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The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote, in Anna Karenina: All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. This quote might well apply to the United States Congress, recently in recess. Arent both political parties in Congress unhappy in their own ways?

When Congress is in session, the United States flag flies over both the House and the Senate. The flags symbolize us. There are no donkeys or elephants on them. Article VII of the U.S. Constitution provides that the government is ours. It was the people of the country who established it and it was the people, in convention form, not the political parties, who ratified it (capitalization in the original).

Yet, these days when Congress is in session, the political parties seem to gain more attention by berating each other, instead of contributing meaningful discussion and action to resolve problems.

For example, when was the last time that we learned of progress on the following fronts: immigration reform, the Afghanistan war, our military deployments in the Middle East, infrastructure improvements including flood and fire control measures, and the COVID-19 crisis?

It also seems that Tolstoys quote applies to citizens across the land who today demonstrate less respect for each other than I have ever previously witnessed taking the lives of citizens who are under arrest, rioting and looting in urban areas both in favor of or opposed to the actions of others, the spraying of citizens peacefully assembling in our nations capital contribute anxiety, fear and a rending of our civic fabric.

In the Executive branch It is what it is is not a statement of empathy for the tens of thousands of families who have lost a loved one to the coronavirus, nor is it a coherent statement of policy directed to overcoming the current pandemic. Neither is sitting maskless, six inches apart on the White House grounds at a political rally consistent with recommendations from the medical community on how to avoid infection.

Political columnist Mark Shields has written: Citizenship has ceased to involve an individuals responsibilities but emphasized instead our personal rights. Self-sacrifice is out, and self-absorption and self-fulfillment are very much in. (June 30, 2015)

To respond, one offers the following known as the Indefinite Pronoun Story, in a condensed version of a poem by Charles Osgood:

Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody

When there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Everybodys job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it. So it ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

I propose that the point is, if any one of us sees that a job needs to be done, then we should attempt to do it ourselves instead of waiting for somebody else to do it. Then we dont have to worry about blaming somebody else; instead, we come to realize that we have lived up to our responsibility .

So as we remember our heroes of 9/11, may the people of the U.S. and the members of Congress discover another meaning from the story: that the ability to find true happiness in life depends upon the capacity to give it while fulfilling our obligation to others.

As Tolstoy writes elsewhere in Anna Karenina : If you look for perfection, youll never be content.

Thomas F. Hogan is a resident of Litchfield.

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Opinion: Responsibility and happiness - Torrington Register Citizen

The National LGBTQ Task Force was founded 47 years ago, when antisodomy laws and bar raids were common and many health professionals considered gay and bi people ill. Lobbying for change in the halls of power, the D.C.-based organization chipped away at discriminatory laws and challenged Democrats to stand by their queer constituency, working to secure rights through the Reagan era and the devastation of AIDS.

By the time Rea Carey began to leave a mark on the Task Force as deputy executive director in 2004, the marriage equality battle was raging and a backlash brewing. While the Task Force was central in the fight for marriage, it was far from the organization's only issue, as it also advocated for immigration reform, protections for LGBTQ+ families, trans rights, and racial justice. Through all this, Carey who became executive director of the organization 12 years ago remained a determined, calm presence who put the work first.

Under Carey's leadership, the Task Force's Creating Change conferences attracted LGBTQ+ activists from around the country for lively and sometimes controversial discussions. Most recently, the group marshaled its resources to ensurequeer participation in the U.S. Census, fighting against the Trump administration's efforts to reduce LGBTQ+ representation in the national population count that determines billions in funding and the distribution of Congressional seats.

Now Carey is preparing to leave the Task Force, handing over the reins early next year to Kierra Johnson, a bisexual woman of color currently serving as deputy executive director. We spoke with Carey about why this was the time to go, and what's next for her storied organization.

The Advocate: Tell us about your history with The Task Force.Rea Carey: I've been at the Task Force in some ways, in my heart, since I was 16 years old. I remember in Denver I'd go to this women's bookstore, about the time I was coming out, and I read about the Task Force and I thought, Thisis a cool organization. I never actually dreamed I would end up working there.

