It feels like too much because it is.
Neighbors losing jobs they depend on to support their families.
Twenty year olds given access to secure government computers.
Programs which work to stem the tide of disease
Or feed the desperately hungry
Suddenly shut down.
And that is only a drop in the bucket.
Maybe only a drop in the ocean.
Because a bucket is too small.
I can’t do much about the big stuff.
Right now I have to hope that lawyers and lawsuits and courts can step up and help.
Right now I have to hope that a handful of Representatives and Senators find the courage to say “Enough.”
Though that hope feels futile.
But…
I don’t have to acquiesce.
I can still do the small stuff.
I can still go to the store run and staffed by immigrants.
I can smile at them and say Thank you.
I can support those organizations which do the big stuff I can’t do.
I can put a sign in my yard to let my neighbors know who I am and what I believe.
I can stay connected to communities which remind me I am not alone.
I can…
I can…
I can…
Maybe right now that is the best I can do.
Keep saying I can.
And reminding myself
And you
That right now even the small things matter.
The small things have probably always mattered.
That I will not give in.
And, I will not give up.
Very good points. This is a very disheartening time.
Maybe you can just have the courage to wait and see how this will workout. No Trump supporter wants to stop feeding the hungry. But is it too much to inspect the system and eliminate waste?
Is it too much to deport dangerous people who entered the US illegally? Perhaps we can save the hysteria about deporting lawful, working immigrants until we see them being deported.
Change and introspection are by nature hard but occasional beneficial. If we are afraid to look at how well our system is working more is the reason to take a careful look.
And then there is the problem of the US debt. That is the looming calamity.
I always appreciate when people read, think about and comment on what I have written. I have thought alot about your comment and how best to respond. I have certainly watched what has been happening. I agree that any and all organizations should do a regular review of what they do and how they do and seek to find better, more efficient ways to fulfill their mission. If that was happening right how I would support it wholeheartedly. But, that is not what is happening. There is nothing strategic about the shutting down of entire departments, the firing of tens of thousands of employees and the cutting of funds that go from the federal government to the schools, food pantries, and vetern services in your community and in mine. Yesterday I read an article about the cutting of funds which will affect local food pantries and programs like Meals on Wheels. It caught my attention because for several years I delivered Meals on Wheels to about a dozen people twice a week. Often, on my delivery days, I was the only person they saw and without the food I delivered they would have gone hungry. There may be room for a legitimate debate about whether or not the federal support of a program like Meals on Wheels is a priority of the federal government, but I would argue that the wholesale slashing of funds is not the responsible way to proceed.
In terms of immigration… I agree that those immigrants who are dangerous or who have committed crimes should be held responsible. Whether that is deportation or a prison sentence can be up for debate. But the number of immigrants in that category is minor compared to the total number of immigrants the majority of which pay taxes and add to our communities. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in 2022 undocumented immigrants paid 96.7 billion dollars in taxes. The other concern I have is the way the administrations policy is being implemented. A number of news sources have identified an innocent man who was rounded up and sent to the prison in El Salvador. The administration acknowledged the mistake saying is was an “administrative error” but also saying that since the man was now in prison in El Salvador there is nothing they could do. Yes, it is only one man. But it is one man who was torn away from his family.
Finally, you mention the national debt. I am not enough of an economist to understand the complexities of our national debt and how it relates to the overall income and spending of our country. But I see no indication in this administration or Congress to do anything significant about it. It will be an interesting issue to follow as Congress debates the balance between the tax cuts President Trump wants and raising the debt ceiling and the amount of money the US can borrow.