I’ve never written a letter like this before; to any of you before.

I’ve been proudly voting since I was 18. I grew up with the systematic belief that besides jury duty, our voting rights were the most important tools American citizens have. That it is our moral obligation and duty to preserve democracy by participating in a free and clear election process, helping to shape our future and present life. What could be more important than this?
Now that I’m 40, and watching the dissolution of democracy and the decency of our public offices, I feel impelled to say something. Anything. For at least I can tell my children I tried, that I did more than Tweet my frustrations into the void.

We are in peril. Not just the country, not just the Earth, but our Democratic party and complete way of life. It started slow, as it always does. Change flies under the radar, fueled by complacency and laziness, propelled by fear, anger and hate. We started keeping score, lost our sights on the real prize- a better life for our countrymen, no matter where we live. Anger. We are driven by anger, by rage, and I will not lie and say it doesn’t often consume me as well.

We are dying, all of us. Our mental and emotional health has been siphoned off through the neglect of former administrations, the pandemic; watching our countrymen needlessly die. Where once hope reigned as a beacon to work towards, there is only darkness; only finger pointing at how we got here.

We need leadership. We need actual drive. Your salaries are approximately one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars per year, plus the greatest healthcare and benefit package American tax dollars can buy. Congress is only in session roughly 160 days per year; sometimes less. These are working days, not including vacations and personal time you accrue. Although I understand some of you still work outside of Congress, you must know this is not the reality of most Americans, who work an average of 240 days per year. Those are the jobs that have holidays off though; personal and sick time. Many Americans don’t even have that luxury. People still need to be taken care of, fed; twenty four hours a day seven days a week, holidays or not. We are tired. Burnt out. Stressed. Losing all hope. We voted for you to captain our ships to safe waters, and you are failing. You are leaving us tethered to the masts at sea, and the storms don’t abate. We are drowning.

I beseech you to do something. Begging you on hands and knees. We need healthcare for ALL. We need unrestricted voting rights and an END to gerrymandering. Take a map of the US, lay a translucent graph paper over it and use those lines to draw districts! Fair. Equal. Across the board. Abolish lobbying. Cannot believe I actually have to say this one. There is nothing legal and fair about a multi billion dollar corporation paying you to vote the way they want. I mean, seriously?? Do I have to even write that? If large corporate payouts and donations are what emboldens you to vote a certain way, you shouldn’t be allowed to hold public office. It is a privilege to work in our government, and again, seems pretty self-explanatory. Lastly, come together for pity’s sake! Stop the bickering within our party, stop the scapegoating, stop embarrassing each other in public settings! The Republicans are unified- that’s what they have on us. Unified in their corruption but this makes them STRONG.

It would be folly to believe this letter is going to make it to the desks of Senators or Presidents. You’re probably an intern, working for free, hoping to put in your time so you can move up the ladder. You’re probably still hopeful, eager to make a change; wanting to do good, still believing in virtue and unity. That gives me hope. Maybe you can pass this up, to your boss, then their boss, then theirs; and so on until it reaches someone who can ignite a spark. We need a light, a glimmer of hope. We need change, real change; we need Democrats to take control before the Republicans take it back and ruin us all.

My ancestors were immigrants. From Italy, Ireland, Europe. Fleeing persecution from their government and people, hoping for a life every human on earth deserves. This is it, the last safe place. We have nowhere else to go, there is no where left to run. We must take a stand. Let us know you hear us. Let us know we aren’t alone.