The nightmare continues. I wouldn’t be so angry and frustrated if I just ignored the news. I have always tried to keep up with events because an informed person makes informed decisions. Following my heart leads me to care about people whose voices are rarely heard. In this land of plenty, resources have been tended and protected, clean air and water have been preserved through legislation and diligence. All people have had access to those life necessities.  Forests are threatened, their habitats are necessary for wild life and help the environment by aiding the fight against air pollution and climate change whose storms and extreme temperature fluctuations are life-threatening.

As a child and young adult I took all the life-preserving advantages in this country for granted. I appreciated my life with its expectations, and I wasn’t concerned about how my life was dependent upon the decisions made by politicians. It seemed that those I knew cared about the things I took for granted.

All people must be considered as the bill before Congress is addressed and modified. Clean air and water are necessary to life. Laws protecting them should not be eliminated. Healthcare and education are crucial and should be available to all and protected from political whims.

I want to be proud of my country again. I want to awaken from the nightmare that is now. I want love and compassion, empathy and understanding to return, and hate and destruction disappear.