I shudder. I hate talking about politics. I feel like whenever I do I make a complete ass out of myself. I always feel like I’m saying the wrong thing or I might offend somebody or I have no idea what I’m talking about. But plenty of people who have worse intentions than mine and in some cases a heck of a lot more power do a lot of talking despite having no idea what they are talking about, so I may as well give it a try.
The 2016 election is still a year off, but everything feels very charged as the primaries approach. Who is going to get the nomination? Questions, questions. I have been unhappy with my government. I have a very long laundry list of complaints, most of them starting and ending with the deeply troubling agenda of the GOP and their circus of incompetent candidates.
I am upset that corporations have more rights in the eyes of the GOP than I as a woman do. I am upset that they want to tell me what to do with my body and stifle all inklings of female sexual liberation. I am very upset that they are attacking Planned Parenthood. I want the government to stay far, far away from my right to health care as a women. I want to see real momentum in implementing ways to battle the racial bias inherent in our police force. I want the continuation of LGBT rights, especially for those transgender people being persecuted. In the wake of the shootings in Oregon, foremost in my mind are gun regulations and our country’s lack of them. I want people to be able to earn a living wage. I want students to be able to go to college without miring themselves in decades of debt. I want the conservatives to admit that climate change is a PROBLEM, stop denying the work of all theses climate scientists, and get some useful legislation passed.
How to we achieve these things? In a political system stuck in the mentality of left versus right and flooded with lobbyists and other peoples’ money, how are we expected to ever achieve a form of democracy that is in any way fair?
This, of course, brings me to Bernie Sanders. Some people love him. Some people hate him. Some people don’t think he has a chance in hell of getting the democratic nomination. But I like what he stands for. For once, I see a politician who I actually feel like I can believe in and put my trust in. He seems so earnest, so fired up and prepared to make actual change. I am prepared to vote for him, should the time come. This is the first election where I am coming in fully informed and able to vote. When Obama ran the first time, I was 17 and mad as a cat I couldn’t vote. I could go on for pages on why I think Bernie’s a great candidate, but I won’t. His message is readily available. Go to his website. Listen to him speak. His energy and drive is extraordinary.
But no matter who you are voting for this November, just get out there and VOTE! No matter how broken our system is, our representatives are still out there to serve US, the people. If the people don’t turn out to elect their representatives, how can they represent us, how can they serve our needs? We need to get more leaders like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders elected. We need people who actually care and are willing to fight for our rights.
I don’t pretend to know the first thing about politics. I do not know everything. I am privileged. I understand this. I try to stay informed, but it’s a big world out there and there a lot more points of view than my own. Again, I understand this. But I do want improvement on all fronts. It is possible. We just have to make it happen, shed the madness and make it happen. I want us to be a healthy country, worthy of being great. And I know that voting is our civic duty, and it is one of the ways we can go about implementing change. Please vote. Please, please, please, I am begging you vote. Go to http://rockthevote.com/ and find out more. Register right now if you aren’t already. Just vote!
alittlejstillz 