People > Money

I tend to stay away from political topics when I write because I don't aspire to be in politics and I don't have a desire to turn off comments and all that because politics bring out the worst in people. This election is different just because EVERYTHING in 2020 is different. There are so many reasons to vote, so many topics to research, so many lies and shortcomings, there is just A LOT at stake. My position is always the same, which is vote for your best interests even if they are different from mine. Everyone who is eligible should participate in the democracy* so it can work.

One of the things that now has a constant presence in political discussions is people who say, "I voted for ______ because they are not a politician." Always these people are business moguls, so the voter is saying they think it's a good idea to have the business person run their constituents like a business. The governor who made the decisions leading to the Flint water crises was a businessman. The governor who went after the unions in Wisconsin was a businessman. The governor who let Illinois operate without a budget(costing taxpayers even more) for over a year was a businessman. I can go on but I believe the picture is painted. This idea is flawed in my opinion because government is about people not profits. By putting someone focused on profits and money in the position of power you relinquish your importance as a person and instead give it to money and industry. Look into Louisiana and the way industry has destroyed the quality of life for people because business ranks over bodies all of the time.

Something that has been specific to these last three elections (2016, 2018, and 2020) is competency. Not only was the businessman model at play but also competency. It's one thing to have a business agenda and be able to enact said policies. It's another thing to be disinterested and incompetent. Those things together along with having a business and money only focus destroys government. Government becomes a poorly run business, and we all know what happens with poorly run businesses. Not all "non-politicians" are bad. Look at the freshman class of the 2018 election. There were all types of professionals who were elected and they are doing an exceptional job at representing their constituents.

As a Black woman voter I have never had a candidate represent my interests on the ballot. Nonetheless I have still voted in every election since I turned 18. I vote for who I think is the best fit for the country as a whole since I am not and have not been represented. Not everyone else votes this way or at all and that's disappointing. Now more than ever I see people trying to lump Black people together into one electorate which is impossible. People are being "canceled" because of their political ideologies and there is discourse among Black voters and it's being broadcast to others. I understand there is not a single Black experience in the U.S. and because of that Black Americans have conflicting ideologies, just like other ethnicities in the U.S. What I disagree with is having the Black disagreements broadcasted, when it's really the schism in the "majority" that puts the citizens at risk.

One positive and thought out position I read was from Diddy. He recently changed course and said instead of holding the "Black vote" hostage Black voters should support Joe Biden to get the current president out of office. He went further to say, to then continue working on politics and in politics so there is more political leverage in play by the time the next presidential election comes in 2024. He created a political party called "Our Black Party" and says it is inclusive of both Democratic(Liberal) and Republican(Conservative) Black voters. I'd be remiss to not mention Kanye West's efforts at doing the same thing and him establishing the "Birthday Party" months earlier. There are differences between the two and I'm more on the side of the Diddy plan. So if I had to mirror a public position, I'd say I'm thinking more like Diddy. His plan is basically, do what you can in the current system while working to change/disrupt/dismantle that same system.

The bottom line is that government is supposed to be about people not business. Inserting business into the government changes the focus from the people and constituents to the profits of big business. When voters continue to make this choice there is no room to complain about business-centric policies that leave people behind. The next time or any time you think to yourself "why would they(politicians) do this?" or "how do they(politicians) get away with?" the answer is money and that they are representing money and because the money will save them. Vote for candidates who are people-centric and see a change in the way policies are made and the change to one's quality of life.

All of this is relevant because the Supreme court now has a new member who is expected to vote down the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, which can put millions of American citizens at a disadvantage because they can lose their health coverage and then be ineligible for affordable coverage in the future. Why would these things happen and why would the politician let it happen, because of money. It is more important than You until You vote to change things.

Recently a family member shared a "I voted and you should too" picture with us and said they did because their lives depend on it. I agree but to an extent, I can acknowledge there are many people who are privileged in some of these circumstances and that is why they do not care. The safety net from that privilege is erased when there are more people doing without and looking for a way for ends to be met. Bottom line, if you have not done so yet, VOTE and try to think about the people and not the money.