Dear Bernie or Bust Advocates,
I know revolutionary movements, and revolutionaries, accept that some people are going to die — for the greater good they imagine. In this case, for me, it’s not some abstract idea of people dying. For my family, it will be our beloved son. So, I’m willing to beg. And, I’m willing to ask and beg every single one of you Bernie or Bust supporters to not let my son die, if that’s what it takes to get each and every precious vote to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the President.
If Trump wins the Presidency, then we won’t have the House, probably not the Senate, and not the Court, either. Obamacare will be repealed. It will gleefully be one of their first actions, and when it’s repealed, my son’s life will be drastically reduced. My son is a good young man. Without insurance, his medicine will cost $1250 per month, and he won’t be able to afford insurance without the ACA. He probably won’t even be able to get insurance without the ACA. My son, my dear beloved son will … I can’t even type it, again. Whenever I think about the possibility that would suddenly become a probability, I start crying like I am, now. So, please excuse me if this is a bit disjointed writing-wise. My son needs his medication, or his life will be seriously shortened, and I’ll leave it at that.
So, I’m willing to beg you.
I’m a teacher, and I love my students, and I love teaching. But, I may not be able to teach much longer. A second tumor is growing on my spinal chord, and while it’s not malignant, it means I won’t be able to be to stay in my classroom without very aggressive, good health care. They were able to remove the first tumor, but afterwards, I had to fight to be able to walk again. That struggle and effort using crutches, braces and walkers destroyed my wrists, toe joints, and knees and filled my joints with osteoarthritis. At this point, I can’t use my regular wheelchair when I need it any more, so we had to take out a loan to buy a motorized chair so I can even teach, this year. Looking forward, I’m realistically facing a life of increasing immobility and pain, and I’m only 57 years old. It will be 10 years before I qualify for Medicare. Without Obamacare, I won’t be able to afford, or probably be even able to get health insurance, when I have to leave my classroom and my teacher’s health insurance coverage. My state doesn’t allow teachers to participate in Social Security, so I’ve had to pay for a private insurance policy for disability that will only pay about 25% of my teacher’s salary. Even with good healthcare, the remainder of my life is going to be difficult, but without health insurance and increasingly unable to afford good care? Um, I’m looking at years of being wheelchair bound, and in pain. And, the type of pain is nerve pain that is difficult to describe; it’s sciatica pain from the waist down with severe arthritis pain using my hands, at all. The prospect is terrifying — 24/7 — every hour, every minute will just be unremitting pain that feels like you’re being burned at the stake. That will be how it will be for me. So, yeah, ah — we’ll have make a family decision that I don’t want to talk about, here.
So, I am willing to beg you.
My husband is 67 and has put off retiring out of fear of the possibility of a Trump presidency and what that would mean for his wife and son. He’s 67 years old. I don’t know how long he’ll be able to work. He can add me to his health insurance, as long as he can keep working, but he’s 67. How long will he be able to keep working? With Trump as a President, I know he will keep working until he dies in order to help my son and I. And, the thought of my dear, kind Husband working until he dies instead of being able to have a few years at the end of working all his life, a few years to just tend his roses, play his guitar, do a little traveling … that has me crying, too!
Bread and Roses, bread and roses, too … damn it!
So, I am willing to beg you.
I know revolutionaries accept that “some people” are going to get hurt and some will die, for their cause, in the abstract. I just wanted to introduce you to one family — mine — what your decision will to do us, if you don’t use your precious vote against a Trump administration. And, this isn’t an exaggeration or some conspiracy theory possibility. The Republicans will try like hell to repeal the ACA in the first 30 days, so It’s not an abstract for me. Not some abstract people in some time in an abstract future. It will be reality for our family — This. Coming. Spring.
My son, my dear precious boy, my baby boy! I wish you could meet him. He’s a good young man, and he’s studying to become an electrician to start a consumer cellular energy company. He’ll be pushing my chair as we hit the streets together to register voters and canvas and GOTV, this year, like we have together since he was a little guy for every election. The Obama Organizer in our area called him their Main Little Dude for getting people out to vote. We show up, to be a part of the front line, 2 white people for the BLM marches in our area. Together, we show up with our white bodies, as a recent diary called upon us to do. He’s been there, does that, and more to make a progressive difference in our country, and I want him to have a happy, full life.
So, I am begging you, if you are vowing to not use your precious vote to defeat Trump to please, please, please don’t help Trump become President.
I am begging you to help us — me and my boy and my Husband. Please. And when you do, I’ll be eternally grateful, and thank you. I will thank you for making that difficult decision and doing what you don’t like or want to do, but what must be done to save the lives and reduce the pain and suffering of your fellow Americans. You will have my eternal gratitude for saving my son’s life.
But if you choose to throw your vote away, to symbolically “take a stand,” with fantasies of some sort of a progressive/ socialist revolution happening after a disasterous Trump Administration, then don’t you dare! try to weasel your mind into thinking, well, “I’m not really responsible for death and pain and suffering.” Yes. You. Will. Be. Make no mistake about it. Simply put: If you break it: you own it. If you choose not to be part of the only solution that will prevent a Trump Presidency (Hillary Clinton beating Trump) this November -— then, yes, YOU, your fellow revolutionaries, and all the Republican Trump voters will share the responsibility, together, for what will happen to my boy and to me.
So, I am willing to beg you to pull back from that decision, and to help us. We’re real! We are real people!
… and, this is not the only way that real people will die, if you help Donald Trump become President. Thank you for your time and consideration.