I actually joined the Task Force first as senior strategist and then as deputy executive director in 2004, and I became executive director in 2008, so about 17 years [I've worked there] or, in movement years, 276 years.

Why was now the right time to leave?I've been thinking about it for a while. There were certain things I wanted to achieve and that I told the board I wanted to achieve when I came on as executive director in 2008. And with the staff and our volunteers and thousands of activists across the country, we've achievedso much and, actually, more than I ever could have imagined.

Because I'm an organizational nerd, I actually know it's very good and healthy for organizations to have different leaders at different times. So I've been planning for it and the time is now; the time is right.

I will say I have a bit of sadness because this year doesn't look like how I thought it would. I had hoped I'd be able to travel around the country and spend time with people we've been doing grassroots organizing work with for decades; having house parties and raising some money off of me and being in-person at [the] Creating Change [conference] this year. Unfortunately, because of COVID those things aren't possible. But like we're doing in different ways, we're adapting, and there are others ways I'll get to connect with people this year.

Tell us about the woman who will replace you and the future of the Task Force.I'm so excited that we are also announcing our next executive director is Kierra Johnson, who has served as our deputy executive director for almost the last three years and was on the board of directors; she's been a colleague of mine for years. She recently used to run a reproductive justice organization called Urge and she's dynamic and brilliant and energized.

It's anyone's dream when they leave an organization to leave it with someone who's even more wonderful and perfect for the organization, and she is. She's spent a lot of time doing advocacy organizing and grassroots; doing national advocacy as well. So she'll be starting as ED in February 2021. She's really been a true partner over the last number of years. We've continued to move the organization forward fully as a racial, economic, gender and social justice organization that serves the LGBTQ community. So she's bringing all her experience to the next era of the Task Force.

How are advocacy organizations like the Task Force adapting to fundraising challenges in the COVID era?With COVID and the entire country shutting down in March a lot has changed. And I'll say, basically, there are no silver linings to COVID, but here are some opportunities.Whether it's fundraising and reaching out to a much broader set of people through our online engagement or our trainings very soon we have a racial justice training, and in the past we would hold that in this or that city and we'd be able to gather a 100 or so people in person. Well, this year, as soon as we opened registration people began signing up. The same with [the] Creating Change [conference]; we'd usually have between 3,000 to 4,000 people there. What we've been learning from our colleagues who have also hosted conferences is that, while the format is different and we don't get to be together in person, it actually makes it accessible to people who never could have afforded to fly or take a bus to another city or place in the country, and they can actually be in community and learn from each other and share strategies.

Also, we're running the LGBTQ outreach for the U.S. Census. But again we had a game plan, going door to door, across the country, asking people to sign up, telling them why it's important our lives are seen and counted, and we haven't been able to do that. But we were able, with some increased funding, to have a massive, massive online campaign, and we're probably reaching people we never would have reached with our Queer the Census campaign.

Where do you think the Task Force and the larger LGBTQ+ movement will be in five to 10 years? What will be the main focus?Certainly, in five to 10 years I expect us to have secured federal nondiscrimination protections. As you know, we won the Supreme Court ruling this summer securing employment protections but we have a long way to go. But in five to 10 years, I absolutely believe we'll have federal protections. But we still won't be finished. Securing freedom and equality and equity is really a life's work, not just for one organization, but the full movement.

We were talking about COVID earlier, so what we've seen even in the last six months is that the disparities that we knew already existed; the health disparities, the access disparities, the racial disparities, the violence that has existed for so long against so many members of our community and Black people in this country has only become more pronounced and more acute. We have learned from movements that have come before us, even if you secure laws, it doesn't mean that everyone can live their life to the fullest. So the future work of the Task Force and the future work of the movement, which is to ensure our vision and I know Kierra shares this vision, and I think will take it even further than I have ever been able to [is to]seek change based on all of us being whole people. We can't be a lesbian one day, a parent the next day, and Latinx the third day; we're all of those things every day. Until we move the country and not just the laws fully in a direction where ever single one of us can be fully who we are, our movement's work will not be complete.

