A few weeks ago another writer to the editor urged local voters against improvements to the community facilities at the school in an upcoming referendum. While I disagree with their conclusion, I thought they were asking the right question - as we vote we should be asking ourselves “Is it fair to our children?”

Somewhat recently I got asked if I was political. I replied in the affirmative, but in the conversation I didn’t really get to grips with why. I think being political is a moral imperative, much like working to address climate change. I am alive because of politics and many people are alive because of politics and all of our lives are informed and shaped by politics. Civics and social contracts.. and politics...oh my. Unions (more of them equates with higher wages and better benefits - go look at Denmark), fire departments (need I say more?), police forces (ideally serve the communities they live in and don’t wear masks cause they ain’t ashamed of the work they do), schools (I’d like teachers to be paid more), work weeks (would be nice if we spend more time with our friends and families and our hobbies and the great outdoors), wages (they need to go up, quality of life and all that jazz - ohh wait the entire raison d’etre of capitalism is concentration of wealth all the while selling the lie of trickle down, Yacht money doesn’t trickle down, it floats), taxation (currently we are subject to taxation without representation due to the creation of a “CEO of the IRS” position that isn’t subject to approval of the senators we elect), colleges (no indoctrination, just free and fair debate informed by facts and exercised with open and questing minds and empathy and kindness, we are debating people we live with, not waging a war of words with some eldritch god who’d like to end us... well maybe put an asterix in that one if swastika tats or similar show up, but also don’t, redemption is for all), military (mostly keeps us safe, I’d like it to be a real affirmative as they did fight nazis(who were just following orders...turns out that didn’t absolve one at Nuremberg). Why else...in China one can believe whatever one wants so long as it is what the Party believes. I spent a bit of time over there in a language program, couldn’t read most US news sites and no one debated politics or similar. Ohh, and back to why I get to type these words and enjoy the breathtaking beauty of this world and mourn the misery inflicted on the innocent and agree with the pope on being pro life. I had aplastic anemia as a child, thankfully I have parents who realized something wasn’t right and who live in Minnesota (healthcare), thankfully I have a sister who was a match for the bone marrow(thank you), thankfully the Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota(healthcare, hooray!), thankfully, thankfully, thankfully. It should not have to be thankfully, thankfully, thankfully...it should be this is a life, we value life, we aren’t going to price out life, we aren’t going to price gouge life, or surge price life or shareholder yacht money life. Life is precious and politics shape and inform life for good or ill. I’m political because if progressives in Minnesota hadn’t been, I’d be dead.