So Much To Do

In the Guardian, a columnist uses the USA as a cautionary example of where the UK is going. That’s just one article of many, all over the place. The world is watching to see how the USA grapples with and emerges from its crisis.

Online discussions ask historians to weigh in about whether it is possible for a democracy to step back from the brink when it has gone as far toward authoritarianism and/or lawlessness as what is happening in the USA now. (The short answer from historians? Yes, and it has even happened specifically in the USA before.)

I see people pondering whether to leave for their own sake or stay to try to help turn the situation around. I had that debate with myself after the 1980 election, recognizing it as the turning point that it was. My decision was to stay and put all I had into resisting the turn, which I did until my health made me pull back. I left when, with nothing like the Affordable Care Act on the horizon, it became the only way to get access to health care on reasonable terms. Now I’m settled elsewhere, and the ACA isn’t settled. For that matter, everything that helps the 99% seems to be in the crosshairs. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid…

As the saying goes, democracy is not a spectator sport. There is always a lot to do just to keep it alive and vigorous in normal times. In these times, it needs even more.

So I always vote. When I’m able to donate to good candidates, I do. In both of my countries.

The UK has a mechanism where online petitions can actually require the government to at least respond, or even have a debate about a topic in Parliament. Government isn’t required to take the petitions seriously. When Jack Monroe’s petition forced Parliament to debate hunger in the UK, Tory MPs laughed on the floor of the chamber about it. But that’s part of their record now, video of them laughing about hungry constituents. It’s campaign material for their opponents, and lately it has begun to bite. In byelections, Tories have begun to lose. British Tories are close cousins to American Republicans, but the GOP is more of a take-no-prisoners organization.

Every level of government also has to hold consultations in which the public can submit its opinions about things government wants to do. You should have seen my submission to a consultation about revamping the central parking lot in our nearest market town. If a lot of us weigh in on a consultation in a way that goes against a bad government plan, we make it awkward for that plan to go ahead… about parking lots, housing, social welfare programs, whatever.

Most of us don’t have the bandwidth to be heavy duty activists, especially when life is such crunch. Exploiters, the ones at the very top who are so eager to get rid of democracy and make us all serve their wishes, love it when we are so stretched that we don’t have much energy to spare for political engagement. But you don’t have to be a heavy duty activist to help thwart the exploiters. Yes, there is so very much to do. Yes, we need some heavy duty activists to lead the charge. But we also need momentum, large numbers of people each pushing a little against the direction exploiters want us to go.

So at the least, vote at every opportunity, and vote wisely. To do that, spend a little time each week keeping tabs on what’s happening, choosing sources that favor facts and not weird fantasies. It may be as simple as finding a reliable podcast and listening to it while you’re getting ready for work or school in the morning.

There is so very much to do, but our strength is in how many of us there are, so very many more than there are in the elite.

It isn’t one big mountain for us to move. It’s a big pile of rocks, each of a size that a person can reasonably carry. If each of us picks up at least one stone, we can move the mountain.