I’m tired.
November 2nd, 2008
It’s 12:50 a.m. I’m up and I’m tired, tired of being told that wanting a government that helps those who can’t help themselves makes me a socialist, of being told that I’m a fake American. Tired of seeing exceptional minds being denigrated for not being more like the common Joe.
I’m tired of Joe the plumber.
I’m tired of being told that being pro choice means I favor abortions. Tired of my religious beliefs being used as a political bludgeon to legislate how others should live. I’m tired of hearing about a ‘culture of life’ that somehow never includes the abolishment of the death penalty, the ending of preemptive war or banning the torture of political prisoners.
I’m tired of feeling like having a government of, by and for the people only happens if your rich, white and connected. I’m tired of the richest 1% of this country trying to make me feel bad for not helping them get to richer. I’m tired of bailing out rich guys who make bad decisions.
I’m tired of looking at my children and feeling like the promises of tomorrow are getting more and more erased by the mistakes of today. I’m tired of feeling like we’re leaving all our children a world that is worse off than the one we inherited. I’m tired of fear being used to score political points.
I’m tired of hearing how this country can’t afford to provide every man, woman and child with some kind of decent health care or education, but we can spend trillions of dollars waging war against a country that never did anything to us. I’m tired of seeing military force and civilian lives being used influence elections. I’m tired of the failed idea of nation building.
I’m tied of being lied to.
But all that can change. Come November 4th, I can be tired of thinking about this, tired of writing about this, tired of debating about this, but one thing I will never be tired of is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope to correct the mistakes of the past, hope that I can wake up feeling optimistic about the direction of our lives again.
And so can you. Vote.