There's an elephant in the room

There’s an elephant in the room...

...And a donkey too 

They are making so much noise…but not as much as the clowns and monkeys reporting on them.  

I usually keep politics out of my farm conversations.  Too much of what’s happening now is weighting on my mind, and I feel like I have a few things to say.  

I grew up in a politically active family.  My parents met at a rally.  Fun fact: my dad was arrested over 100 times for peaceful protest in the 60’s.  During election years, we, as a family, watched all the debates.  As kids we were encouraged to find our own political opinions and voice.  Sometimes my opinions were different than my parents’s.  More than once they took me to rallies for candidates they did not support, and on my 18th birthday took me to register to vote, knowing full well that there would be many elections where my vote would cancel out one of theirs.  

When we decided to homeschool our children, I imagined doing much the same, but over the last few election cycles I found myself pulling more away from involving the kids in the process.  Things seemed uglier than I remembered growing up. Yes there was always the debate and banter back & forth, mud slinging and the like.  Somehow this new era felt more like a grudge match with one side against the other and less about what was best for our country.  Politics seemed more irrational and personal where reasonable discussion was discarded for anger and animosity.  The quality of friendships and even family relationships seemed to be more and more dependent on being on the same side.   This fire raged, fanned by entertainment based headlines and social media.  I struggled to find a positive civics lesson for children in it all.

This time around I knew we were going to have to bring the election front and center in the house.  Farmhand 1, is approaching 15 and by the next presidential election he will have a vote.  We could no longer wait to teach the process in the current reality of it vs the textbook version our forefathers left us.  

Also from a farming perspective we are starting to be more involved in the political process as it relates to the farm.  This fall we were visited by our state representative and senator to talk about some taxation issues adding to the challenges facing new farmers, that conversation lead to a proposed bill that will go to our states legislation this spring.  

I don’t consider myself a member of any one political party.  I vote by candidate, often leap frogging around my ballot.  I look to the candidate that I feel can best represent the things that are important in my life.  Over the last few elections I have also come to believe that I want to put great energy and weight into my local and state elections.  

I truly believe that my life will be more impacted by the people serving as trustees, county commissioners, state senators and representatives. Change in our communities and country needs to be made and much, if not most, will come from the counties and states more than from D.C.  

The same goes for the amendments and propositions on the ballot.  Boy these can be overwhelming.  How do you know what actually is being proposed?  It’s so easy to get caught up in the titles and sound bites.  This year we decided to end dinner time reading a proposition or amendment from the blue book and discuss what we think about it.  Some feel easy to us, while others are more complicated.  I try to talk to people that could be directly affected by any changes. Once I feel like I know where I stand I read up some of what the other side has to say.  And ultimately if I don’t feel I really understand it or that I should be weighing in on it, I often don’t vote on it.

I hear talk about waiting to see what happens in November with the economy.  People are slowing or stopping their planned or regular spending until the results are announced.  I’m not an economist, but doesn’t that create exactly what we are being warned of.  I’ve talked to many small business owners and they are feeling the results of this.  Couldn’t we create some positive change in our local economies by shopping local now and supporting locally owned businesses in our communities.  The mega retailers may not feel the immediate impact of your $100 but your local businesses will.

Now about the clowns and monkeys.  Or the media, social media and general noise that screams that we are so very divided as a community, state and nation.  I have long felt if the media can get us fighting amongst ourselves, it distracts us from what’s actually happening, the real stuff we should be paying attention to.  In the end, I feel like we all have more in common than we don’t.  I believe we probably agree on more than we realize.  We want to live a happy, healthy life and find connection with those around us.  

The biggest things we are trying to share with the Farmhands as we go through this election process are:

• Think!  Get all sides of the story.  Mind your sources of information.  If the information you are consuming seems too good to be true and makes you feel too good, something is probably wrong with it.
• The people running for office, especially in the case of local and state elections are really trying to make a positive impact on our town, county, district and state. We don’t have to agree with everything they stand for to respect the effort they are making. 
• Candidates and legislation should be judged on the actual policy being championed and offered NOT sound bites, tweets or whatever they are called, facebook posts, inflammatory headlines, haircuts…you get the idea.
• You can have different opinions and still be friends and respect one another. 
• It’s possible to discuss differences in opinion, be civil with each other and learn something.
• The right and privilege to vote is a responsibility that should be honored and respected.  If desired, its privacy should also be honored and respected.

I hope these lessons stick not just for this election but a lifetime of elections.

How are you navigating this time?  Are you feeling hopeful or hopeless?