Hope in the Land

By Landis Lain

I’m so proud of the voters in the State of Michigan. In November 2022, Michigan voted for fairness. Michigan voted for reproductive rights. I’m proud of the Boomers, Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials, for coming together and waiting in incredibly long lines to exercise their right to vote. Most of Michigan’s population voted for justice and equal rights. That is what the country is supposed to be about, isn’t it?

Back in grammar school, students were required to pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. As children, we were taught to and wanted to believe in fairness and equality. We were to be one big, happy inclusive family. That pledge has never been upheld. Not for women, Native peoples, and Black people. Not for Latinos, not for anyone who is not in the majority or born to wealth. It has not even been upheld for most Caucasian people in this country. If it was, then there would not be so much suffering. We wouldn’t have so many poor, food insecure people, or sick people without healthcare or insurance.

So, I ask. When? When did food become a political weapon to be wielded with all the glee and abandonment of an enraged toddler? When will the so-called richest country in the world be prepared to feed every person who populates this country? If this land is flowing with milk and honey, there should be more abundance and less scarcity; people would only have to work one job to receive their abundance. There is enough to go around.

When will the Equal Rights Amendment be ratified? So that women do not have to continually battle for the basic right to healthcare in every election and at the whim of every politician. I am gutted for the people of Georgia, Texas, and Florida as many women from the so- called red states will have to leave to obtain gynecological treatment for a myriad of life-threatening conditions that technically fall under the heading of abortion. Alternatively, there should be more affordable childcare options available for all those babies this country expects women to bear and care for. Childcare is healthcare.

There are many sick people, who despite the Affordable Care Act, cannot access affordable healthcare. Even those with health insurance find it difficult to locate a provider. It is no longer about healing the sick or preventative health maintenance for people, but now is about fighting with the insurance company to pay for medication to treat chronic conditions.

In November 2022, Michigan gave me hope. Now we wait and work for the nation to catch up and allow all the people in the United States to have equal rights and equitable chances to live in this world. That pledge, under God, continues to sustain us in hope that tomorrow will be a better day.