Stop Signs
As I was driving on unfamiliar streets on a recent trip, I thought about how much I rely on other drivers to follow the same traffic rules that I do. I assume, as I approach a 4-way stop, that almost all of the time, the other cars will also stop and let whoever got there first go through in an orderly manner. I realize I still have to look both ways and check, but I have a fair degree of confidence that I will be safe if I proceed as I have been taught.
We have certain societal and cultural norms that make life safer and more pleasant. If every car drove at whatever speed the driver wanted, and used whichever lane they liked best, and approached intersections in unpredictable ways, I would be terrified to go out. It helps all drivers, as well as pedestrians and cyclists, to have some predictability in our behavior. For my life so far, this has been a given. People who drive have to pass a written and a road test and have a valid license to operate safely in a community. While not 100% reliable, and while there are some bad drivers who are inattentive or under the influence of alcohol or illness, these are the exceptions.
Likewise, air safety relies on pilots understanding and obeying air traffic controllers. If planes tried to take off and land wherever and however they chose, air travel would be extremely unsafe and impractical. .jpg)
But now, with the Trump administration in office, many of my assumptions about societal norms have been challenged. I thought it was not acceptable to use certain words in public, especially if one is a public figure. When I see the president saying “F* you” to a heckler, and then White House press office saying it was an appropriate response, it bothers me. I could go through a litany of norm-shattering incidents in the past year, from Cabinet officers lying to members of House and the Senate during formal hearings; to pardoning convicted violent criminals and drug smugglers; to removing historically accurate information from official websites and museums; to destroying public health protections and undermining safe medical practices.
The current administration is so far removed from the realities of day-to-day life that they can’t see the damage they are doing. The president’s motorcade can ignore traffic signals. He travels in an armored limousine with Secret Service vehicles surrounding it. He doesn’t have to worry about someone running a red light. When Air Force One or the government planes used by senior officials take flight, they get priority over everyone else and can operate on their own schedule and with their own rules. They don’t have to endure flight delays or circling an airport waiting for a gate to become available.
Each individual act has consequences that I don’t like. Together they undermine our fundamental societal structure. Our governmental system operates based, in principle, on the people giving consent to chosen individuals to wield power on our behalf – of the people, for the people. When those in power recognize or fear that the people no longer consent or support the actions they are taking, they resort to lying, misinformation, withholding files, stonewalling court orders, and ultimately violence against citizens, in order to hold onto the power they were initially granted. This is very dangerous.
And so, on MLK Day, I express gratitude to all who are standing up for what is real, for what is right, and using what power and privilege we have to push back on these dangerous behaviors, policies, and practices. We still have power. We need to use it to vote, but that isn’t enough. We need to step up now, to keep stepping up now, before it gets worse. Kudos to those in frigid Minnesota who are resisting illegal ICE kidnappings and violence. Kudos to all of us who have stood on street corners with signs and slogans and chants. Kudos to all who have been able to provide funding to legal resistance efforts and to provide food and support to families impacted by ICE raids. We need to keep it up, make it bigger, and just say “NO” as loudly as we can to so-called leaders who are putting their personal insecurities, dementia, power lust, and egos above the needs of the people they purport to serve. May it be so.
It is not a new idea. But it matters now more than ever. WE THE PEOPLE hold the power. We can run for office, we can educate ourselves about who is running for office at every level – school boards, local government, all the way up the chain. We can get involved in political party bureaucracy and try to influence the choices of who runs and who gets funding and other types of support.
There may not be many Republicans who read this blog, but I wish there were more courageous Republicans who would work to take back the reins of their party. It would be good for the country to have a diversity of viewpoints within the fundamental framework of our constitutional democracy. How can we engage and empower all eligible voters to have their views and values represented and their rights protected? We need to offer more choices across the political spectrum. I’m not anti-Republican as I used to understand the Republican Party. I disagreed with many of their positions, but as President Biden said in the State of the Union address, “you can’t love your country only when you win.” I’m proud to have been a civil servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations in my years in Washington.
What to do? It takes leadership and time to move us into more productive waters. We first need to do everything possible to make voting safe and secure; to support and protect election officials who are essential in performing this sacred duty. Then we need to encourage and support good candidates from both parties who demonstrate integrity and a commitment to serve for the common good, not for personal power.
Help register people to vote. Offer to work at voting centers. Join a civic organization and learn about the role of different offices and work to elect people you trust. Donate money to candidates and organizations that are working to promote your views and values. Among other things, I have written over 3000 postcards to voters across the country in elections at all levels of government to encourage them to vote. It is vital to VOTE in every election you are eligible for. You vote is your voice. It matters. For the sake of my granddaughter, I have to believe it’s not too late!
I just spent a lovely week at a health resort in Tecate, Mexico, with 50 or 60 other guests. One of the people I met early in the week was a recently first-time elected official I’ll call Serena. We bonded/commiserated over the privilege and challenge of public service and shared some of the high and low points in our political journeys.
