I'm mostly speaking to you, the men and women who represent us in Washington D.C. and the State Capitals across the nation, but there's no reason Joe Citizen shouldn't hear that, too.
The fact is, these are historic times. A deep worldwide recession. Political upheavals across the continents of Asia, Africa, and Central/South America. The nation and the world confront, simultaneously, energy and climate crises. And there are notable developments that herald a return to better government and a more sustainable world. The election of our nation's first African American President and the Democratic victory in Congress, should, if campaign rhetoric is to be believed, be a very positive development.
The thing about historic times is that they stand out. They're the little fact that future generations will recall. Historic times define the people of those times. Future generations will remember us as having risen to the challenge of these historic time or as having failed to do what was needed.
It's up to us to decide. And even more in the hands of you, the individuals we the people chose to represent us in government, to decide how future generations view us.
For instance, we all expect healthcare reform to pass in some form or other. The question is will it be good reform or bad? Will future generations say that Senator Feinstein's position on healthcare - whatever it is, exactly, was correct or not? Will they remember her name as having been attached to a successful measure that improves care and access while lowering costs, or as having done none of those or worse? The same goes for the climate bill and many others.
There's a lot of money being thrown around in an effort to sabotage the various reforms and to sustain as much as is possible of the status quo. I feel pretty powerless to oppose those efforts. Sure, I call the offices of my representatives, but I don't ever get to speak to them. I get to talk to guys like Doug at Senator Feinstein's office, a cordial but bored-sounding staffer fielding calls.
This diary is just my humble plea shouted in the hopes that it might remind even one of my representatives of their - and our, too - date with history. If I were in their shoes, I'd really want my choices and actions to reflect well on my fellow citizens, who'd entrusted me to represent them. And I'd want to serve the interests of the people who sent me. That's how I'd hope I'd act in historic times. That's what I expect of my representatives.
So far I'm not so impressed. We may yet get halfway decent healthcare reform, but there's so much more to do.
In California we're facing the loss of our public lands and deep cuts to the services that the weakest among us require to survive. Funding for services to people with developmental disabilities have already been cut 13% in just over a year with the threat of another 7% or more looming, bringing the total to 20%. Disclosure: I run an agency that supports adults with developmental disabilities who live independently in their own homes in the community. The community-based services we provide are typically less than 1/4 the cost of institutional alternatives and usually provide for a higher quality of life - an important benchmark, to be sure. Yet budgets for community-based services are being cut more severely than institutional budgets. And corporate tax breaks continue.
Is that how anyone wants future generations to remember us? That's bad policy. It's senseless policy. To my mind, such policies rise to the level of immorality. Frankly, I'd be ashamed for future generations to associate my name and efforts to such policies.
These are historic times. How about let's start acting accordingly?