We have all heard the expression “They are all like” when we have been talking to people about voting. To some extent, this is true, yet in a wider range of thought, it is totally wrong. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents have a different party agenda so we can’t throw all of us in one big pile. History has taught us the difference in our party. There has always been a division and always will be, yet not as wide as it is today. Family members are not speaking to each other. Friends sever friendships in anger. People even lose their jobs over political views that do not go along with management. It’s sad.
Growing up in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement I knew about the Klu Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. It was only a few years ago that I had heard of the Proud Boys. In today’s society, we would have never dreamed that a riot would ever take place in our Capitol. We would have never thought in a million years that we would see a convicted felon on a political ticket. We never thought we would live to see the day a president would be impeached for having sex with a White House page.
Over the years it seems that this division is growing wider and wider with both sides having a passion for what we believe in. But how much of this are we really that different? Why is it that we cannot discuss points of view without becoming angry and resorting to violence or name-calling? It doesn’t matter which political party we belong to, or the color of our skin, or who we choose to love, or what religion we have or how rich or poor we may be, it all comes down to the fact that we all feel pain when we lose a loved one. We all worry about our children. We all suffer through the high cost of living. We all get sick with the same illnesses. We all grieve for a lost loved one. We all face the same trials in life. It’s how we see our way through these things that make us different.
The two biggest arguments in our society of politics today are gun violence and abortion. IF both sides would listen to each other, we could understand each other and agree to disagree. Or maybe not. The media plays a huge part in deceiving us with lies and misconceptions. Each time there has been a shooting where innocent little children are slaughtered in our schools, the Republicans are quick to send their “thoughts and prayers.” The next day, they are voting to put an assault weapon in the hands of people with unsavory backgrounds of violence. What good are those thoughts and prayers when another school, church, mall or neighborhood is attacked? They redefine the 2nd Amendment to make their case. There is not a single one of them who would think “thoughts and prayers” are all we need if it were one of them burying their child. The pain for them is the same as it is for Democrats or Independents, yet that pain hasn’t hit home to them to have to stand over the grave of an innocent child. What has to happen to them that the lives of innocent people are more important than a convicted felon or a mentally challenged person to have an assault weapon? There has never been a bill on the floor from a Democrat that has demanded that people lose their guns. This is misinformation that has been spread wide and loud by Fox News and other media sources that have stopped right there. It has cost the Democratic Party thousands of votes, yet it is a lie. The Democrats in Congress have worked for years to have reasonable background checks. No, it won’t stop someone from buying a gun illegally but it could save lives. So, why are the Republicans against it? One word. NRA. The National Rifle Association pours a lot of money into the campaigns of Republicans. The burning question is, how much is one child’s life worth over a campaign donation? Apparently, it comes down to getting re-elected and that takes a lot of money.
Abortion is a very sensitive subject. There are a lot of mixed emotions about it. It goes against some people’s religious beliefs. We all have a right to make this decision without the government making it for us. Again, a great misinformation from the conservative think tanks that Democrats are killing babies. Again, never in our history has a Democrat ever put a bill on the floor to kill a baby. The Democratic Party stands strong behind a woman’s “right to choose.” That means religion or other people’s opinions should not enter into a decision like this. IF a woman should choose to terminate a pregnancy for any reason, she deserves the right to have the right medical attention available to make sure that her life is not put in jeopardy. No woman should be forced to bear a child that is conceived in rape or incest if she so chooses not to. To ban abortion nationwide “under any circumstances” also will force children to have children. It is a sad reality that girls are abused at a very early age and yes, 12 and 13-year-old girls can get pregnant from sexual abuse. The argument for adoption is always there, however, it costs a lot of money to adopt a child in America. It is almost impossible for a middle-class couple to pass the qualifications to adopt a child even though they are good, loving, and decent people. Republicans get pregnant too, so why would they support a law to ban birth control? Would birth control not contribute to a woman being capable of controlling her reproductive rights? We have pending laws to ban abortion and birth control nationwide. This affects all women regardless of age, race, religion, or which political party she belongs to. Does this have to hit them at home before they realize what they are voting for? By then, it could be too late. I would love to have the opportunity to ask Congressman Jordan if his 14-year-old daughter was raped and pregnant how would he feel about it then? Or Congressman Ted Cruz what would he say if his wife were pregnant and the embryo is in the tubes and the doctor tells him that if the pregnancy is not terminated, his wife will die. What would he say? “I don’t believe in abortion” and let her die?
We are supposed to be living in the greatest country in the world. One of the things that has made us a great nation is the Constitution of the United States of America. What happens to our legal system if we do not have the Constitution? Are we going to close our courts and allow one man to decide the fate of our nation? This is not a democracy. There would be no checks and balances without a branch of government to make sure the wheels of justice remain.
Our Supreme Court is now stacked with Justices who outnumber the few who stand firm on making it a fair and just system. The clear evidence of that is their last reasoning that a President is immune from any accountability for what he/she does. This makes America a very dangerous place. It reduces us to a large threat of dictatorship that we have always fought against. So many thousands of our young men and women have given their lives to go abroad and fight for democracy in other countries. Now, here we are being hypocritical about our own government. We cannot allow those lives to have been lost for nothing.
It doesn’t matter which political party we belong to, we all get hungry, and sick. We came through a pandemic that took thousands of lives. It was the quick response and dedication from our health system that a vaccine was found to slow down Covid-19 and save lives. Without the Department of Health, what do we do if another pandemic should hit us?
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike all get cancer, have diabetes, heart attacks, and other life-threatening sickness. Private insurance is expensive and most of us cannot afford the high cost. If we are older and can qualify for Medicare or if we can qualify for Medicaid, it is a great help to stay healthy. This is especially true for the elderly and small children. The Affordable Care Act aka/Obamacare, has provided millions with health insurance that also covers pre-existing illnesses. Republicans in Congress want to eliminate the ACA that we have today. What happens to Democrat voters and Republican voters will not be any different. We all risk dying without the proper healthcare in a life-threatening illness. This can be avoided if Republicans would vote to save their own lives.
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all grow old if we live long enough. This means that we will one day retire and depend on Social Security to survive. What happens to all of us if the retirement age is raised to 75? Are we all physically capable of working full-time at that age? What happens to all of us if our Social Security is privatized? George Bush tried this and the Democrats blocked it. It’s up for another vote. If Social Security is privatized, one will draw out the money they paid in and when that is gone, there won’t be another check. It will not matter if you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent.
Alabama is at the bottom in education and has been for generations. Our rural schools are run down and teachers are underpaid. The Department of Education is a vital part of our government to ensure the funding is there to provide the best we can for our schools. There is a nasty thing going on in Alabama that has changed our history. Our children are being lied to by our teachers who in the most part do not have a choice but to teach them this lie. It’s called Critical Race Theory. Gov Ivey doesn’t want our children to be educated on slavery because she says it “puts a bad light on Alabama.” You can’t change the truth. Funding has already been taken from public schools and put into private schools. This puts a financial burden on parents and teachers. There is a possibility that in our next election if a Republican is elected, public school kids will be required to register for the military, however private school kids will not.
All of these things have the same effect on us regardless of which political party we choose. We may have different opinions of many things but in so many other things, our opinions matter on how we vote. We are not different when we are homeless, sick, hungry, or dying. The difference is how we choose to face this in our next election. We can vote for it or against it. That is the difference.
Lynda Kirkpatrick
Marion County Democratic Party Chair
HD 17 Representative State Democratic Executive Party