When I revealed that I had been elected to public office and served for four years, or when Serena shared her job title, people were very interested, very concerned about the state of our democracy, and very appreciative of our having stepped up to run for office. But most were not at all engaged themselves, other than keeping up with the news. While it has been more than a decade since I was elected, and I have done many other things since then, this piece of my resume seemed of most interest. And I still feel the need and desire to continue advocating for greater civic engagement from everyone. My new friend and I probably said to someone at every single meal, or to the whole table if they were listening, that they should get involved, run for office, volunteer for a commission, or at least actively support good candidates, including after they get elected.
Another rule is to have each other’s back. If a scene is floundering, someone else can step in and support the storyline, or redirect it so it works. In public office, this is also essential. Most people only speak out when they’re unhappy about a situation. They write angry letters to the editor or post comments on social media or just gripe to their friends. That’s ok, but it’s also important to acknowledge what is going well. Let an elected official know that you appreciate their vote on that issue you care about. Write an op-ed supporting your local government when they fix a problem. If there is unfair criticism in a community paper or public social media site, chime in and set the record straight, or at least offer a different point of view.
Why be a voter at all? It’s confusing. Does it make any difference anyway? Yes, voting matters. Do you want your school board to ban books or discussion of certain topics? Or do you want teachers to focus on teaching critical thinking skills by presenting controversial topics and helping kids think for themselves? Your vote for in school board elections determines who decides. At every level of government, decisions are being made that impact your life. Fundamental rights are being defined and expanded or limited by Supreme Court justices appointed and approved by the president and Senate – all elected officials. The people making decisions about housing, transit, and climate action are the people that WE elect. If we choose different people, we get different outcomes. So, how do you become an educated voter? Step one: register to vote. It’s easy. If you live in San Diego, go to SDVote.com. If you live somewhere else, look up your Registrar of Voters. Just to be sure, do it TODAY! In general, there are three types of elections: primary, general, and special. The primary election determines who the candidates will be in the general elections that are held every two years in November. Not every office has a primary – some are just in the general election. Special elections can happen at any time to fill vacancies, for example, when an official dies or leaves office for another reason. Once you are a registered voter, you should receive information about specific elections that you are eligible to vote in. 
You will see and hear ads, and get lots of mailings and other communications about candidates and issues. Read and listen carefully. Always look at the source, follow the money, and consider what their agenda might be. Mailings must include “paid for by.” Look up any organization you don’t recognize to see who’s behind it. Fact check and talk to knowledgeable friends and colleagues. Consider setting up a potluck discussion group to share information and opinions. 
Nonpartisan organizations, like the League of Women Voters, offer objective information. The League studies issues and offers pros and cons for major ballot questions. They post candidate statements and studies on the VotersEdge.org website. The League never endorses candidates but takes positions on some ballot questions. Go to candidate forums and hear directly from the candidates. A challenger with no track record can easily promise to solve difficult problems but may not really understand the legalities and complexities that an incumbent must address. Look beyond specific issues to the candidate’s character, values, and experience. You don’t know what might arise in the future. Past actions speak louder than empty words. No candidate will be perfect. Choose the ones that you think will take us in the general direction you want, or at least the one who isn’t going to take us in a direction you don’t want. “Confirmation bias” makes us inclined to accept information that matches existing beliefs and reject conflicting views. Think critically. Vote wisely. The health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our nation depend on it.
A Mormon, a Mennonite, and a Unitarian walked into a historic inn and gave me hope.
So what did we talk about at the breakfast table? Sustainability. Climate Change. Carbon footprints. Regenerative agriculture. Open space conservation. I’m pretty sure we do not identify the same way politically (the innkeepers ask that we not talk politics at the table) but we were all on, or close to, the same sustainability page. This gives me hope. We talked about shared values and common concerns. We related as human members of our society. THIS is what we need to do more!
Whether you believe that some higher power, possibly called God, created the world and gave “man” dominion over all the creatures, or you think we are part of an interdependent web of all existence where no specie is more important than any other, everyone at our table agreed that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. Religious differences, in other words, but core values that were the same.
When I said I thought the there were significant benefits offsetting the costs, Dave did acknowledge the intangible benefits (which I would argue can be made tangible) in terms of recruitment and retention of talent, as well as direct savings from reducing waste, reusing water in industrial processes, energy efficiency, and longer-term benefits from reducing future severe weather events. It’s hard to operate a factory in a tornado, wildfire, flood, or extreme heat event. And possibly more important than all this in terms of giving me hope, he was PROUD that he was working on these issues.
The innkeepers joined in the end of our breakfast discussion. They belong to a green tourism association, recently joined a CSA program, and proudly explained to me their municipal composting program, among other “green” initiatives.
I worked as a mail ballot drop-off monitor for the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. That means I was one of the people tending a big red ballot box for the last four weeks while we wasted $300 million verifying that we really did want Gavin Newsom as governor. California makes it very easy to vote, by mailing ballots to everyone, and giving voters many options and lots of time to return their ballots. You could put them in the mail, postage paid; drop them at one of many locations available for four weeks; or go to a polling place during the three days leading up to the actual election day. It was reassuring that there was high voter turnout, and a clear outcome.
My book is now available on Amazon. I didn’t want to do it. I did not publish the book through Amazon, but I just released it through IngramSpark, which is a publishing site linked to independent bookstores, and it also distributes through Amazon. So you can