When my three children were toddlers and in the early grades of elementary school, my wife and I would read to them before bedtime. My middle child was three years younger than her older sister and one year older than my youngest, so this was no small task. My wife would generally read to the oldest, or the oldest would read to her, depending on the difficulty of the story. I would read to the two youngest, and then say good night to my eldest daughter.
Eventually, my youngest daughters started reading to me.
I was investing in my children’s future. The nighttime reading ritual is considered one of the most important actions you can do help your children learn to read.
My disappointment with Republican policies keeps escalating as per Pres. Trump’s skinny budget; they fail to invest in America’s future. At first I thought it was that they keep ignoring facts and science. Climate change is happening, and they continue to deny it. If you want to decrease abortions, then start teaching comprehensive sex education. Some Republicans still insist on abstinence-only sex education even though it has been proven that comprehensive sex education reduces unplanned teen-pregnancy rates.
When Republicans refuse to invest in America, it is as if they are failing to read to their kids at night.
One of the central themes of the GOP is that taxes are too high, and we need to reduce taxes. Meanwhile our infrastructure is falling apart.
Pres. Donald Trump signed an executive order that makes it harder to regulate emissions of greenhouse gasses and other fossil fuel pollution.
Rep. Paul Ryan and Trump’s health care proposal would have caused 24 million more people to lose their insurance while increasing costs for the middle- and lower-classes.
Republicans always seem willing to cut food assistance. When he was governor of Indiana, Vice President Pence said that cutting food assistance would “ennoble” the poor.
Trump has proposed cutting the education budget at a time when we need more teachers and some schools are falling apart.
The above examples proclaim a president and Republicans who refuse to invest in the human and physical capital of this country. We need to support politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren who want to protect the environment, feed people, improve health care access, increase educational opportunities and rebuild our infrastructure.
Just as parents must invest in the future of their children, Americans must invest in the future of their country. Anything less is not acceptable.