BY SHARON MARTIN
I’m tired of mean, self-serving politicians.
I’m tired of talking points and propaganda.
I’m tired of pols and pundits manipulating citizens with words, half lies, and outright fabrications.
The people in Puerto Rico are tired. Even if someone has explained to the president that Puerto Ricans are citizens, it doesn’t seem to have done any good.
Dreamers are tired. They are tired of having their dreams dashed, of looking over the shoulders, of leaving behind their families.
Journalists are tired. The would-be despot understands quite well that this institution stands between despots and free people. Their jobs have gotten so much harder and more dangerous in the past year.
Parents are tired. Working parents who live close to the bone are worried that their children won’t have access to healthcare. Why was funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program allowed to lapse? Does it have anything to do with its champion?
Who thought that Children’s Health Insurance was a suitable bargaining chip anyway? Whoever made that decision, shame on you!
We are all tired of arguing with people who have made up their minds that only one side is right. Compromise and center are not dirty words.
As our country descends into chaos, some of us are more than just tired. We’re frightened. We’re concerned not only for ourselves but for friends and relatives who think everything is OK so long as their side is winning.
No one is winning, especially when one party has all the power. We are not OK.
Is this even a democratic republic any more?
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. Her children’s book, Froggy Bottom Blues, can be purchased in hardcover or paperback from Doodle and Peck Publishing. It also is available in paperback from Amazon.
