Thank you so much Heather.

The majority of American people who do embrace facts, science, and evidence must understand this could be the last time in generations that the United States can evolve toward equity, justice, and democracy.

We have seen the critical appointments to the Supreme Court and other vital judicial appointments stolen. We were angry for a moment.

We saw the legal maneuvering to stop legitimate vote counting in Florida as Bush became President instead of Gore. We were angry for a moment.

We saw the Trump appointments of the vastly corrupt to his Cabinet. We were angry for a moment.

We saw Trump accuse journalists of being enemies of the people, as Hitler and the Nazis once did. We were angry for a moment.

We saw Trump impede investigations, obstruct justice, and continue to do so. We were angry for a moment.

We saw Trump dismiss COVID as being nothing more than a cold, suggesting people drink bleach, while hundreds of thousands died. We were angry for a moment.

There are so many examples throughout my journey through life where our societal reaction to egregious action is met with a moment of anger, and then forgotten. The election of Rick Scott to Governor and then Senator is an example. The elevation of Ryan Zinke, another.

In France, talk of raising the normal retirement age is met with days of rage. In America, when we should be removing the cap on contributions to the system instead of continuing to raise normal retirement age we simply shrug our shoulders and move on.

The American people will be reminded daily by scholars like Professor Richardson, Professor Snyder, and even those who worked within the Trump administration that we are on the precipice of ending the American experiment and replacing it with an authoritarian system for generations. A system that encourages the continued concentration of wealth and power so average worker wages will stagnate. Our children and grandchildren will have to work harder at multiple gig jobs in order to pay rent or live at home, victims of our own indifference. This election not just democracy is on the ballot. So is equity, justice, the climate, labor rights, Women’s rights, voting rights, and so much more.

On a connected note:

In the United States, in 2024, democracy is on the ballot. Recent research states 75% of people consume their news on social platforms. With so much at stake, do you trust Musk and Zuckerberg -or is it time for an ad-free, subscriber-supported civic social network that doesn't sell or share data with marketers, shadowy political operatives, or billionaires.

Help us finish something great together: wefunder.com/civic.work….