with policies that actually help the American people and protect our history and freedoms from those who seek to destroy them. The future of this nation is in our collective hands. We can take set things right the easy way or the hard way. And I definitely prefer the easy way.