Since 2020, a trifecta of problems has burdened families and communities. A day care shortage keeps jobs unfilled despite families’ need for two-parent incomes. Mental health issues among students affected by COVID disruptions and adults struggling with addiction or depression overwhelm our existing resources. A propensity for violence as a solution for disagreements, modeled by the 45th president and his tribe, is becoming normalized. Proposals to address these challenges have been stonewalled by the intransigence of the GOP. And a surprising number of voters are uninformed or misinformed. Rep. Kevin McCarthy has echoed what Republican candidates are saying on the stump. These state and national candidates for legislatures not only oppose Democrats’ proposals to address current problems; their “Commitment to America” creates an even heavier burden than we bear now.
If Republicans gain a majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, they’re pledging a national abortion ban without exceptions, cuts to Medicare and Social Security and privatization of both, suspension of aid to Ukraine, reversal of legislation to build infrastructure and negotiate lower drug prices, and work requirements for SNAP food subsidy programs at a time when food is expensive. Do we want to pile more stress onto families? Do we want women, who are statistically the primary caregivers, to add indigent elders to a household struggling to feed and clothe children? We can vote for more problems by choosing Republicans, or we can vote for solutions by electing Democrats, who, by the way, support restoring universal voting rights.
Christine Hague
Weare