WHILE I BREATHE

I honestly don’t understand why the Republican Party and the Democratic Party can’t just work together—especially when what’s at stake are the basic, everyday needs of the people they were elected to represent.

Children are going hungry.

Families are going without paychecks.

People are sitting at their kitchen tables tonight wondering how to stretch one more meal out of what’s left in the pantry.

And before anyone says, “They should have planned better,” let me stop you right there—because hindsight is always 20/20. Most folks are doing the best they can, and sometimes the best they can isn’t enough.

When government shuts down, it’s not the politicians who go without. It’s the parents who can’t afford groceries. It’s the single mom trying to pay for childcare so she can keep her job. It’s the federal worker, the TSA agent, the air traffic controller, the postal worker—the people who live paycheck to paycheck and are suddenly told to “hold tight” while Washington argues over talking points.

And healthcare—don’t even get me started. There are people rationing their insulin because they can’t afford the full dose. There are children who can’t get the care they need because their parents lost coverage when they lost work. Meanwhile, too many elected officials seem more focused on press conferences and power plays than policies that actually help people. That’s not leadership. That’s performance.

Let me say something else plainly. A former Republican friend of mine—yes, a female Republican friend—told a Democrat friend of mine (and yes, I have both; what a novel thought!) that I must have “gone crazy.” “No wonder she lost her seat,” she said. Well, if standing up for hungry children, struggling families, affordable healthcare, and basic decency makes me crazy, then I’ll wear that label proudly. I’d rather be called crazy than be coldhearted.

What makes it worse is the entitlement some politicians carry. They keep collecting their paychecks during shutdowns while the people who make the country run go unpaid. Then they walk through airports expecting VIP treatment from TSA agents and law enforcement officers who haven’t been paid in weeks—snapping at them, throwing temper tantrums in public, demanding attention instead of offering gratitude. Honestly, they should be the ones handing out gift cards to those hardworking federal employees—to the air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and security officers who still show up to protect and serve while our “leaders” bicker and grandstand. If you can’t treat workers with respect when they’re unpaid and stressed, you don’t deserve the title you’re clinging to.

Public service is supposed to be about service. It’s not about your title, your party, or your next election. It’s about the people who trusted you with their hopes and their struggles. Somewhere along the way, too many have forgotten that.

I still believe we can do better. I still believe compassion isn’t partisan. And I still believe courage means standing up—even when you stand alone.

While I breathe, I hope…

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