Working Towards the Future

by: Rachel Gray

Welcome!

First let me start this off by saying I’m super excited to start this journey with y’all, and hopefully to help educate others about the ins-and-outs of the chaotic political atmosphere we are so fortunate to experience in this day and age. For all who don’t know me, I’ll give y’all a little bit of background information. I’ve grown up in a mainly religious, Republican household; however, that was only one of the households. My other household didn’t emerge until middle school, a democratic household headed by two gay men-my dads. Most of my beliefs come from that side of my family; however, that’s not to say that I haven’t been influenced by my religious/republican side as well. But enough about my life, let’s dive into my beliefs.

[Following a similar order to Jacquelyn]

Up first: gun control

Having grown up in the south, I’ve been surrounded my gun my entire life. From an early age I remember going hunting with my grandpa and shooting cans in the deep woods of Mississippi. There is nothing wrong with stable civilians owning guns for trivial things such as self defense or hunting; however, the laws in our country tend to leave out the stable civilians part and focus solely on the right to protect the right to own a gun regardless of the consequences. I believe that there should be laws in place to help eliminate the loopholes in the system that allow for domestic abusers and mentally unstable people to easily purchase guns without going to all the trouble of registering the gun and background checks. Speaking of, I believe that one thing we desperately need in our country, especially with the drastic increase in gun related violence, is universal background checks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for taking away guns from responsible gun owners because they are not the problem, the NRA is. If people are willing to go through a couple of extra steps in order to maintain safety in our schools, churches, movie theaters, and clubs, then we can work towards safer world where we don’t have to fear going to school not knowing if we will make it home.

Second: Abortion/LGBT Rights/Civil Rights

As a young queer woman in America, it’s safe to say I support LGBT rights. Being alive during a major shift in the lgbt liberation movement, legalization of gay marriage across all states, has been life changing. Not only have I gotten to see my parents gain the right to get married in any state (and they did!), but I get to be a part of the movement to help bring equality to other countries as well. On another note, I am pro-choice 110%. The truth is that no one is inherently “pro-abortion” as many people would like you to believe. To be pro-choice is to believe in the opportunity for a woman to have the right to do with her body as she wants. My opinion on what another woman should do with her body is irrelevant as it doesn’t affect me in the same way it will affect the other woman. The idea that defunding Planned Parenthood will lead to a decrease in abortions is quite literally fake news. Planned Parenthood offers SAFE abortions and as a result of defunding it, there will be an increase in abortions that put women’s’ lives in danger because they will no longer have access to many of the services that PP provides such as STD testing and treatment, birth control, well-woman exams, cancer screening and prevention, hormone therapy, infertility services, and general health care. By eliminating PP we are getting rid of services that help provide low income family and people without insurance get the education and medical help they rely on.

Third: Healthcare/College

Having taken one economic class, which I wasn’t too keen on, I’m going to come out and say I’m not an expert on the financial side of politics. I know that free college isn’t a financially obtainable goal since it would result in raising taxes for everyone, and no one likes paying more money for things that don’t directly affect them. The same idea also applies for health care. However, there are many countries that operate on a single-payer healthcare system such as Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. This system is a type of universal healthcare financed by taxes that covers the costs of essential healthcare for all residents, with costs covered by a single public system. I believe that everyone should have access to affordable healthcare because denying care is unhumanitarian. If you deny healthcare to people who can’t afford it, leaving them for dead, isn’t morally right. College is the same way for me. Having access to college is a necessity for some people as having a college degree could be the defining factor that separates two qualified potential employees. Many lower class citizens can’t afford to attend college due to their socioeconomic status. Because the price of colleges have skyrocketed over the years, and there is no incentive to lower them, there needs to be a plan to allow those who can’t afford to attend the same opportunities as those who can. By making community colleges free, we can provide affordable education without the drastic increase of taxes that universal free college would demand.

Fourth: Immigration

Finally, the thing that has plagued both FOX and CNN recently. Immigration. This is a tricky topic because it’s a very controversial one that can become a one way ticket to partisan government arguments. I’ll keep it short and sweet for y’all: We shouldn’t be closing the borders and splitting apart families. What makes America great is the diversity we experience due to the “land of the free” aspect we promote. By shutting the borders, we are saying that we don’t want diversity and we become immersed in toxic nationalism. We should be encouraging legal immigration and allowing non-citizen to safely pursue citizenship without fearing being ripped from their families in the process. Let us celebrate our differences and work towards a more diverse, inclusive future for the generations to come.