Navigation

Letter to the Editor: Politics Matter

Given the unpopularity of President Trump (the last ABC poll showed his approval rating at 36 percent) and the highly partisan atmosphere in the U.S. Senate and House, we Americans can feel powerless and just throw up our hands and switch it all off. However, I think “politics” still matters. What happens in Washington determines the fabric of our lives: our jobs, our incomes, our health care, our environment, our education, the roads we drive on, and the list goes on.

I’ve always believed our democracy works because we live in a country that values, respects, and supports all Americans, regardless of age, religion, race, wealth or sexual orientation. I don’t think President Trump should be speaking at rallies that are only his supporters. He is the President of all Americans. A small reminder: he lost the popular vote by three million votes. And I don’t think our legislators should be looking to enact their agenda without talking to their constituents in face-to-face meetings or at public town halls. And I certainly don’t think legislation should be crafted in secret as the Republican health care bill has been. At the time of writing this letter, we still don’t know the details and cost of the latest Republican plan.

Politics depends on us, on who votes and who speaks up. This seems especially important as our democracy is challenged every day by a President who doesn’t seem to understand how our democracy works: we have three equal branches that work separately as checks and balances to each other. I feel that President Trump’s inability, or lack of desire to work with, or lack of respect for the other branches of government is undermining our democracy. The president is not above the other branches of government. All the branches are equal. To me, this lack of respect and understanding of our democracy is very worrisome.

Our elected officials work for us. We have to keep letting them know how we feel and keep them accountable. Senators Baldwin, Johnson, and Congressman Gallagher need to hear from us, their constituents and citizens. Letters, phone calls, faxes, emails do get recorded and counted. The 2018 midterm elections are coming up. Let’s keep our democracy alive and well by being active and involved.

 

Glenna Peters

Sister Bay, Wis.

Article Comments