What was your hardest moment leading the Task Force and your proudest moment?It's hard to pick one that was the hardest. We faced a lot of challenges; we lost at the ballot on marriage, 32, 33 times before we started winning. We were not successful as a broader progressive community in securing immigration reform. There are some bigger-picture things I certainly wish had gone a certain way. There are a couple moments that really encapsulate some of the hardest moments.

I was in Los Angeles for the election in 2008. We had been going door to door on Prop. 8 [the ballot initiative that sought to reverse marriage equality in California]. We had been calling people; we brought people of faith to the table. We had done everything we possibly could as well as our colleagues on the ground and from around the country. And I remember that night, the leadership of different organizations coming together to have a pep rally in the middle of the night. We still hadn't gotten the presidential results or results on Prop. 8. We were concerned that the direction things were headed in for Prop. 8 were not good, but were hopeful for Obama. I remember getting on that stage and trying to dig deep for hope. And at 5 the next morning, when were still hoping there were more ballots to be counted, but we knew we were nearing the end and it still took a couple of days to sort it all out.

The feeling of elation over the first-ever Black president was one of the highest highs I've ever felt, and realizing that so many of our coworkers and neighbors, congregation members, had voted for Prop. 8 and against our ability to create the kind of families we want, was devastating. And we had lost before and we lost after, but there was something about Prop. 8 and the combination of the election with the president that really was one of our hardest points. At the same time, it turned into one of the most extraordinary catalysts for our community. After that, people who had never been engaged in this work, got engaged. Even with fear in their hearts, people got up the courage to come out and talk about why [marriage equality] mattered.

Even some of the most bitter moments have turned into opportunities for us. One other time that was both heartbreaking but gave me hope, and still gives me hope, was The Task Force and I were very involved in the comprehensive immigration reform work. At the time, most of our movement and most of our community was focused only on binational couples when it came to immigration as a policy matter. So the Task Force worked hard to make sure that our community really understood what immigration and immigration reform would mean. That it isn't only about binational couples, it's about trans immigrants, it's about families, it's about folks coming to this country and even then, treated in horrible, horrible conditions.

I was part of two civil disobedience actions that took place in D.C. one with women from many movements who came together and sat down in the streets and got arrested in protests. And the other was with young people; young immigrants. I thought, if they can sit down in the street and risk so much, we can too. So there are moments like that that have given me hope. I know at this time we need a lot of hope.

Thank you for all the work and years of effort that you and the Task Force have put into our lives and the equality movement.I have been honored to serve a movement and a community of which I'm a part. I have no doubt, even with the challenges we face now, that our history of resilience and determination and fierceness is going to win the day.

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Rea Carey on Why She's Leaving the National LGBTQ Task Force - Advocate.com

Current Odyssey Project student Faleshuh Walker created this piece, earning second place for artwork in this years Why Vote? contest.

For Hedi Rudd, the decision to vote is both personal and powerful. In her award-winning essay for the 2020 Why Vote? project contest, she writes of the significance of her vote:

My vote will tell my children and grandchildren that I stood against corruption and racism and that I dont ignore the past but learn from it. My vote will tell my friends that I care about their access to healthcare and immigration reform. It will tell my neighbors that I believe in their right to protest, their right to housing and their right to hold leaders accountable. It will tell the world that humanity and our planet are sacred.

For more than a decade, the Why Vote? contest has asked current and former students of the University of WisconsinMadison Odyssey Project to create an original work that convinces people to get out the vote.

The contest is a prelude to the nonpartisan event, A Celebration of Voting, which this year takes place online, Saturday, October 3, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The celebration is designed to share voting information with attendees; representatives from The League of Women Voters will be on hand to answer voting questions.

A robust, inspiring program will feature Rudd and other Odyssey Project students and alumni, who will share their award-winning essays, poems and artwork, as well as short presentations on voting by prominent local leaders and actors, including:

The event is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending should complete the online registration form for access to the Zoom link.

A Celebration of Voting is presented biennially by the UW Odyssey Project, a program that empowers adults to overcome adversity and achieve dreams through higher education. Each year, the Odyssey Project offers a free two-semester humanities class for 30 adults, providing textbooks, childcare and a weekly dinner. They earn six credits in English from UWMadison, as well as gain critical thinking skills and a sense of empowerment. Many go on to complete a college degree and find meaningful work in the community.

The Odyssey class emphasizes civic engagement, with readings from Socrates, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King, Jr. Students make connections between historic civil rights struggles and their own lives.

Odyssey Project Director Emily Auerbach says that the A Celebration of Voting event is a natural complement to the program, which strives to help students develop and use their voices.

Civic engagement has been one of Odysseys goals since its beginning in 2003, Auerbach says. We want to encourage our students, their families and the broader community to become excited about voting, get practical information about how to vote and use the power of their own voices to convince others to vote.

Stanley Sallay, Odyssey 07, used the power of the pencil to create his award-winning illustration for this years Why Vote? contest. Replete with symbolism and detail, his drawing is largely a study of those who neglected to vote. The central figure, Sallay writes, is a man running as if hes in a rush. I dont have time to figure out whos running and vote. The road that hes running on is broken and leads to nowhere. The pair of dice near his feet is showing how hes choosing to leave his future to chance.

Sallay says the illustration was inspired by the idea of votes lost to those who are unwilling or unable to vote or who dont believe its important.

I didnt vote four years ago because I thought there was no way Trump would win, he says. Since then, Ive wondered how many votes didnt happen because of people who thought the same.

For more information on the Odyssey Project, see theprogram websiteor contact director Emily Auerbach at emily.auerbach@wisc.edu. To donate to the program or become a volunteer, visit theSupport Odyssey webpage.

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Odyssey Project students and local leaders to celebrate voting at online event - University of Wisconsin-Madison

As the US Presidential election nears, the top concern for small businesses is the economy.

A new poll by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife reveals over half (57%) of small business owners rank the economy as the first or second most important issue influencing who they will cast their votes for.

Besides the economy other issues that keep businesses up at night include:

In terms of demographics, women small business owners rate race issues next to the economy that will determine which way they vote. Female small business owners are twice (16%) as likely to consider racial inequality comparedto their male counterparts (8%). Veteran owned businesses for their part view education (25%) and immigration reform (19%) as important next to the state of the economy.

2020 has also seen more engagement among small businesses in terms of elections compared to 2016. Some 62% of small business ownersare more interestedinthe 2020election compared to 2016.Small businesses in the Midwest are more likely to show interest (71%) when compared to in the South (63%), in the Northeast (58%), and in the West (57%).

According to the Small Business Index, businesses are still trying to recover from the effects of COVID-19. So much so, 74% of them are concerned about the impact of COVID-19.

This has prompted many to have predominantly negative feelings towards the current state of the economy. This is with 78% of small businesses describing the economy as average, somewhat poor, or very poor in August. The dissatisfaction in August shows an increase of 8 points from Julys poll.

A further 81% of small businessessay that the impact of a candidates policies on their business will determine how they vote. However, 68% of small business owners agree that it is more important for political leaders to compromise than stick to their beliefs in order to get things done. Overwhelmingly (82%) of small business owners believe partisan gridlock in the federal government is a serious problem.

Image: Depositphotos.com

Originally posted here:
Economy Most Important Issue for Small Business Owners Ahead of Election - Small Business Trends

Photo Credit/ Pixabay and Flickr, Edited by Natalie Irula

Natalie Irula

Editor-in-Chief

At a month and a half away, the Presidential Election has boiled down to Republican nominee President Donald Trump versus Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Trumps re-election campaign focuses on American first, as he told Time in an interview, while stressing the accomplishments of his current term.

Bidens campaign is very much a response to Trumps, focusing on the changes he will make as well as the policies he plans to implement.

At his second convention acceptance speech, Trump can be quoted stating, Our opponents believe that America is a depraved nation. We want our sons and daughters to know the truth: America is the greatest and most exceptional nation in the history of the world. Our country wasnt built by cancel culture, speech codes and soul-crushing conformity. We are not a nation of timid spirits. We are a nation of fierce, proud and independent American Patriots, according to the New York Times.

His hot topics include the economy, jobs, immigration and foreign policy. As we near the end of the campaigning season, we see other relevant topics coming up such as environmental issues, education, criminal justice, gun regulation and health care, on which both nominees differ greatly.

