I Love You; You're Very Special...
Georgia was red.
And now its blue.
That shows the power
Of what voting can do!
I am obsessed with the idea of Black votes being a thing. Women didn’t get the right to vote until 1920.. but that was exclusive to Karen and Susan. We as Black women (and people in general, actually) were considered 3/5 of a person compared to our free, White counterparts when calculating a total population of an area, pretty much up until the Civil Rights movement and in 1965 when we secured our rights to vote like the others. What a scary and long road we had to take to get here, and yet we still don’t contribute nearly as much as we should. I get it; how do any of these crusty, old, White people actually benefit our everyday Black and Brown lives in any way, shape, or form? We tend to forget why electing the best fitting people into official positions is beneficial to us as a lower-middle class.
Electing the president of the United States of America is relevant to you because it impacts the following:
· Whether or not our nation goes to war, and when our troops are deployed to certain tasks.
· Oil and gas prices
· Fluctuation in taxes
· Economic and stock activities
· Appointment of positions in such divisions as:
o WHO?— The US Secretary of Agriculture (for the USDA)
WHAT?—They regulate the Food Stamp Program, FDA/food safety inspection services, Foreign Trade Affairs (which dictates what is exported and imported, and what you find sold in stores).
o WHO?— The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (HUD)
WHAT?— They handle the Department of Commerce/trading of goods and services, public and equal opportunity housing, public transportation systems, Department of Treasury (financial institutions), drug trafficking regulation and the Drug Free Communities Program.
o WHO?— The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
WHAT?—Responsible for the census information and technology.
o WHO? — The Supreme Court Justices
WHAT? —like Ruth Bader Ginsberg with her gender equality and civil rights agenda, who ensure equal justice by way of the constitution. This position can be appointed for life; it is imperative to choose wisely.
o WHO? — The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
WHAT? —This includes the Coast Guards, ICE, the Federal Aviation Administration.
o WHO? — The Committee on Finance
WHAT? —They regulate the Department of Health and Human Services (which controls Medicare and Medicaid), and federal fund allocation. They control the Department of Treasury which includes the IRS, and how much you’ll receive for your beloved stimmy, that as a grand total for over 9 months, was barely covered one month’s rent on a 1 bedroom apartment in South Florida. Guess who’s name is on those poor excuses of help? Donald Duck. I mean Dump. I mean Trump.
o WHO? — The Committee on Foreign Relations
WHAT? —For those who put the melting in our pot, and have loved ones in or from other countries.
o WHO? — The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
WHAT? —Betsy. De-freaking-stupid-Vos. Nuff said.
We haven’t even gotten to the benefits of electing your state and local officials. This includes governors (executive branch), judges (judicial branch), legislatives, city commissioners, state and county officials, etc.
Collectively, these people decide where your tax dollars are spent, budgets and major decisions regarding the school board, zoning of schools, police, and fire rescue, the pot holes in your streets, the never ending construction on i595 and the Palmetto Expressway, public transportation, EMS, and various housing services, professional and drivers licenses, waste services, to name a few. Important enough for ya?
Also, notice I talk about “best fit”. People seem to think that they have to be absolutely crazy about the person they are electing, which is hardly ever the case. You just have to find one with whom you agree with most on their policies and plans. Unless YOU plan on being the change you would like to see in your community and in your country!
There is all this talk about Black people having “saved” the country….again.. by turning up at the polls and showing out. I can’t help but feel like had we begun voting with this much fervor from the time we acquired our rights back in 1965, we would probably see a different world around us, come 2021. Nevertheless, we crawled out of every crack and crevice of the country in record numbers comparable to Obama in ‘08, suppressed and discouraged, and swooped in to save the country from itself. So much so, a whole ass subgroup of rednecks, deplorables, and the National Missing Teeth Committee of America assumed the entire election was rigged and figured there was NO way this many people voted the Cheeto out of office, especially because all the Black and Brown people are in prison. *eyeroll* They flipped a red state blue for the first time since Clinton! 2020 would have had a buffer, for sure, if we would consistently put this effort into our future.
Moral of the story: voting is your right, your privilege, and very necessary because it DOES count. The electoral college does not null out your ballot when voting for the President of the United States. That is not how any of this works. I know lots of people who are confused about this (and some have yet to educate themselves on it so that they can understand where their vote goes), as I’m sure you have chosen blue before and watched your state turn red anyway (much like Broward and Miami-Dade counties being overshadowed, but at least we represented!!!). That is bound to happen in the South, for sure, but it doesn’t mean that you’ve been ignored.
The electoral college, while stupid AF, is basically just a group of electors who have assigned a number relative to the number of Congress(wo)men in a given state. Depending on how many votes one candidate gets over their opponent, that political party wins that state, thus acquiring the number of points to which it is assigned. Let’s revisit GA: enough Black people came together to dominate the Democratic votes over its typical red Republican reputation. Keep in mind that the Southern states are usually quite “conservative” (see: Confederate States of America and the Civil War). This was a big deal, and I am so proud of everyone doing their part to change things up and put in place some people they feel will do more for their community.
Oh, and adding color to a boring White canvas.
Here’s to having elected a new set of lying politicians! I pray president Not-Trump and MVP Kamala do better by us than the foolishness that was 45.