I’ve been asked repeatedly to make my views on the US 2016 Election public, even though it goes against all this site stands for, an unbiased educational site to support WordPress users and bloggers. In light of current events, and the impact the web has had on those events, the time has come for my own voice to be heard on the subject.
Like millions of others, I’ve given much thought to tonight’s Presidential Debate in Nevada, and what I want to hear from the candidates. Correction, what I want to hear from only one candidate. I think we’ve heard more than enough from one of them.
I want to hear Hillary Clinton say something like this:
Mr. Trump, you are no American. You are no farm worker. You are no construction worker. You are no nurse. You are no computer programmer. You are no taxi driver. You are no teacher. You are no cafeteria worker. You are no janitor. You are no scientist. You are no home schooling parent. You are no truck driver. You are no gas station attendant. You are no orchard picker. You are no flight attendant. You are no grocery clerk. You are no – the list of things you are not is long. Let’s just sum it up and say you do not represent America nor Americans. Saying otherwise is an insult to the fine and decent people of this country.
America is a land of immigrants. Each wave resisted and resented, but persisted, believers in the American Dream, determined to be better and do better than what they left behind. Your grandparents were among them. Hated for being “foreign” and German, but determined to change their names, adapt, and find their way in the New World. And they did. Be proud of them and their courage. Stand up for your immigrant grandparents and the America that helped them create you.
The American you are is one who walks through a once natural and vital land to see what you can consume and destroy with the same enthusiasm and greed you started with in your business: The determination to be biggest. Who cares how many heads you stepped on and crushed on your way to the top, or how you abandoned the building industry for fantasy television and brand building – you are a success. You are the American Dream, but you do not speak for the Americans I know, the ones who didn’t grow up in an upper class family, had Daddy spend millions to rescue you, or con your way to and from the top.
The Americans I know have slid their fingers into the soil to carefully tend their garden, adding food to their tables. They’ve repaired the lawn mower by themselves because they could, and baked cookies for the bake sales to raise funds for schools, churches, and non-profit groups within their communities. They’ve saved up for an oil change on their old battered rigs. They are the people who tithe to their churches and give generously and regularly to charities that help others in their communities and internationally. They’ve scrubbed floors and toilets not only in their homes but in their workplace, holding down two or three, sometimes four, jobs to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. They spent sleepless nights wondering how to pay the next electric bill, find twenty dollars for their kid’s field trip, and how to scale back on birthday and Christmas presents because the mortgage is due. They’ve clawed their way out of gangs and drug and alcohol abuse, often violent living situations, then fret and cry over their children falling into those same destructive holes in the fabric of our society.
Mr. Trump, I’m here to talk to these people, not you. I’m done with the false accusations, exaggerations, the fact-checking, the reality-show tricks, foot-stomping, tantrums, scare tactics, and the lies. I’m done with your view that America is a place of violence, unrest, and evil, with secret plots more fiction than reality. Yes, there is collusion, greed, corruption, and backbench deals in the world, and Mr. Trump, you should recognize them well. There are laws in place for those, and legal agencies to handle them, which you are very familiar with, so please report your accusations and witnessed testimonies to the proper authorities.
But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.
I’m here to talk to the majority of women in this country who’ve suffered the indignity of being treated like an object, denied equal rights and opportunities. I was in college when Title IX passed, outlawing discrimination based on sex, and I saw the before and after that decision, a struggle women face against discrimination even today. As wife of the Governor of Arkansas, I was judged for being a working woman and mother. Today, we have a man running for president who says things like “putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing,” offers advice to women wanting to raise money to start a small business to find a rich husband instead, and states pregnancy as “an inconvenience for a business.” Women, we’ve heard those lines before, haven’t we, and the law states clearly that such statements violate the US Constitution. They represent the out-dated views of my opponent, and they have no place in this country today.
I want to talk to the men who’ve never participated in such demeaning and degrading “locker room talk.” Thank you. I also want to talk to the men who have. You need to change. We all do. I want to live in a land where we treat each other with the respect we deserve, in the home, in the schools, in the workplace, and, yes, Mr. Trump, in the locker rooms.
