This is a time of mourning and worry.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a diminutive woman who became a legal giant, has left the Supreme Court. Many people have been welcomed to a more democratic space by her fights for their rights. Now, we are likely looking at the undoing of some progressive ideas by the new Supreme Court.
Most importantly will be the destruction of Obamacare, the first real effort to give affordable healthcare to all. It isn’t perfect, but it finally made it illegal to deny care to people with “pre-existing conditions.” Does the Senate not care that Obamacare is very valued, proven by the public outcry when the Republicans tried to kill it?
Also likely to be impacted are the rights of women and the LBGTQ community.
But the most critical event is the blow to democracy that our country is facing. Men in power are going to chose power over right.
We are a nation of laws for a reason. Ideals are supposed to lead us. Integrity, honesty and service should be the traits of a government leader, not seeking power and its benefits.
In the spring of 2016 the Republicans chose to set a precedent in place. They declared that close to an election, selecting a new Supreme Court Justice should be left to the election’s winner. It was controversial, but not a bad idea. But their choice to select a justice just before this election shows that their original idea was just a power grab. It was for the good of their party and themselves.
Leaders that are power hungry. Leaders defying the people’s will. We call these people autocrats and dictators.
It is the Republicans this time, but it could be the Democrats too. Either way, the solution is the same. Republicans are defying our democracy and we must vote them out of power at all levels.
—Carolyn Medland,
Lapeer Twp.
