I have seen our beloved country change over the last decade in a way that I never thought possible. 

Human decency and all the character skills we teach in 1st grade seems to be in short supply among adults. People lose sight that facts matter and how we treat others matters. They sacrifice their souls to win or feel better than the other side. Almost everything has become politicized and divisive. Media outlets, talk shows, and some politicians have created a web of deceit and lies that has the American people in a stranglehold. Even after the lies have been disproven and science has debunked myths the disinformation continues to spread and is threatening our country’s democracy and is tearing families apart.

We need to return to valuing the people in our lives.

Being family, friends, and neighbors that may disagree from time-to-time, but ultimately have each other’s back. We all go through tough times or say things we wish we didn’t, and what matters most is whether we lift people up or tear them down.

Our democracy is troubled in ways that only we can repair through our own actions and by coming together as a community. Together we can make sure our democracy is sustained and strengthened. We need to ensure that voting is readily accessible to all of those who are qualified. Many voters need extended early voting, mail in ballots, and polling locations that are accessible since they need to work voting in around their work day.

We need to invest in making sure every community has the resources to run elections. We need to each challenge the information circulating and do our own fact checking, since a democracy depends on facts. We need a stronger Congress that does real oversight and leads. 

Our current representative in Congress has been missing in action.

We need to elect government officials that will ask tough questions and be checks and balances on each other. We need elected officials that focus on substantive issues that will make a difference in their constituents’ lives. Congress, like many 1st grade students, seems to get distracted from the task at hand and could use more voices focusing them back on the needs of the American people.

We need a Congress that focuses on the pressing issues of our economy, our national security, our trade, our infrastructure, our healthcare, our children’s education, our adult educational opportunities that open the doors for new careers, safety in our communities, our planet’s health, and so much more.