In my world, politics is about people. I am about people. My instincts were developed as a child. My parents were active, for the people; people they cared about, neighbors, mailmen, family and friends. My Father helped with several democratic campaigns both locally and nationally. My mother taught disadvantaged kids in The Bronx, NY for 30 years. Role models indeed.
Last night, I had my daughter write a postcard to PA reminding folks to VOTE.
Things have lost their meaning in the age of Trump's messianic and misogynist and racist world view. This is intolerable to me as a woman, as a Jew and as a human. My positions are the following:
Gun Control Now - there is no reason ANYONE needs an assault rifle. Period the end. School is meant to be a sanctuary for growth, learning and development. Not a place to fear random acts of political violence. However many years it has been since Newtown/Sandy Hook Elementary, nothing has changed! Can you imagine for one second a room full of mowed down dead children in 2nd grade??? What are we waiting for?
Mental Health for ALL - if there's a massive increase in trauma, anxiety and fear and suicide among our youth, where's the policy that offers mental health workers more incentives to stay in the game? Show me the money?! This job is hard! Oftentimes people in private practice have NO BENEFITS. Really?
Work Hard, Play Hard - Because I seem to be fundamentally disorganized (ADD?), I always say do your work first, early and often. Then time to relax, play, enjoy. Can I always find the balance? Hell no! But it's a worthy goal.
Increase Minimum Wage - Everyone deserves to live without financial stress which gnaws at you more here, I think, than most European countries. You have to navigate health, money, work, childcare and home all on your own. It's a crazy amount of work these days.
Don't de-Fund the Police - where my daughter lives now, they have done this. It's not working. Thank you.
Reproductive Rights - We took our freedoms for granted. It's shocking that Trump manipulated the court to overturn a women's right to abortion. Do you really think it's ok for a girl to get raped by her uncle, have to keep the baby, or try to end it on her own, without medical support? What about your daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts?? Who would want this?
Fairness in income inequality/socialism - seeing many of my childhood friends and peers benefit from vast inheritance is often hard to take. Let's make the tax code at least favor the middle class as a start. You want off the grid or less regulation or you fear socialism? That's fine, until your grandma needs her medicine or you want your road plowed. We are interconnected, like it or not.
Single Moms/Childless by choice/infertile/ivf - power to them all.
Divorce - takes a hit on every family NO MATTER THE AGE OF THE CHILD. Let that sink in. I'm tired of hearing about selfish parents who think divorce is their time to party. One kid said her parents were "nesting" in the home. That's grand, until she said, "I have no idea who is in charge or what's for dinner!"
Take the Money Out - if money were out of politics, think what all that money could be used for!!! Computers in every school! Vaccines for all! Student loan forgiveness! Use your imagination. Bill and Melinda Gates did. Better use of time and money than for insult campaigns.
Healthcare is Choppy - not one person since COVID has told me that he or she have had a successful doctor visit wherein there was any follow up or coordination of care. You cannot even get two doctors to talk to each other. You have to steer the ship. When you're sick, you can't. How about a new role: "Care Leader." Just like in the hospital, there's a "hospitalist" (whatever that is?) - a person who tracks you for the day, how about in private practice too?
The time of the WOMAN - Let's go, Hillary, Michelle, Kamala, Nancy, Oprah, Gabby, Liz Cheney, RBG, women who show leadership all around the world, we set the stage and we understand the assignment!
Israel - We love ISRAEL as the homeland of the Jewish people who have lived .1% of the population, in exile for close to 6,000 years. We love what Israel has accomplished. But as a plural society inclusive of Arabs, Palestinians and all Semites, we need a Cease Fire now. No more fighting off terrorists whose only goal is to wipe us from the "River to the Sea." It must end with a two-state solution. So close, yet so far.
LGBTQ+ - freedom to love and be who you are? Why does that bother so many people? Why do they care so much? If you're not hurting anyone, why should it matter what you do in your bedroom? SMH.
Immigration - first up - how did YOU get here? Unless you're a Native American, we ALL came from somewhere else!! Oh you say, but they are coming "illegally." When you're fleeing a well-founded fear of persecution, do you have time to stop in at the local office?? Immigrants get the job done!! Immigrants boost our economy. Be tolerant. We are a country based on immigrants. Get over yourself.
Social Media - just like a knife, it cuts both ways. Too much of a cool thing, especially for girls, has been linked to very poor outcomes in mental health. Combined with "over-parenting" and fears about the world and COVID, forced in your room w. nothing but a device is decidedly not a coping mechanism at all. It's more like a lack of coping mechanism. That said, I am not against it. a. I was an early adopter and b. it's here to stay. But we must learn to tame it and use it as a source for good. In this article the NYTIMES says, "For example, 37 percent of respondents said social media had a negative impact on their emotional health, with significantly more women (44 percent) than men (31 percent), and with more L.G.B.T.Q. (47 percent) than non-L.G.B.T.Q. respondents (35 percent) saying so." Let's put down the phone at 10p, let's leave it there during school. Let's see what happens.
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