An Appeal to Those Who Want to Save America

We Stand at the crux, a time to build a better America

I am not calling for anyone to “take up arms” or to commit violence of any kind.

The sign held by the woman in the picture above says it all: “Silence is Compliance”. I believe that means that every progressively minded person must do whatever is possible to improve our society.

With the nation reeling from COVID-19, the worst unemployment since the Great Depression and massive protests against police violence over the killing of Blacks, now may be the ideal time in which to effect lasting change, the best, and possibly last, chance we have to restructure how we govern and the kind of society we want to live in and leave to our children.

And since this window will not stay open forever, we cannot waste it with petty disagreements about who is the best candidate for President. All we need is either a progressive President or one will not stand in the way of progress. That is vital to creating a more progressive, caring society.

It is clear the current President is doing all he can to undermine and divide the country while he makes dramatic cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and all other existing Social Services, even food stamps for the hungry and poorest among us.

And, if given four more years he may even attain his deepest wish and become President for Life. That may sound like hyperbole, but his actions say otherwise.

Look, I admit it, I am old, a “Boomer” and I have taken grief from a lot of Progressives, including Bernie Sanders supporters, about “Boomers” and how we took all the gold and other good things then “pulled up the ladder behind us” and left the next generation(s) to pay the costs of our greed.

And there may be some truth to that, particularly among “the Greatest Generation” and in some people in their seventies and older. But generalizations are easy to make and are inherently unfair. There are good people and bad people in every generation. I’m sixty years old, the tail-end of the “Boomer” generation and neither I, nor most people I know of my age, ever saw those fabled “good things” so many accuse us of hoarding for ourselves.

Perhaps the generation that came of age in the 1950s did, I was not around then to know, and the growth of the middle class allowed families to live well, but rarely “well off”, on a single income.

Or maybe that was nothing more than an Ozzie and Harriet stylized look at life.

But there were no good old days. To make that claim is either naivety or political conniving.

Every generation has had to work hard to survive and attempt to attain a better life.

I grew up in the turbulent 1960s, came of age in the depressing seventies with its near-hyperinflation, Arab oil embargo and gasoline rationing, was a young adult in the eighties when Reagan declared that “Greed is good” as he cut taxes on the rich, and the coming of the “Me” generation with its focus on instant gratification and lack of Civics education.

Full disclosure: my wife gave my son anything he asked for and, and despite his love of reading and my encouragement, he became a clear example of the “Me” generation.

Now, Millennials and Gen Z’ers are saddled with outrageous college debt and often cannot even find work in the field they studied, wealth inequality has dramatically worsened, the number of millionaires and billionaires has exploded, and the world is close to having our first ever trillionaire.

White Nationalism, with the blessing of our current POTUS, has reared its ugly head and become “normalized”. It is now okay that Nazis interfere with, to the point of driving cars into crowds of peaceful protestors simply exercising their Constitutional rights, while black people are still treated as second class citizens on a daily basis, especially by Police and the education system.

We are all guilty to some extent. Sure, people have protested police killings, mass shootings and more but the 24-hour news cycle insists some shiny new object take the place of protests to change the way America works. But that has not (yet) happened this time. The protests continue and grow by the day.

Maybe the needs of the people will be heard, this time.

But only if the pressure is kept up.

With the unjust killing, the murder, of George Floyd, the protests have not just simply faded away and can no longer be ignored by those in power.

Many police departments are being reorganized and their budgets cut to better do what they were intended to: Serve and Protect all citizens, no matter their race or socio-economic status. That is a step in the right direction. But the pressure must be kept up.

The next step would be to better vet and train prospective police officers and review their records and affiliations. White nationalists and Nazis should never be a part of any police force.

Any person who does not see all people as equal, no matter the race or religion, is unfit to be given a gun and a badge and immunity from many laws they themselves enforce on others.

But the pressure must be kept up.

Police are not trained to be and should not have to be mental health workers, nor should they be required to pick up juveniles who do not go to school. Those with mental health problems should be helped by qualified mental health workers and kids skipping school, no matter their age, should be an issue between school counselors and parents.

But the pressure must be kept up.

Offer up ideas on how to address those shortcomings. Contact your local representatives and let them know you support reorganizing the police department, expanded and better funded social services including mental health and drug rehabilitation clinics. If you think something can be done better, then discuss that with your local and state representatives. Offer to help in any way you can. Maybe organize or lead new initiatives that help drug addicts or focus on helping the elderly, the disabled and the shut-ins.

But the pressure must be kept up.

Access to proper healthcare services is not equal, and supplies are not ready for the needs of hospitals and health clinics and many areas do not even have those services. Discuss that with your local representatives, point out the problems as you see them and offer fact backed proposals to address those issues.

But the pressure must be kept up.

Every representative needs to have public backing to make any change, so be there for him or her. Support proposals you agree with and push for changes in those you do not. And do that respectfully; no one wants to feel like a fool, so it is wise to give the other side an out, a way to “save face” even if that means allowing them to take credit for an idea that works. It does not matter whose idea it was, or which representative initially opposed it. If it works that’s all that matters, right?

But the pressure must be kept up. Do not slack off, thinking someone else will do it because they will not.

Show up at public Council meetings, School Board meetings; citizen input meetings and speak out, let your position be known. Sometimes, all it takes is one voice to get a crucial funding vote on a progressive project. The pressure must be kept up.

And keep in mind that your representative has a life outside of politics, too. He or she can be influenced by the opinions of family members, friends, religious leader or even the local librarian. Any decision made is certain to make someone unhappy, so make your appeal strong enough- and provide facts that support your proposal and convince your representative that the idea is worth pursuing.

The pressure must be kept up.

“Food Deserts” exist in the poorer neighborhoods in every city, so maybe you could help bring in local grocers, or start a farmer’s market. Create community gardens and show people how to grow fresh produce on their own.

For changes you want to see at the national level such as tax reform, universal healthcare, etc. contact your Senator or Congressperson. Write a petition to support the changes you want to see and get signatures. Elected representatives need to feel you have their backs, the more people the better. Public sentiment can go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

If you have a degree and cannot find work in your field, consider volunteer work. Share your skills freely, whatever they may be. It may not be the life you hoped for, but if you are truly progressive you can be an agent for change.

But the pressure must be kept up and no one else is going to do it for you.

Now is the time. Do not waste it.

Be the change you want to see.

Be the voice of change.

~ ~ ~

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