What better way than an election to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration claims that democracy is necessary to secure the “unalienable rights” of all of “the governed”.
“Life”, “Liberty” and the “Pursuit of Happiness” are always on the ballot.
Life
There are few things more basic to life than food. The recently released Virginia Hunger Study found that 51% of Virginia families with children are “food insecure,” defined as households in which “any member” lacks “consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” For the Blue Ridge area, that figure is 44%.
The policy of our current federal government is to reduce, as much as possible, federal SNAP benefits and support for public school lunch programs – without anything by way of replacement.
Healthcare is also basic to “life.” The policies of our current federal government reduce both healthcare access and affordability. This is true, even when we consider current efforts to address these problems, such as the Rural Health Transformation Fund.
The impact of these reductions is focused on the less affluent two thirds of families, and those who live in rural areas.
The pursuit of happiness
We’ve seen a lot of tariffs come and go in the past two years. We haven’t seen a renewal in manufacturing. The government asks for patience and trust. It is time to believe only what we see.
And what we see is something very different: AI’s transformation of our economy. The policy of our current federal government is to leave the development and implementation of AI, and of Big Tech in general, essentially unregulated.
Left to its own devices, the AI revolution will not improve the economic standing of the bottom two-thirds of American families. Only intervention from our democracy can balance the need for innovation and investment capital with the Declaration’s right to a “Pursuit of Happiness” for all of “the governed”.
Liberty
In addition, unregulated AI and Big Tech companies will not ensure our “Liberty.” Their focus is on shaping a market that enhances their wealth, and the tools available for this are very powerful. The freedom of all of “the governed” is not in the business model.
Only our democracy can set and enforce rules that will protect our liberty. We need these now for an AI future that is already reshaping our nation.
Voting carefully
From the perspective of the Declaration of Independence, the choice for the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia is very clear.
Ben Cline’s website tells us little about the issues listed above. He believes that current federal policy represents “common sense” conservatism, “fiscal responsibility” and Valley values, and he promises more of the same.
What I see is food scarcity, reduced access to healthcare, higher prices, unregulated AI, etc. These do not seem like common sense, conservatism or Valley values to me. As for “fiscal responsibility,” massive reductions in federal workforce and social policy have not reduced our spending or our debt. They have only shifted our spending.
In contrast, Beth Macy focuses her entire website on issues of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all citizens, not just a few. Check it out. You will find a wealth of specific proposals from a person willing to listen and learn about what works.
Then vote for Macy.
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