by Dr. Authur Blausten
If you are thinking of sitting out the upcoming Congressional elections on November 6th, think again; because the results will, directly and indirectly, affect you and your whole family in ways that you never imagined. So, instead of pushing the snooze button, think about the issues that matter to you and the people you care about. It’s worth the effort as the stakes are high!!! The issues to consider, not necessarily in order of importance, are:
- Decent Jobs at Livable Wages
- Voter Suppression
- Global Warming
- Public Education and Student Loans
- Women’s Choice
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Affordable Health Care
- Campaign Finance Reform
- The Supreme Court and Federal Judges
- Sexual Abuse and Equal Justice
- Separation of Church and State
- Increasing Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness
- Assault Weapons on the Street
- Social Security
- Consumer Protection
- Immigration Reform
- Preemptive War and National Security
- Disaster Preparedness
- Mal-distribution of Wealth and Economic Justice
- Fair and Progressive Tax Reform
- Basic Research in Science, Health and Technology
- Renewable Energy and a Sustainable Environment
- NPR, NET (Sesame Street, et. al), the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Cronyism, Lying, Manipulation, and Incompetence in Government
- Infrastructure Development (Mass Transit, the Energy Grid, Schools, Bridges, Roads and Airports)
After careful analysis of the issues listed above, one can safely conclude that the positions of the Democrats are mainstream, moderate and reasonable; whereas the positions of the Republicans are ideological, opportunistic and dangerous. The choices are stark, the stakes are high, and the consequences could be devastating.
Finally, it must be said that it’s far better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. The most important thing to do, for those who are concerned about the character, integrity and future of our country — about democracy, the rule of law and the common good — is to spend the next few weeks until Election Day putting our energy, money and time into efforts to flip control of Congress — both the House and the Senate — to the Democrats. Then we will have both Congressional committees and the Special Counsel doing their legitimate jobs of investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, cover-ups, and possible collusion; as well as having the legislative authority to limit the worst excesses of the Trump administration.
Professor Arthur Blaustein (retired) taught Politics and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT and THE AMERICAN PROMISE. He served as Chair of the National Advisory Council of Economic Opportunity under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and on the Board of the National Endowment for the Humanities under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.