I’m here to address the legitimate concerns of everyone in this country opening the mailbox to find stacks of incomprehensible invoices and charges for what should be a routine checkup. I want to talk to the people facing the alphabet decision over their health care options, and living scared or delaying health care actions for months waiting for the next sign up date because their employer let them down, laid them off, or they retired. or because of the costs. I want to talk to the people so confused, frustrated, and betrayed by the medical system in this country, they delay even going for that checkup. These people are becoming some of the most vulnerable in our society, lost amid the bureaucracy and high cost of what should be basic health services like the price of the EpiPen. I want people to trust their health care providers again, and not live under the fear and weight of health insurance decisions.
I’m here to talk to the people impacted by changes in the workforce, be it technology, economic demand, or the export of the business to a state or country with a better deal. You may shout about NAFTA and TPP, but let’s also talk to states about the wheels and deals they do to entice businesses to move across state borders, abandoning long-standing workers and communities. I want to celebrate companies that stay in the United States as well as those who choose to diversify their workforce across state borders, keeping jobs in their home state while expanding their companies and projects around the country.
I want to talk to the people whose jobs are changing or being lost. I want to talk to them about educational opportunities to help them redirect their energies, use their expertise and experiences to help train and retrain themselves and others into new jobs. How many remember the telephone operators who helped us place calls? What about secretaries, receptionists, maids, housekeepers, what about those support jobs, now replaced? It is part of the economy of the world that jobs will come and go as technology and demand changes, so we adapt. We learn. We change. And we can. Instead of forcing companies to hire intellectual foreign workers because they can’t find them here in our country, we need a WPA-like project that focuses on education, making the United States the source for employees as the first choice for an American company as well as global companies. Let our American ingenuity and brilliance shine again around the world.
I want to talk to the citizens afraid there will be no country, nor planet, worth inhabiting in the future. We need to invest in the ingenuity of this country to create smarter and healthier ways to live and work, whatever that looks like. Solar power, cold fusion, wind, ocean currents, we need to focus on renewable energy sources and stop relying upon fossil fuels because we are running out of them and time. Sure, we can invest more money to dredge out drips and drops to keep the oil companies running, but maybe they need to do a better job diversifying their own energy portfolios. Right now, we only have one planet. We must encourage the science, and benefits that come from that science, of space exploration, more now than ever, but we must also learn how to treat our planet better because there is no escape route. We need to literally clean up our act, and get smarter about how we treat the air over our heads and the ground under our feet, and the precious water that makes up 65% of our bodies and 70% of our planet.
I’m here to talk to the parent who chooses a charter or home school path for their children rather than public education. Yes, the American public school system has problems. There is no denying it. Let’s work together to fix it, and fix it right. This isn’t about a “no child left behind” game. This is about not leaving America behind in the educational systems of the world. It is about rising up, not lashing out, and working together to make education fair and equal to everyone, but also encourage greatness in thinking, celebrating their brilliance. Even if you are a ditch digger, we need you to be the best ditch digger, to understand the geology of the ground you dig, to understand the structural and stress lines of the trench, the mechanics of the machines you use, and how to dig the best ditches in the world with pride.
I’m here to talk to those who dream of starting their own business. The startups, kickstarters, risk takers who need everyone’s help to make their dream a reality. Not every business succeeds, but every risk teaches us how to risk better the next time. I want to team up with organizations like SCORE, Small Business Association, Chambers of Commerce, and other national and local business mentoring programs to encourage more local Startup Weekends and kick starter style programs to train and support people to make that dream come true. America is the land of opportunity and ingenuity. My colleague is an example of that. Let’s kick start that again and make the United States an exciting place of opportunities.
