By Don C. Reed
If I have something really important to remember, I might write a note on my hand — like, “get milk”. But if I had to keep track of all the issues in Washington? I wouldn’t have enough hands!
It helps, of course, to limit the number of issues — — like maybe just five?
One: SUPPORT PAYING TAXES. (1)
Nobody wants to pay taxes. But we must pay some, if our society is not to be just a mountain of debt. Leaving aside the greed issue, wanting to endlessly hog all the money in sight, there is a practical aspect to consider. With a reasonable tax base, we should have enough money to deal with our problems. If not, not!
Two: PROTECT OUR VOTING RIGHTS.
Republicans are attempting to suppress the voting rights of Democratic women, in a bill called the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” (SAVE). (2)
If the bill becomes law, every woman must re-register, if they changed their name in marriage, as most folks do. The law requires that the name shown on your birth certificate and voter registration are identical. If not, that voter is disqualified. Republicans want this for political reasons. By a strong majority, women vote Democrat. If an estimated 69 million women can’t vote, because they took their husband’s last name, Republicans win.
Too ridiculous to worry about? The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act already passed the House of Representatives on April 10th, 2025.
Three: SHELTER OUR CHILDREN (3)
If America allows children to go homeless, is that not a form of institutionalized child abuse?
We need to abide by a bedrock foundation: that no child shall go homeless; if even one boy or girl is without shelter, to that extent we have failed as a nation.
Four: SUPPORT MEDICAL RESEARCH!
There is a huge difference between the words “care” and “cure”.
If we only provide care for the chronically ill, we are spending vast sums of money, without solving the problem. But if we cure a disease, we save an ever-increasing amount of money — and end the suffering of many loved ones.
Research is an investment. Every $1.00 spent on medical research brings back $2.50 cents — more than double the amount spent in the first place! (4)
Five: DEFINING YOUR POLITICAL PARTY? (5)
Much has been said about defining the identity of our political party, as if we don’t know who we are. That seems backwards to me. We know who we are. If one party spends its time cutting taxes on the rich, those are Republicans. If another party fights pollution, feeds the hungry, and tries to balance the budget, those are Democrats.
As the Good Book puts it: “By their deeds, you shall know them.” (6)
1. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2105.pdf
2. https://time.com/7280834/save-act-voting-access-history/
3. https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-programs/snap
4. https://www.nih.gov/grants-funding
5. https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/issues-2024
6. Matthew 7: 16–20 (King James Bible)