Hey, Wisconsin,

Michigan and Pennsylvannia too

It’s been difficult to stop worrying about our future since election night. So I took a walk to find some comfort. I walked over this bridge.

Recognize that bridge? It’s a significant place in our history. It was on one side of that bridge on April 17, 1775 a group of the locals took a very strong stand against tyranny. They didn’t want to be beholden to a king who had a very erratic mind, and was often making threats and discriminatory pronouncements. The people on that side of the bridge spread the ideals of freedom around the country and around the world. About fifteen months later Thomas Jefferson wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

They were men of their time, so they didn’t include women, Black people or Native Americans, and that has remains a problem. In fact, those oversights made the difference in this election because the smaller states, especially the ones with more slaves, were given more representation, so they would feel that they were equal to the larger states. That’s how we got left with this now outdated electoral college system of state by state voting.

I walked over that bridge two days ago. I met a couple from another country as they were looking at the bridge, the statues and reading the plaques. They asked me to explain why so many Americans were willing to vote for someone who appears to want to be a tyrant; a man who wants to run the country by himself, and who threatens retaliation for any kind of dissent.

My best answer is that many Americans do not feel ready to embrace the 21st Century. Too many changes have occurred since 2001 that have disrupted the way in which Americans live, work and play. These changes are challenging our place in the world. Americans have come to think of themselves as the richest, most powerful, most influential and most important country in the history of the world. But things have been happening in the 21st Century that has shaken some of those beliefs. Therefore many people want to just go back to the way it was, or at least the way they like to remember it was, even if that isn’t very accurate.

So some people, it was less than a majority, voted for a guy who promised to bring back the mythical good times. Many people were counting on the the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to not be sucked in by this cardboard savior with the orange hair. But many people in those states felt that they were being left out of the riches that the 21st Century was bringing to others, so they bought into his idea that it would be better to just blow-up the whole system. Maybe try a little tyranny for a while.

Now, it has been a month since the election and things are beginning to unfold pretty much in a manner that was expected. Almost immediately Mr. Trump has sent out a few Tweets threatening to take actions that are unconstitutional against some of his critics. He also has begun to appoint people to powerful positions who have questionable backgrounds, very questionable views, and almost no government experience. What is worse, is that these people who will do nothing to help the voters in Wisconsin. The come from the far-right of the Republican Party, and they come from Goldman Sachs, and other big money, , big corporation, big fossil fuel, and big military backgrounds. As a group they are probably worth more than the entire State of Wisconsin. They are not going to push for a $15 an hour minimum wage, in fact, they have stated just the opposite.

I know that I can’t speak for the Trump voters in Wisconsin. I am sure they would say that I should shut-up and give the man a chance. But, from my outsider point of view, I think these are a few of the things Wisconsin could use to get the place to prosper: higher paying jobs, a good safety net for when more jobs disappear, a good educational system so that people could gain the skills necessary for those jobs, and a good, affordable, accessible health care system to keep people and families healthy, so that one accident or one illness won’t cause poverty. A big help would be to find a way to build a sense of unity and trust between the people in the cities and the people in more suburban and rural areas so that they can work together to make things better for everyone. That’s a tough one.

Very early indications are that those things will not be coming. The Governor of Wisconsin is already cutting the budget for what once was one of the best State college systems in the world. The new Secretary of Education wants to set up more for-profit charter schools, which are generally of low quality and take funds from the regular public schools, while making some corporations rich. Wisconsin’s own favorite son, Paul Ryan, wants to repeal Social Security and Medicare. He is also ready to cut funds for any social welfare program, including job training, food stamps, housing subsidies, and anything else that would help people who are struggling to stay alive. And I am waiting to see how the repeal of ObamaCare turns out. Early indications are that you will get a voucher for very basic coverage with very high co-payments and deductibles. The plan will be designed to make insurance companies, drug companies and doctors happy. You in Wisconsin will be happy also, unless you get sick, lose your job to automation, want to send you child to college, or get a mortgage, then you’ll be broke.

I say “you” about this because Massachusetts still has Obamacare. We had it before Obama, and we’re keeping it. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it. We also have a very strong educational system, and we voted against more charter schools. Yes, we pay a lot in taxes, but we feel that we all contribute to having a stronger society. We have a lot of high paying jobs here because we have a lot of colleges that turn out very skilled people. We value our scientists and inventors.

But we here in Massachusetts have to live with the results of your votes in Wisconsin. The funding for bio-tech, health science, and basic science in general will be cut even further now because Trump doesn’t care about science, or finding out the truth. He’ s not good with those details. That will hurt us because a lot of that kind of research is done here. It will hurt you too because someone you know will die earlier than necessary because the treatment for their disease won’t be developed in time, or the clean energy won’t be allowed to be used, or your crime rate will go up because your police will be too busy deporting people who may be immigrants. More of your children may be accidentally killed by the gun someone bought to protect them from the ISIS invasion coming to Manitowoc. More of your children may have to go into the military to fight against a country that blew up a Trump hotel.

So yes, I’m blaming you. But, really I hope that you will be able to use the new political leverage you have just gained to get the things you want and need. All you need to do is stay alert and let the man know when he is letting you down. He is good at trying to please his base. Tell him you don’t want another financial melt-down. Ask him to show you what he’s doing to help you support your family and not just letting the billionaires get richer. But, you’d better start soon. some of these folks he’s putting in his cabinet think that being a “job creator” is hiring someone to iron their shirts, or be their body guards for $8 an hour.

Also, remember, the guy lies about everything and attacks the people who call him out for that.

I really do, sincerely, wish you all the best. We are all in this together.