Lansing Voices
Tom Stepp
I’m voting for Bernie because the stakes are simply too high to settle for what we’ve had before. We cannot erase history, we cannot undo the disease that has plagued our system. We do not live in a vacuum. The system is fundamentally flawed, and it needs to be rebuilt. People have suffered for far too long for us to pretend that we’ve ever had a period of “glory days.” It’s time to move forward.
It’s time to pursue policies that can equip us to fight for progress in a world of automation, a crumbling healthcare system, and a shrinking middle class.
The Obama years are over. The Clinton years are over. The Bush years are over. What we know about politics has fundamentally changed. Trump isn’t a fluke but a symptom of a disease that will keep spreading unless we act with power and purpose.
The stakes of this election are great, and the current pandemic illustrates this clearly. We can choose to move forward and work to rebuild our crumbling nation, or we can choose to let our values, our principles, and our work fall into the dark. I hope you join me, if not in this vote, then in the fight.
Tom Stepp
Lansing, Illinois
Lansing Voices is our version of “Letters to the Editor.” The opinions posted here are those of the writer, and posting them does not indicate endorsement by The Lansing Journal. We welcome input from fellow residents who have thoughtful things to say about topics that are important to our community. Send your submissions to The Lansing Journal with “Voices” in the subject line.
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I am not sure this should be a political platform.
Just some thoughts,
Respectfully
By the way, The Lansing Journal does allow commenting on posts, and our purpose in doing so is to give readers opportunity to engage with the content—whether that content is a news article or an opinion such as those in our “Lansing Voices” feature. We are in the process of formalizing a comment policy, and these are some of the guidelines we are considering:
1. We will not allow personal attacks. Readers may certainly disagree with an author, but express your disagreement in terms of the content.
2. We expect thoughtfulness and respect from all contributors. Related to #1, we expect commenters to think about what they are saying and express themselves respectfully, whether they agree or disagree with the content they are responding to.
3. We will rarely allow anonymity. Our comment form requests people to submit a name and email. (Including your email allows you to be notified as other people respond to your comment.) Sometimes commenters provide a false name and a made-up email. In most cases, not all, this is a cowardly choice. Real engagement and real conversation require real names. Now, of course, enforcing this part of the policy would require some judgement on my part, and I don’t particularly want to spend time trying to decipher whether a commenter is providing his real name. Even testing whether an email address is legitimate could become burdensome. So I’m struggling with how to implement this, but I think it could be an important requirement.
You may email me directly ([email protected]) with your input on our attempts at a comment policy. It will most likely be a “living” document that we update as new situations develop, and we appreciate our community’s involvement in developing it.
In the meantime, let me remind readers that The Lansing Journal is a community newspaper, and our community comprises diverse opinions. Tom Stepp has taken the time to share his opinion thoughtfully with his community. You are welcome to disagree with him, and you are welcome to express your disagreement here—but do so thoughtfully and respectfully.
You may also submit your own contribution to “Lansing Voices.” We welcome input from fellow residents who have thoughtful things to say about topics that are important to our community, including politics.