Opinion | My prayer to the universe — and my platform

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In a time when slogans replace substance and institutional trust crumbles under partisan wayfaring, there is an innocent, fledgling tug-of-war that is not waged in politics, but in clarity itself. I have no special allegiance to any party or ideology, but I do desire values rooted in respect, agency and protection from exogenous overreach.

I believe children deserve education, not indoctrination. There must be a neutral zone where things that are not developmentally appropriate for them is removed. Our public schools’ job is to carefully educate, while preserving trust. Families cannot provide all the educational necessities, but they are not devoid of values.

Expression of one’s beliefs is appropriate in a public forum, and if any company withholds one opinion over another, then it must declare why all opinions are not respected. That requires informational protections, free of political censoring. Free of keeping voices out of discussion due to aphorisms or various assuages meant to frame or paint a certain opinion into a political corner. One may call something “reproductive rights,” and another may refer to that as “premature termination of life.” The line is not drawn clearly, so all sides should be allowed to voice their opinion on the matter if it is considered a public forum or comment section.

The middle class should be an achievable goal if you follow the laws of the land to the best of your ability, but we cannot forget that much of that requires certain values, and when the government is at one end and the profit-seekers the other, we cannot expect the ones in the middle to make up the difference between poor governance and profiteering. The middle should always have sway over the brokers of authority or wealth. A supermajority is required to overrule the median populace.

Small businesses deserve less red tape and more breathing room so they can compete with the titans of global corporations. That could be a full topic in itself.

My platform is a hodgepodge of the Democratic and Republican platforms. I lean more Republican but have voted Democrat historically. These pillars are my attempt at creating a pathway so that we can both live under the same laws, fully knowing that we will always have differences, and that should be a source of strength.

Protect children from radical curricula: Preserve age-appropriate education and shield children from content disguised as enlightenment or progress, as the parent is always included in anything that even 20% of the parents might find objectionable.

Make child care affordable: Expand access to cost-effective child care without sacrificing parental agency or flooding families with ideological mandates.

End weaponization of government: Restore neutrality and accountability to government institutions; dismantle political targeting and selective enforcement. If you are breaking the law, even while protesting, it is not any more permissible than if someone who you don’t support does it. Follow the laws and be peaceful. Not everyone supports your cause in the way you may be framing it.

Challenge censorship and defend free speech: Safeguard the First Amendment from both governmental and corporate suppression meant to stack the deck. If you suppress certain opinions, you need a very good rationale, or there should be government watchdogs prepared to levy sanctions. The readers can comment openly about how believable they find it and the editors themselves can make their rebuttal known. But if something is removed, there must be a rationale, or it is suppressing free speech.

Support small businesses: Slash regulatory overreach and expand access to startup capital. Prioritize local entrepreneurs whenever possible.

Strengthen the middle class: Revitalize nonideological union protections, boost wages, and ensure that economic policy serves people, not just GDP metrics. Each local governance, whether neighborhood or city, should be trying to increase the wages of its denizens.

Expand health care access: Defend and build upon the Affordable Care Act while ensuring transparency, competition and patient choice. All public-funded health care must be neutral. If there is a term that isn’t approved by one-third of the population, then it can’t be included. They can buy supplemental insurance or be socially funded through nonprofit or other organizations. All terms included in the universal health care via public funds must be debated carefully. If something is referred to as a “right” or there are aphorisms attached that even one-third of the populace finds offensive, it must be removed.

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This is my prayer to the universe. I do feel it may bring us together in a non-forcible way. It is a start at bringing opposing parties to the same table. It’s all I’ve got as a citizen of this state and nation, but it is not all-inclusive or exhaustive. It is just what I feel we can all start a conversation with. I feel that we need to make better public policy, so people don’t feel shepherded by ideologies that they don’t want to pay taxes for or live under. Policies matter.