"The President doesn't answer to you, Lewis" "Oh, yes he does. I'm a citizen, this is my President. And in this country it is not only permissible to question our leaders, it's our responsibility"

Our government is back open. Now the blame game starts--or really continues--on who is responsible for it being closed and who is responsible for it being open. Who is to blame? What were the issues? What happens now?

I have no idea. I seriously can't answer any of those questions intellectually. But I do know that one of our senators from Illinois crossed "the aisle" and voted with the Republicans. He voted to open up the government. Being a Democratic in a Democratic state, he is getting a lot of flack from people saying he "sold out" and "went rogue". Now, this senator, Senator Dick Durbin, is a very influencial senator. He has been in Washington many years. He is clear headed, grounded, wants to work with everyone, and cares very deeply for Illinois. He is a model Senator (if there is such a thing). But he is getting slammed in the paper, on television, on radio, and in social media. I felt so bad, I wrote him a letter. I hope he gets it. I hope he remembers how much good he has done all these years. Did he compromise? Yes, but with good reason. I trust him--and there are very FEW politicians I can say that about.

Below is the letter I wrote him.

Dear Senator Durbin,

I wanted to tell you that I voted for you in every election.  I have always been proud of you and Senator Duckworth as representatives of Illinois.  You always have been champions of Illinois and its people.  With you voting with the republicans in ending the government shutdown, I have not changed my mind.

As a retired high school teacher, I know that you tend to hear the shouts of those who disagree with you--the squeaky wheel.  And you tend to ignore the whispers of those who give you accolades.  It seems to be in our nature.  However, yes, some people disagree with your decision and have said some nasty things.  I can only imagine how hard it is to be in the public eye and have disagreeable things said about you publicly.  I could never do it.  But I wanted to represent those that whisper.

I did have students who would be upset with me because I made them do their homework, or listen in class, or any of the other things I thought was good for them.  But I also had many students who took the time to write me cards, letters, and emails about how much I changed their lives.  Because they took the time to write to me, I should have always put more stock in those times but I always dwelled more on the negative.  Self reflection is always good but we seem to do that when people are upset with us.  We fail to do it when we are doing great things and remember all the good that we did.

I am your self reflection.  I am the one who is whispering to you to remember all the good you have done over the years.  I am the one who represents thousands of people who support you (we tend to not write or voice our opinions when things are going good or when we agree with your actions).  You only hear from the crowd that are nay-sayers.  Very rarely do we hear from our supporters, so I feel confident in saying I am writing to you on behalf of your thousands, maybe millions, of supporters.

Finally, I want to say that I do not disagree with your decision.  This government shutdown needed to end and there needed to be a compromise.  You are getting people their jobs back, making sure they have the means to put food on the table (whether with a paycheck or through SNAP), and you are still championing health care.  Our health care is a big tackle and cannot be decided during a government shutdown.  Hopefully, "both sides of the aisle" will come together and bring balance (not extremes) back to government.  Politics, like life, has to have a balance or things get totally out of whack.  I know you will do what you can to bring that balance by attacking the issues, not the person, and helping all that you can.

Obviously, being a teacher, I am a democrat but politics today has gotten so extreme, I don't call myself a particular party any more.  I have always seen you, not as a democrat, but as a person who represents Illinois and always has our backs in all the decisions in Washington.  I feel the same way about Senator Duckworth.  I am very proud of our Illinois Senators!

Congratulations on your well deserved retirement.  We have some contenders for your seat that may make you proud.  Between you and me, I'm leaning toward Raja.  He seems balanced but also someone to stand up for us in a fight, just like you:)

Please know that there is someone who stands beside you and the difficult decisions you have to make.  I was proud of you last week, this week, and in the weeks to come.  I'm sure I represent many who have total faith in you and your decisions.  You are our elected official that represents us in Washington and you make decisions that are the best for us.  Many, many, many of us feel this way.

Thank you again!

I'll let you know if he responds.

Happiness Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt2tydVnVvA&t=4s  

Blog Website: https://www.lifelessonsfrommemaw.com/