Blind Trust

When I was a Freshman in college, I went on a retreat with a Christian group called Wesley Fellowship. Like most retreats there were plenty of ice breaking and team building exercises. One of them had me blindfolded and led around by an older student. The point of the exercise was the need to learn trust in one another. At one point, the other student put something in my hand. Not being able to see, I went with other senses. I immediately tried to taste it but it was a branch off a tree. This elicited much laughter from those who were observing. I learned not so much how to trust others but when NOT to trust blindly.

Democratic constituents and voters need to learn the same thing. We are told we  must follow the party line in order to elect more Democrats; it is for the greater good. It IS true that electing Republicans has resulted in nothing getting done in Washington D.C. and that much mischief is being done on state and local levels. Election laws are being overturned that were designed to protect our right to vote. Gerrymandering creates districts that will heavily favor Republicans. Laws are being passed to eliminate a woman's right to make choices about her reproductive health. Republicans are passing laws written in part or wholly by outside organizations at the behest of moneyed special interests like the Koch Brothers and the oil industry or corporate agriculture or the financial services industry to name just a few. Democracy, as we know it, is being undermined by these special interests who are able, increasingly, to channel contributions to lawmakers in a positions to help them. This is not, however, limited to the Republicans. For instance, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat from Michigan, overwhelmingly receives her funding from major agricultural interests because she is a senior member of the Committee on Agriculture. Representative Gary Peters (MI-12th) sits on the Committee which provides oversight of the Financial Services industry. Hence, his campaign contributions come from, you guess it, the bankers.

Yet we are told to blindly vote for these folks because it is in our best interests. It is true that the Democrats are not overtly attempting to destroy Democracy for political reason. They appear to be protecting the poor, women, students and the elderly. However, that is not always the case as the examples of Stabenow and Peters demonstrate. Debbie Stabenow regularly votes in favor of Bills pushed by "Big Ag". She even voted for a Farm Bill that would have cut SNAP (food stamps) for millions of Americans, many of whom are her constituents. Gary Peters, even though he calls himself a Democrat, supports the Keystone XL Pipeline which would carry the very dirty tar sands oil over environmentally sensitive farmlands. He also supports a Trans-Pacific trade agreement that is pretty well secret in nature. It will, however, greatly aid American investors as well as investors overseas. Again, where does Rep. Peters' campaign funding come from? Largely from the financial services sector. Our leaders in the Democratic party have their own conflicts of interest and we need to be skeptical. Democrats frequently take positions contrary to what major sectors of their constituents believe. And it happens enough to make me question the party line. Not every Democrat deserves our support equally.

What American citizens need to do is learn the lesson of the branch: Do not blindly trust that our leaders are acting in OUR interests, We must learn to make up our own minds, given the facts as we can best determine. We have a voice and we need to use it wisely. We may well still support people like Rep. Peters and Senator Stabenow but it will be because we have weighed the facts not because we are told to do so.

Democratic Party Exclusion.

In August I was elected precinct delegate for the Democratic Party. However, I never have been included in ANY Party function before or after the general election. Though I remain a precinct delegate, I am never told about meetings. It is true that I had a breakdown in July but I have been addressing the issues that caused it and resulted from it. I am, however, classified as "disabled".  

That classification raises an interesting question: By excluding me from Party functions am I being discriminated against because of my disability?  I think the answer is quite clearly, "Yes."  If it weren't for the breakdown I would still be included. There is no other reason for the exclusion.

The MI 9th Congressional District is where the problems lie. Because the staff of the congressman are uncomfortable around me as a disabled person (I was even told as much in August by a staff member), I am excluded from district Party functions and am not told about county functions either. (That total exclusion seemingly broke down recently when I received invitations to events within the county).  Obviously the will of the congressman is paramount. The fact that discrimination against the disabled is against Democratic Party policy does not, apparently, matter. Protests regarding my present lack of status go unheard, even at the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. 

My breakdown occurred because of the stress of being unemployed for over three years and being unable to find another job.  Ironically , during the first two years of my unemployment this very same congressman had me tell my story, both of unemployment and also of my lack of health insurance. He took my story as well as many others back to Washington D.C. in order to press for the extension of unemployment benefits and the Affordable Care Act. I was more than happy to help because of my respect for him and the exceptional way he has represented the district over the years. Now, I feel betrayed. I was used when convenient and dumped like garbage on the side of the road when I was vulnerable and sick. This in spite of all the years of volunteering for his campaigns,  as far back as his second run for governor in 1973-74. Apparently dedication and loyalty mean nothing but I really shouldn't be surprised - it IS politics after all. 

Yes, there is another side to this story. Part of the reason for the breakdown was the added stress of the campaign. And when I became ill during a 4th of July parade I was walking on his behalf, he made sure I was looked after.  But it was the staff's behavior towards me after that which caused me to fall apart. I was dedicated and loyal but what THEY saw was something else.  By then I was under great stress. I was trying to use the volunteer work on the campaign as a way to busy myself during my unemployment. I guess I needed it a little too much.  Nevertheless, I sought help when it became obvious that I was having problems.

