What do you call a government that wants voting results to look a certain way, media to say things a certain way (and no other), determines how their citizens are cared for and who gets such care? And one that restricts information available to its citizens? I’ve been to these countries…China, Vietnam…It’s called Totalitarianism (corrected, communism isn’t the right word here, referenced appropriately later in the blog). And people were afraid of Socialism…where the premise is for the good of all. We’re calling it “Make America Great Again.”
Today I woke up and found the strength to tackle today’s world head-on. I have been avoiding listening to or reading much news because I know what the next 4 years will be like. For instance, I’m losing my healthcare (thanks Trump! Saving me roughly $500 a month in premiums….unless I get sick or need emergency care, then I’m f***). I wanted to avoid bringing politics into my social media, but I feel very strongly about protecting the freedoms and rights we Americans have been privileged to have. I cannot stay silent…too much is at risk!
No amount of cat or dog photos, climbing pictures, or other day to day life activities can numb the stinging awareness that we are about to step into a new era of freedom-less living. Sure, life will go on. China has malls afterall, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re fed only the information the government wants us to hear and read.
Today I heard about more changes the Administration has started…removing data from government websites that has anything related to Climate Change. Things like air quality trends and oceanic temperature changes. This raw data is critical to understanding what is happening to our Earth and trying to understand what we need to do to sustain life here for a long time…longer than the next 4 years.
Accept the results of the election, Trump, and stop trying to make the outcome into something it’s not. No other Administration has dwelled on such a thing for so long, especially after having already won the position. This paves the way for greater restrictions during voting, as in, more control over who votes and what they vote for. No good, no good!
Trade?
Want to see how expensive life can get? Stop trade and repeal all negotiations that made trade cheap and easy. Do you shop at Walmart? Check the labels on your clothes. Trade gets more expensive, the more things we have to make here, guess how much it costs to buy something made in America? $$$…more than that China crap you buy at Walmart, that is for sure.
Cost of living is high in America, in a lot of America. If you think life is tough now, wait until you see how much your car is going to cost and how much repairs are going to cost (think imports!). Hondas, Toyotas, you know, reliable vehicles, will become expensive and difficult to maintain…oh not immediately, these things take time. But, this is how the economy works! Those are imports. So, you want an American car, made by American workers, with American made parts? Great, guess how much money those American workers need to make to produce these things. Now think about how much your car is going to be worth! Oh and while we are at it, since we aren’t investing in renewable energy anymore, I suppose we’ll all be driving fossil fuel driven vehicles, again. So much for hybrids.
Which leads me to the pipelines. Now that we’ll need more coal and other fuel sources to run our country again, I guess we need these pipelines that have just been approved. I guess we don’t care about all Human rights in America, just the ones that will make money off of the deal. You know, the ones that can afford to drink clean water after the average American’s drinking water is tainted. The same people who will have the best insurance because they can afford it, while the average American and those economically challenged, lose their healthcare. Let’s not mention air quality degradation from no longer washing our coal so we can employ our miners again.
The list goes on.
We were a global leader and now we are just ignorant of our impact on ourselves and society as a whole. We may need to deal with some things at home, but things that happen outside of our borders still impact us. It is irresponsible for a government to rip out all the things it “doesn’t like” without first having things to replace it ready to be implemented. That is not Democracy. That’s a Dictatorship. Welcome to our new America.
Track what is happening with our Legislature: https://www.congress.gov/
Washington state Legislation: http://leg.wa.gov/
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Audrey Sniezek 