The election, that big over-hyped battle between the billionaire bigot and Mrs C, remains many many days away.  This presidential campaign zaps our energy unlike no other and doesn’t do any good in the world. Neither one  seems focused on issues that directly impact our health, safety and future.  Sadly, most of the media time is devoted to “he said” or “she said” and how they each responded to the trash talk of the other. I stopped watching this negative, circular rehash a while ago. It’s not good for our physical or mental health to be a spectator to this dumpster fire.

Neither campaign is offering up any viable plans to fix crucial problems. Big things, like:

The environment.  Climate chaos is on the rise due to our continued use of dirty energy. Coal is not “clean” and gas is not a “bridge fuel”, both candidates are participating in outrageous forms of climate denial by supporting these fossil fuels. Since the TV news is brought to you by Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute, you won’t hear any meaningful discussion about coal, oil and gas.

The economy.  We all know that wealth inequality continues, and the rich keep getting richer. Neither of these top two candidates are addressing poverty in our country.

Our healthcare system remains broken. In the current system, disease is profitable, health is not. Millions still have no access to healthcare.

Education.  Skyrocketing college tuition rates are overloading students with record rates of debt.

Our pay to play political system.  Money talks loudly in our system, corporations have way more say than citizens. I can’t even keep up with the fast moving monetary merry go round between the Clinton foundation, the State Department and Mrs C’s campaign.

Endless wars  have destroyed many countries in the last 20 years, rendering them into dead zones, causing millions of refuges.  It seems like we’ll be facing more war in the years ahead with either one of these top candidates. War is profitable in the current system, peace is not.

Look around, look around at how
Lucky we are to be alive right now!

The Schuyler Sisters- Lin-Manuel Miranda

We have a huge opportunity at this very moment in history – there is a revolution happening. People are waking up, and not just the millennials. We are starting to organize and to leverage solutions for a healthier, more livable planet. We are understanding the intersectionality between poverty, violence, environmental destruction, racism and more.

I’ve adopted a hashtag for this revolution that is happening locally and across the nation.

#StayRidiculous

If we are unable to force the mainstream presidential candidates to address what is important to us, then I for one am going to be ridiculous, ignore their childish tantrums, and keep working on building a better future. There is so much more to do than to flip a lever on one day in November.

What are you going to do today to make the world a better place? Its up to us, not the spray tanned dude or the gal awaiting her turn in the big white house. This is about so much more than voting.