Month: October 2018

The question first presented by Simon and Garfunkel came to mind recently as I was reflecting on the issues facing our community, state and nation and the inability of our elected officials to work together toward a common goal. It seems politics today has gotten personal and perhaps spiteful. It has prevented, for the most part, our elected officials from doing an effective job for us all.

Decades ago, representatives from both parties would have differences of opinion which they would eloquently state in public; but in the end, they showed leadership and worked together to find solutions to the problems presented. Today, at all levels of government, there is more rhetoric, posturing and accusing among our elected officials, which has only resulted in no resolution, or even the hope of any resolution, on the most pressing issues facing us in the last 50 years. Where have the leaders gone?

True, the political climate today is much different than decades ago. The cost of running for office and staying in office once elected is enormous. There is just too much money involved in the election process. I hope that there are leaders out there who will make the finding of solutions to our current issues a priority, regardless of political implications or re-election impact. A true leader does not have to worry about being re-elected.

Until such time we can only ask, “where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?”

There is a movement afoot in the United States to ban the use of plastic drinking straws by consumers of liquid products. This is understandable considering the large volume of straws that end up in landfills, along our road sides and highways and even in our waters. In fact, it is estimated that more than 500 million straws are used by Americans every day; that adds up to about 2,000 tons of plastic waste a year in our oceans alone. Now that’s a lot of waste! Something should be done to curb America’s appetite for slurping their favorite beverage through a straw. But what about the negative effect a plastic straw ban would have on people who can’t live without one?

It could be deadly. For instance, people with disabilities need the plastic straw. And they are making their voices heard in cities and towns across America who are considering plastic straw bans. For many people with disabilities like my son Marsh with Down Syndrome, a plastic straw is the difference between him staying hydrated or dying. It’s that simple. You see, for many people like Marsh they can’t drink directly from a cup. Due to the risk of aspiration, he must have his beverages thickened and taken in through a plastic straw. You might ask, what about a metal straw? Well, metal doesn’t regulate heat and he could burn his throat. What about paper straws? Paper straws don’t hold up under liquids and tend to fall apart into pieces that could choke and kill him. What about reusable plastic straws? That’s an option, but not everyone can carry around a reusable straw for their everyday liquid intake. The bottom line is we shouldn’t ban straws. Life is hard enough for people with disabilities only for us to take away such a simple solution for their hydration needs.

But we do need a long-term solution that will reasonably reduce the amount of plastic straw waste in our environment and the effect it has on global warming. I believe we have some reasonable solutions that would allow society to reduce the plastic straw foot print, but still allow people with disabilities to have access to this life saving tool for hydration. One solution would be for everyone without disabilities to ban their personal use of plastic straws. This would instantly reduce the production and waste associated with plastic straws. Or we could add a penny straw tax for every straw purchased and have the money collected go back to programs and services for people with disabilities. A plastic straw tax could deter many consumers from using one and could collect $1,825,000,000/annually for the disabled. Either way, we all need to remain flexible and not be so rigid when it comes to banning plastic straws.

Equality of citizens under the law of the United States is a successive policy that has been growing and changing in slight ways since before there was a constitution. From the pilgrims to Me Too, equal rights have been continually fought over. As we advance as society so too must our policies and laws. Sitting on top of the earliest American policy declaration that all men are created equal rests the entirety of equality policy. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is what many consider to be the most important piece of legislation for equality in America. However, this piece of legislation is just another of the successive steps taken toward equality. Economic and racial inequality are still significant issues being dealt with in America today. How can that be if we passed civil rights legislation over 50 years ago?

Policy must continue to be developed to protect and advance equality in our society. Building on top of the Civil Rights Act, in 1992, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. From there, the Supreme Court ruled that civil rights should not be infringed on by legalizing gay marriage in 2015. Equal rights are an American policy that continues to grow as America grows. 

The American policy that all men are created equal was not accomplished when the 13th Amendment was passed or when women won the right to vote. Policy means constant evaluation, reconciliation, and revision. Future steps advancing equality could be banning Voter ID laws, federal paid family leave, or a federal jobs guarantee. Human beings grow and change constantly and so does and should our policy.