Hold the elected to account

I loved the column “Building community in the midst of chaos.” Who could have imagined just how chaotic our community, country and world has become since President Donald Trump’s election?

Now more than ever, we need to band together to create a strong sense of community to deal with the opioid crisis and Trump’s assault on the media and our democratic institutions; to find ways to reduce gun violence; to avoid nuclear war with North Korea; to lessen racial tension by challenging our assumptions about others; and to acknowledge how growing income inequality, lack of affordable health are for all, and underfunded public education is hurting everyone in every community.

As Americans, we need to stand up for what we need and want in our own lives and for our communities. And, as a community, we need to hold our elected officials accountable by putting pressure on them to provide real solutions to these problems. If we don’t vote them out of office when politicians fail to deliver for our communities, we will experience more chaos and more suffering.

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Hold the elected to account."