I’m here to talk to the people facing the decision to have a child. We need more education when it comes to parenthood and preparing Americans for the risks and responsibilities that come with making new Americans. We need to build stronger support around families, community day care programs, health programs, block watches, and make our communities safer places to raise our children. We need to expand the concept of Pro-choice to include the pro-women and pro-family choices women must make with their bodies and with their children. Mothers face hard decisions before and after pregnancy, throughout the lifetime of their motherhood. How to feed and care for the child, what vaccines to get when and where, child care, physical and mental health, school, how to pay for it all…We need to support community health care and social service programs that do so much to help women, and their families, make those decisions, and care for them throughout the entire process.
I’m here to talk to the parents who go to work only a few days after a child is born or adopted into their family, spending eight to twelve hours a day away from their new addition. The government needs to work with companies to ensure a healthy start to the family by encouraging longer recovery times and maternity leave for both parents.
I’m here to talk to the people who’ve come into this country legally and illegally. In spite of the rhetoric of my opponent, we want to help you. Yes, we do not want nor encourage illegal entry into this country. We need to ensure the safety of our society as well as our borders. But that doesn’t mean we are haters or isolationists. We are so much more than that. For centuries, the United States has held welcoming arms wide open. Mr. Trump, did your grandparents go through an intensive and rigorous vetting process to get into this country? In the past 75 years or more, we’ve restricted that embrace, as most countries have. The reasons for this are many, but today, I pledge to Americans that we will continue our hard work to ensure our borders are protected and immigrants are processed through tough security checks. Immigrants already on our soil for decades live in terror under the radar, imposing those fears on their family members who are now legitimate citizens. We must have compassion for you, and I need to talk to you, too. You are as much a part of America as those here legally. You are not forgotten.
I’m here to talk to big business and big banks, the ones my colleague has been on intimate terms with for the past 40 years. The ones he’s negotiated with to move their offices inside his buildings. The ones he’s bargained with for loans, and then renegotiated the loans when bankruptcy loomed. I bet there are some citizens here who wished they had your savvy experience with getting away with bankruptcy and financial ruin to save their homes and businesses. The financial industry is critical to the survival of this country. It can be said that the backbone of America is Wall Street. I am both glad and sad about that statement, because your industry must change. Failures and inappropriate actions in your industry almost brought down the global economy only a few years ago. How soon we forget about the millions of Americans who lost their homes and jobs due to your careless regard and greed. Cons and inappropriate incentive and quota programs designed to scam the consumer must stop. I want to work with financial agencies to bring back the trust and respect for handling America’s money, and if that means imposing sanctions and increased regulation – or worse – see, we have much talk about to ensure people have confidence in the financial industry again.
I’m here to talk to those determined to destroy America from within. Yes, you are as much a part of America as the rest of us. I want to talk to those who feel America has gone to hell in a hand basket, and those who feel public acts of resistance, protest, and violence are a choice to protect what you believe is the true definition of America. You are a part of us, a part of the whole. You remind us of how scary this can be for each one of us, not knowing, not trusting, terrified of change. You want to protect yourselves. You want to protect us. I understand that, and I’m not just here to talk to you, I’m here to listen. You have something to say. I hear your words through my opponent, but talk to me. I’m the only one listening with the power to make change happen.
As your president, it will be my job to talk to you, to tell you how things will change, to incite change, and to restrict it when I feel it isn’t in the best interest of all Americans. It is my job to report to you throughout my tenure on the state of the union. It is my job to protect you, individually and nationally. It is my job to represent our country to the rest of the world, through war, peace, and trade, but also stand for American rights and values on the international stage as an example of how we are getting things right, and sometimes wrong, as one of the most powerful countries in the world.
But that is just me talking. That is the smallest part of my job.
The most important part of my job is to listen. I promise to listen to your representatives in Congress, so make sure you vote to ensure they speak well for you. I promise to listen to you, the people, too. Let me know how you are doing, and tell me what you want and need. I’m not going to promise you “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” I am going to promise you open heart and ears. I’m not going to get everything right, but I’m going to work harder than everyone else in the room for you.
