Forward

If you voted for Trump, I’d like a few words with you. These are not intended to be angry words, but are words of advice from my own experience. It’s probably not a surprise to you that I was an Obama supporter. My support and trust of him led me to neglect my duty as a citizen. I wasn’t always paying attention to what was going on in DC (or even in my own state), and in retrospect, there were times when I wish I had challenged him, provoked him, or encouraged him on various issues.

So I would like to encourage you to pay attention to what is going on in the Trump administration and the Republican dominated Congress. Really pay attention to what is being said, what is being done, and how things are being done. Many who did not vote for 45—and even some who did—are voicing concerns over many things, including:

• ·         Some of Trump’s picks for cabinet posts and advisors. Many of them have a long and very public history of support violations of civil rights or who have spoken publicly against the agencies they are now in charge of (I’m looking at you, Betsy DeVos). If these people and their policies offend you or make you nervous, speak up. It’s your right and your responsibility to keep an eye on them; they work for us.
• ·         Repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Repeal will actually hurt people, and that probably includes people you care about. Outright repeal, even partial repeal, will be a disaster for many, and will not likely save money for your average working person or small business.  Get the facts and speak out.
• ·         The disrespect for care of the earth. Science is real. National parks should be preserved for the next generations. Wildlife is important. All of these things are under attack by the current administration, so if these things matter to you, speak up. Call your senators and representative; contact the White House. Make your voice heard; that’s how democracy works.
• ·         The constitution—the document upon which our government is built—is not being respected or upheld. The uptick in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people, threats against the press, and some pending legislation that would limit everyone’s right to assemble are threats to all of us. Freedoms are shared and protected, and if they are curtailed for some of us, they are for all of us. The courts exist to protect us and to uphold the law, and if our leaders do not head them, our democracy is in peril. This is not hyperbole.

No matter who you voted for, stay educated on the issues important to you. Discern the difference between opinion and fact, and learn to research the latter—or at least read the whole article, not just the headline. Fact checking is pretty easy with Google; be sure to consult a couple of sources and/or experts. Test out different news outlets. All have some bias, of course, but there are several that consistently do good journalism.

Please don’t repost things that are not fact-checked, and please treat everyone—even those with whom you disagree—as children of God. This means no name calling and no calls for violence against them.

No matter who you voted for, don’t feel that you have to support everything that elected officials are doing. This is how democracy works.

We as a people are evolving. This is painful work for everyone, because it means we must let go of some things, and change is hard. But there can be better days ahead for all humanity if we work together at this evolution. I really don’t want anyone left out of this movement; I want us all to feel appreciated, heard, respected and, yes, loved. So pay attention to the way the world is now and the ways that it is changing, for good and for ill. Then set your sights on who we can be in the future and work toward that. We won’t all agree on the way forward, but it would be wonderful to build on common ground. Slashing and burning programs doesn’t give me much hope, but the idea of building something new together: that’s the stuff that dreams are made of.