BY SHARON MARTIN
Someone with whom I work posted on Election Day that she “voted against abortion.”
Abortion wasn’t on the ballot.
I’m pro-life, but I know that when abortions are illegal, they still happen. Back-alley abortions often take the lives of the mothers, too. I’m all for cutting the number of abortions with good sex education, ready access to contraceptives, and a raise in the minimum wage so families can afford to raise children.
Some of these things were on the ballot and lost. Some didn’t even get a mention.
An elementary student told me on Election Day that Hillary was going to take our guns. I tried to explain to him that it was impossible for a president to take our guns without the aid of two-thirds of the Legislature and three-quarters of the states. He didn’t understand a word of it.
One of his classmates called Secretary Clinton Killery.
A friend posted a diatribe against the Affordable Care Act and how it had destroyed the economy of the United States. How does 20 million more insured citizens destroy the economy? Of course, in Oklahoma, without the Medicaid expansion and with only one insurance company on the exchange, premiums are going up. Kicking the newly insured off insurance won’t fix that problem.
A woman said she supported Hillary until “she let” someone say the pledge without “under God.” She let?
A cousin figured out that Trump votes only cost about half of what Clinton votes did. He cited it as proof of Trump’s business acumen. I asked if he figured in all the free publicity on cable news.
Ignorance and fear won the day. It’s going to be a tough couple of years … or 20. Am I being too pessimistic? I surely hope so.
As the Trump presidency plays out, it’s not the time for us to quit fighting for right. The fate of our country, maybe even the world, is at stake.
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer
