Standing Letter to My Elected Officials

I sent this letter to my Senators and U.S. Representative today, but since the idea is that it’s my only letter, I thought I’d also post it here. Plus it gives me something to post — this blog is beyond neglected.

Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Patty Murray
Representative Denny Heck

Dear Elected Officials,

You are elected to represent the people of our state/district. I am a voting resident of Washington state/our district.

Writing my elected officials is not something I normally have time to do. I work full-time, I am in graduate school, and my husband and I are raising three children. I wrote this out longhand in the back of a notebook while I was at a bouncy house place for a child’s birthday party and now I’m typing it up a week later at 9:00 PM.

Whether it is the horror of learning our government is taking children from their parents and institutionalizing them in converted Walmarts, or the realization that Trump has an opportunity to select another Supreme Court Justice, there is always something I could write to you about, urging you to take action! The barrage of terrible news hasn’t stopped since the 2016 election.

Yet I cannot write to you every day, and I shouldn’t have to. We have a representative government. The purpose of this letter is to explain the values I need you to consistently represent, no matter the issue, please. Let me be one less constituent you need to poll or wonder about. Now you will know.

We the people need you steadfast in our values, responding to every challenge to democracy and human rights on our behalf. It is not a partisan issue to believe all humans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. That should be the basis for all of our governing decisions. While solutions to problems are debated, you must keep in mind, “Will this solution preserve or erode human dignity?” “. . . democracy?” “. . . freedom?” and then act to preserve these things.

If our country stays on its current path, I fear the combination of Trump’s disruptive agenda and party politics will destroy it. It does not matter to me if you are a Republican or a Democrat; you still represent the people of Washington. We need you to forget party politics and focus on human beings or we will all be lost. Stand up against the President and anyone else who promotes practices, policies, or laws that strip people of respect, dignity, or fundamental rights. Stand up against practices, policies, or laws that favor corporate entities over human beings. Let common sense lead the way. Look at the facts. Look to the founding principles of our nation.

I know that this country has never lived all it espouses. Historically there have always been people oppressed and mistreated by leaders whose actions did not match their words. We have built and live within oppressive systems, but it does not have to continue to be this way. We can and we must realize the ideals Americans are taught in history class and dust off on the 4th of July. All people are created equal and deserve the same rights, opportunities, and respect. This must be true, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or other categories that have been used to divide us. If it is not true for every human in our nation, then we will fail to be America.

If every elected official stood up for human dignity and respect and for the ideals of democracy, we could transform our nation. We need you to lead this change. Please do not let the people of this country down. Persevere. Pay attention. Take action. And never forget the human lives impacted by every governmental decision.

Respectfully,
Holly Gorski