I have spent months working through those events and my responses to them but in the end, the same issue remains: I was vulnerable and disabled and was turned away by the Party of Inclusiveness.  Discrimination.  

 "The Michigan Democratic Party... [is] seeking the Common Good –– the best life for each person of this state. We include everyone: the unemployed, the employed, the veteran, the student, the disabled, the sick, the healthy, the senior, the child, the wealthy, the poor, the citizen, the stranger, the first and the last. Seeking the Common Good is not difficult for Michigan’s citizens to understand.... The Common Good requires that we have common responsibility for the community and the people."

- MI Democratic Party Platform, 2012
Preamble


2/21/13  On Tuesday evening I experienced more of the 9th Districts version of "inclusiveness." While people who didn't know me readily talked to me, the staff and most members of the district barely spoke and moved away quickly. There is a stigma to mental illness and many people are afraid but the reality is that most people with mental illness are not a threat to anyone else. I happen to be diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder and I recognize it can be difficult to communicate with me sometimes. Mostly that happened when I was I was still undiagnosed and not getting the help I needed. 

One person Tuesday night, who shall remain nameless, responded to my greeting and apology for the past months (I had definitely been a challenge) by asking if I had gotten help saying "Good" when I said "Yes" and he rolled his eyes and sped away. That pretty much describes how I was treated by the congressman's staff. Even the congressman himself rushed past me with a brief and curt handshake and greeting. Better than nothing and perhaps better than I deserved, but taken along with the glares I received from one party official, was still disconcerting and hurtful, especially  when THIS was apparently emailed to the rest of the 9th district: 

"We believe that the combination of challenges and opportunities that dramatically confront Michigan Democrats today have called on us as elected Democrats to urge a new and inclusive chapter in MDP leadership." - Sandy Levin (email)

I have not received that or any other email from the district since last August. Any email I sent on various issues have apparently been ignored or deleted. 

All in all, I am shunned, ignored, shut out, blocked and treated as less than almost any other constituent. I don't even have the ability to share my views as any other constituent can. In that respect I have taxation without representation. In the 9th congressional district inclusiveness does NOT apply to people, even precinct delegates, with mental disorders.

Let Me In

They say I'm badly damaged. 
So why not throw me in the trash?
If I'm so unusable to you and others
toss me away and hear the crash.

Oh, that's right, you just did that.
 Like garbage, I'm in the gutter 
after being stigmatized and disregarded
and treated like so much clutter.

All because I'm different; 
have challenges so don't fit in.
I try my hardest to be like everyone;
that fight's impossible to win.

Why can't you just accept me
for the human being I am. 
I'm talented, unique, even intelligent
but not one of you give a damn.

Be warned, I'm not leaving soon.
I'll be raising my voice, be heard.
I will demand your attention and some respect
And I will not just be deferred.

Why not let it happen now?
Let me in, let me serve the cause
That's all I want is to help re-elect one man;
should be more crucial than my flaws.

Is The Democratic Party Inclusive Enough?

I find it interesting that since I have developed severe depression (currently seeking help), I have been uninvited from volunteering for democratic campaigns. Most notably,  Sander Levin for Congress. This hurts the most because the first political campaign I ever worked on was when Sandy Levin ran for Governor of Michigan in 1974. I was in high school and spent a lot of time stuffing and licking envelopes, licking stamps and making phone calls. He has been my congressman for most of the time since 1984 and I worked on campaigns for him off and on, especially in 1992 when I was precinct captain. The off years mostly had to do with work schedules. I have always been a supporter of the congressman. Now, to be uninvited from being a volunteer makes me a little sick to my stomach. Yes, I am suffering from depression. I would think it would be understandable given the fact that I have been unemployed for 3 1/2 years, have no income, no health insurance, no assets and my 78 year old mother has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma but still has to work in order to keep a roof over our heads. I have creditors dogging me day and night and our condo is worth less than 1/4 of what it is mortgaged for. So yes, I AM depressed. I can't find a job and that makes me feel worthless in and of itself.  

A large part of the reason I got involved with the Obama Campaign in February as a Spring Fellow was to keep myself busy and work on a great cause. Not to mention having something I could put on my resume. I was feeling really good about myself during that period. But the Fellowship ended and the leadership changed in Oakland County and I ended up the odd one out. I needed to be hired on a Field Organizer in order to be able to afford to keep driving to Pontiac but that didn't happen. So, I started volunteering for Sandy Levin. I did mailings, phone calling, walked in parades and a lit drop. Then the depression  and generalized anxiety disorder really hit and suddenly I was no longer welcome. 

I find it fascinating that so many people in his district are either unemployed and suffering from mental illness or both. They/we are still voting constituents. The mentally ill still deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Yes, it is uncomfortable sometimes. But if  someone with a mental illness (especially depression) wants to volunteer, why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't people with mental illness or 
developmental disabilities be active in the Democratic Party? This is another challenge to the Democratic Party to be as inclusive as they claim to be.  

*ALL content herein is the opinion of the author