Biden can be quoted in his convention acceptance speech as stating, If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness. Its time for us, for we, the people, to come together. And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. Well choose hope over fear. Facts over fiction. Fairness over privilege. Im a proud Democrat. And Ill be proud to carry the banner of our party into the general election, according to NPR.

The former US Senator and Vice President represents himself as progressive, as he campaigns to build back better, an initiative to build America not with what has worked in the past, but with the future in mind.

Acknowledging Trumps current term, citizens have more of a holistic view of what presidency under him will look like. This can be either a drawback or a benefit, since citizens are able to look back on his term and pull concrete evidence.

The following information can be found on both candidates respective campaign websites.

On the economy, Trump boasts economic growth and jobs, citing 6 million new jobs, a record-breakingly low unemployment rate, a wage growth of 3% for 10 months in a row, the passing of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. and U.S. Gross Domestic Product growth.

Bidens position focuses on reform. He identifies four pillars that stress mobilizing manufacturing and innovation, ingenuity in modern infrastructure and clean energy, talent within education and parenting and racial equity. He also makes a point to raise the minimum wage, benefits and pay for healthcare workers.

Regarding immigration, the former Vice President intends to reverse policies that Trump has put in place during his term. These policies, which, according to the Trump Administration, serve to protect American citizens communities and jobs by further securing the south border, scaling down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, implementing the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office and proposing immigration reform based on merit.

On the other hand, Trump intends to strengthen said policies, while keeping his foreign policy very open. During his term, he has travelled the world, working to restore Americas prominence in global diplomacy. He has held negotiations and made deals with countries such as South Korean, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Similarly, Biden has pledged to strengthen the USs role in foreign policy, while also re-establishing a commitment to arms control and addressing the Climate Crisis by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.

His campaign emphasizes climate control and environmental issues. Bidens aggressive approach calls for technological innovation, a clean energy initiative and focus on agricultural preservation.

Trump has an entirely different stance, based on affordability and expanding the job market. He has implemented the Affordable Clean Energy Rule by reversing President Barack Obamas Clean Power Plan and approving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

Regarding education, the Trump Administration has created the Every Student Succeeds Act as well as modified the distribution of Pell grants to benefit students year-round, instead of only during the fall and spring semesters.

Alternatively, Bidens plans are more financially-driven, focused on raising wages and investing in education across America.

In this time of political unrest, many citizens are paying closer attention to criminal justice reform and gun control.

With this in mind, both candidates have put forth the directions they intend to take in the 2020-24 presidential term.

Trump draws our attention to the $98 million in grant funding he has allocated to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, allowing for 802 additional full-time law enforcement officers, and the expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods. He praises the U.S. Justice Department for their work and continued efforts on this afront.

On gun-control, he turns to the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, and believes the Conceal and Carry Permit should be available country-wide.

Biden, however, proposes a $20 million grant that would incentivise state-level policing to shift from incarceration to prevention. He also plans to invest in education, expand funding for mental health and substance abuse research and treatment and to use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors offices.

Additionally, he has identified his plan to start the Task Force on Prosecutorial Discretion. He is much more strict regarding gun control and intends on tightening the reins by establishing the Task Force on Online Harassment and Abuse to focus on the connection between mass shootings, online harassment, extremism, and violence against women.

Concerning healthcare, the Trump Administration has repealed the individual mandate from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and approved a six-year extension of the Childrens Health Insurance Program, as well as declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency.

Biden emphasizes his intention to continue to develop and protect the Affordable Care Act from those who would see it gone and reinstate some Obama Care mandates that have been reversed.

Regarding the race, these two candidates could not be more different and America is torn. Poll-data is not necessarily reliable and it is difficult to predict the outcome of this election, as it was in the 2016 Presidential Election.

As young voters and students, be sure to gather information on each candidates Vice President picks. Trump has decided to continue with the current Vice President, Mike Pence, and Biden has chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Regardless of your political stance, there are many points to consider as the election draws near. Do your research, head to the polls with confidence solidified through education and bring your friends with you.

Natalie Irula

nirula@live.esu.edu

The rest is here:
Six weeks out: How the 2020 Presidential Election is Shaping Up - The Stroud Courier