Arrowhead Indivisible

STOP the SAVE Act to safeguard American voter eligibility.

The bill would require all voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote or updating their voter registration.

But an estimated 69 million American women — and four million men — have a birth certificate that does not match their legal name. So 25 percent of the voting population would either have to change their birth certificate or pay to get a new passport just to be able to register in a federal election.

STOP the SAVE Act!

As we in Cook County and Minnesota face student literacy crises, the U.S. Department of Education is now being dismantled by a former executive of a professional wrestling association, Education Secretary Linda McMahon. She pretends --in the finest pro-wrestling "kayfabe" (1) fake script tradition of duping the audience ––to have actual knowledge about the challenges 21st century students and educators face

Make no mistake; in this performance arena, the audience is the president who nominated her, the Congress who confirmed her and the America people who sit ringside as she preens and postures.

In addition to lying at her confirmation hearing that she held a college degree in education (2), she doesn't–or didn't–know the difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and the steak sauce, A1.(3) She’s not lying here; she is ostensibly leading. World transforming technology vs. condiment. I know it's hard when trying to appeal to a presidential paradigm that prizes catsup. But still. She has aides. Might they be able to read?

Speaking to an educational innovation conference on April 8, Secretary McMahon sagely informed them: “We're going to have internet in our schools! Now let's see A1 and how can that be helpful." (3)

Bust out the folding chairs! Steak sauce for all, on everything!

Or, as a culture, let's make lying wrong again. Just tell the truth. Following this simple -- a Christian commandment, isn't it?--could change world history and rescue the current American moment of crisis that is disabling democracy to usher in a dictator. Who loves pro wrestling.

1 FACT CHECK re: Kayfabe: As per Wikipedia: "In professional wrestling, kayfabe (/ˈkeɪfeɪb/) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. The term kayfabe has evolved to also become a code word of sorts for maintaining this "reality" within the direct or indirect presence of the general public." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayfabe

2 FACT CHECK re: McMahon lying about her college major: https://www.newsweek.com/linda-mcmahon-lying-about-education-degree-disqualifying-attorney-1989989

3 FACT CHECK re: McMahon on AI tech vs. A1 steak sauce, a critical distinction taught to all Education majors in college: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ai-education-linda-mcmahon/

Here's where we are in American education: Our leaders' own flabby ignorance makes it laughable that American educational policy has any ability or aspirations to developing a knowledge-based society. We are unwitting brand managers, as this post to Instagram suggests by Kraft Heinz, makers of A1 steak sauce, who surely understand what McMahon does not.

I’m a busy, active woman living near the Boundary Waters, and every day I’m blasted with more news about cuts that hurt all of us. My stress level hits the ceiling numerous times each day, and contacting my legislators about each frightening issue takes time away from my daily activities (though I do so gladly).

We’re an aging population in Cook County, and medical research cuts will affect us all down the road. I fear for our environment, too as Trump’s cuts are setting us back years in efforts to counteract global warming, pollution, and saving the waters in the BWCA from mining. And then there’s Medicaid. My goodness, those cuts will impact nearly half the children in Cook County, many of whom depend on Medicaid for their meals.

And then there’s my retirement account, which diminishes by the day. The tariffs are bringing little in, yet impacting the financial futures of most of us.

I can’t fathom the callousness of an administration that totally ignores human rights, our constitution, and the courts. It steals funding from USAID that could save lives, and deports innocent people without giving them their constitutional right to a defense.

This feels like the McCarthy era times ten, and I’m a MESS because of it!

I know I’m not alone.

My husband Chris and I moved to Cook County in 2016, drawn by the year round beauty of the boreal forest and the Boundary Waters lakes. As the current administration walks back climate saving initiatives and ignores the threats of copper nickel mining to lake ecosystems we worry that this place we love will be destroyed by pollution and fires. Furthermore the Trump administration is signaling that the nation’s public lands could be sold to create a sovereign wealth fund! Trump sees the value of our land as an asset on a balance sheet. We see the value of this land as priceless to hunters, hikers, canoe campers and fishermen. Our community relies on these natural resources and the jobs that exist to protect our resources and to encourage tourism and recreation. We must keep this administration out of our back yard!

This is a time of constitutional crisis. A daily barrage of Executive Orders is not the way to run the USA. The various firings, tariffs, and closings are a disgrace to our nations democracy. The precipitous drop in the stock market is most devastating to those who have worked hard to build wealth.

I am particularly concerned about reduction in Medicare and how that could harm our system of a local hospital, care center and clinic. The quality of life here would change drastically. As it is people move away from Cook County to be closer to health facilities, as one couple I know did this week. That could only get worse. We must continue to have support in our healthcare needs that the federal government provides.