You are heard, my friends. Today, we live in a world where you have more forms of communication and sharing than ever in the history of the planet. Let your voice be heard. Share your opinions. Share your thoughts. We are listening. That is our job. We are your government. We are your elected representatives. We can’t fix everything immediately, and certainly not in a hundred days, maybe not even in eight years. The inner workings of the government move slowly. It is time to give this country an oil and lube job to get those gears moving faster, working for you.
Before or on November 8, vote for leaders who will break the deadlock in Congress. Vote for leaders who will get the job done. The job you want done, for you and the country. Vote for leaders who represent you. Don’t just vote for a name. Look beyond the political ads and the voter’s pamphlet. Who are these people? What have they done? What skills and experiences made them choose to run for office? Who supports them? Who doesn’t? Meet them. Ask them questions. Make them listen to you. Do you feel heard? Do you feel like they are the right people for the job? Then vote for them to help make change in our country. Put change leaders into place who speak for you, and will vote for you in Congress.
In the recent Vice Presidential Debate, the men were asked to talk about when their personal beliefs conflicted with their political beliefs and decisions. Both spoke of the inner conflicts that face everyone in every job, making the right decision even when you don’t personally agree with it. Throughout my political and legal career I’ve had to face difficult decisions and struggled with my conscience, going alone with decisions that went against the grain. That’s the job. As President Obama said yesterday, “If you start whining before the game’s even over, if whenever things are going badly for you and you lose, you start blaming somebody else, then you don’t have what it takes to be in this job, because there are times when things don’t go our way — or my way.”
The job of President of the United States is not about me. It is about you, the people. It takes someone who will listen. It takes someone on your side. It takes someone who will tell you truth, whether or not you want to hear it. It takes someone with the calm, patience, strength, and confidence as your representative to make the decisions to protect and support you.
In 1970 as college student, I could have interned anywhere. I chose to spend a summer interviewing families in migrant worker camps, asking them about their working conditions and education and health of their children, and seeing it with my own eyes and heart. It changed my life. In 1972, I did another intern project gathering data on school segregation, uncovering the insidious discrimination that still exists today. With the Children’s Defense Fund, I went door-to-door in Massachusetts on behalf of children denied the right to attend school because of disabilities. Think back to life before the early 1970s. Children with mental or physical challenges were kept at home, rarely able to enter a classroom, or able to participate in society as an active member. Buildings did not have wheelchair access. Why? Because the school refused to build a ramp. Really? Something so simple yet a wall all the same. It broke my heart. Teachers weren’t trained to identify students with dyslexia or learning challenges. Parents either kept their children at home or found the money to pay for private schools and special training. Today, it may seem unbelievable, but I was there. It not only changed me and my life, it made me want to change the world. I realized that to drive real progress, you have to change both hearts and laws. Our work convinced Congress to require equal opportunity access to education for everyone. Today, teachers are getting the education they need to handle their diverse population of students. Today, everyone can get an education. It took an army of people coming together to make this happen, and many years, and there is still work to be done to make our communities more accessible. Today, we don’t hide these children away, we rejoice in them and celebrate them as part of our community, as we do all children, encouraging them to grow up to be proud Americans.
This is the passion I bring to the office of President. This is the passion I feel in many of our Congress men and women across both sides of the aisle. They want to change the world. They want to make the world better. They believe that the United States is one of the most stable and powerful countries in the world, and that together we can make not only our country great, but the world better, a place for everyone to be respected, accepted, and part of the thread that makes the fabric of our nation strong.
Just look at Canada. They are voting for us to succeed.
This is a time to talk and listen, to be heard, and heard with your vote, too. Come January, it will be a time to roll up the sleeves and get to work, and we will, America, for you, and because of you.
Vote well. Vote to be heard. Vote to be proud. Vote to be represented. Just vote.
Comments are closed on this post. This is my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of the candidates nor their campaigns. If you agree, help spread the world. If you don’t, spread whatever you are spreading wherever you spread. Thanks.
Lorelle on WordPress 