Meet In The Middle

Do you know why the founders of this democratic republic set up separate branches of government? It was to spread the power and to ensure that the different parties would negotiate and compromise. It’s not a democracy if one faction or one branch can make all the rules.

Voters, this is on you. If you keep voting for people who want to tear the house down, you’ll be left with no house.

Supreme Court, this is on you, too. Since you gutted the Voting Rights Act, you’ve made voting harder for some people, often the very people who most need to have their voices heard.

Messing with voting rights was the frosting on your tear-down-the-house cake. You began the process with Citizens United, making it legal for the wealthy to buy legislators.

If money is free speech, this isn’t a democracy. It seems to me that the majority on the Supreme Court doesn’t really care if the U.S. is no longer a functioning democracy.

What are we going to do about this?

First, we can’t sit back and say that this is someone else’s problem. If we have a platform, we have to use it. If we don’t have a platform, we can start our own by writing letters to our legislators. If they’re doing the people’s business, let them know you appreciate their work. If they’re trying to shut down the economy and the country, let them know how you want them to perform.

For me, I want Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to listen to each other. I want them to share ideas, compromise, to meet in the middle to pass bills that benefit all Americans.

Tell them no more tax cuts, and if they do vote for a tax cut, they’re not allowed to complain about the deficit. Those of us who are too poor to get the big tax cuts and who depend on a working government need to point out that trickle down doesn’t work. Seniors need to remind legislators that Social Security and Medicare aren’t giveaways. We paid into those valuable programs our whole working life.

We must to talk to each other, and to our legislators, with civility. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we don’t have to disagree about everything either. Explain why you believe what you believe. Don’t buy in to conspiracy theories. Do your own research and use common sense.

Finally, wake up. Have empathy for people less lucky than you, for people who need help. Empathy will be important when we meet in the middle and try to solve problems from both sides.

The result will be a functioning democracy that looks out for all of us, not just a lucky few.