So am I. But you know what? It needs to be there.
It needs to be there because there is a huge swath of America, if the strength of protests is any guide, that disagrees with what Trump has done as President.
It needs to be there because "alternative facts" need to be called what they are: lies. An administration that will lie about the obviously false is clearly prepared to lie about anything that it wants to.
It needs to be there because people need to know that our newest president has issued 18 executive orders by January 30th. People need to know that these executive orders include (yes, there are more than I list here) taking a stab at the AffordableCare Act (aka Obamacare), removing funding from any non-governmental foreign entity that performs abortions, froze hiring in the federal government, promoted the construction of oil pipelines that have been huge sources of public outcry, mandating The Wall be built, instate the "Muslim Ban" and end the acceptance of refugees for 120 days, restructured the National Security Council in a way that reduces the role of the military in matters of national security and gutted regulatory power.
Regardless of how you feel about these orders, the populace needs to know about every single one. Why? Because they are huge!
Seriously though, just look at that list. Some of them are not too extreme, such as hiring freeze in the government or the Mexico City policy (aka the gag rule) about aid to foreign bodies that provide abortion services (every Republican president does that, and every Democratic undoes it). No, those orders aren't too surprising or out of line for a Republican president (that does not, by any means, mean they should in any way be spared criticism).
The others, however, should scare you.
Even if you agree with limiting immigration and tightening US borders, the order on building The Wall and the "Muslim ban" should bother you. The Wall is an incident waiting to happen, be it in trade (remember, Mexico is one of our top trading partners, accounting for nearly 15% of our total trade in 2016) or in the $20 billion dollar price tag that Mexico is not going to pay but will fall on US taxpayers instead. If you thought Obamacare was bad for taxes, just wait until the government actually tries to finance that wall. The "Muslim ban" doesn't technically target Muslims, it does target countries with majority Muslim populations, although it conspicuously excludes countries where Trump has business interests. Oh, and before you even begin to say "but Obama did the same thing", no, he really didn't. Obama's restriction was due to a specific impetus, narrow in scope, and short-lived. The most disturbing part of this order? It is blocking people who normally would be allowed to legally enter the country with visas or green cards, even though the exact number depends on how you look at the issue. This is the one that has gotten the most public attention, so that's all I'm going to say on it.
Then there are two orders that seem to have been largely overlooked but are outright dangerous to the safety of Americans.
I will say that there are some urging that the move isn't as unprecedented as it seems and little cause to worry, but it's important to keep in mind that this new structure places Bannon above the military and intelligence communities in the NSC. Yes, Bannon is going to have a stronger voice in matters of national security than the military!
As if that isn't a sufficient offense to logic, there is the order requiring two regulations to be removed for every one new one created. Straight from the order: "any new incremental costs associated with new regulations shall, to the extent permitted by law, be offset by the elimination of existing costs associated with at least two prior regulations." Yes, to implement a new regulation, two old ones have to be eliminated. Regulation isn't a numbers game! This is a move to make meaningless, superficial change instead of substantive revisions and streamlining of regulatory measures. This means the possible removal of important regulations just because of Trump's numbers game!
Even if you think these were great moves that you are applauding, we should be talking about them.
So maybe you're a liberal so disheartened by the constant assault of insults to human decency that you can't stand to see any more. Maybe you're a moderate who never really cared much who got in the presidency and want to get on with your life. Maybe you voted for Trump equally attacked when his policies, which you supported and voted for, are attacked. Or maybe you voted for Trump and see that as a mistake and are currently shoving your head into the proverbial sand in shame.
Whatever your reason for not wanting politics in your Facebook feed, I'm sorry, but we need to talk about these things.
I don't even care if you don't agree with me about the policies! I'd much rather have an impassioned discussion with someone diametrically opposed that propels people to action than the self-destructive apathy of turning a blind eye to politics. These policies are affecting people's lives, we can not ignore them.
Even if you support them, we should be talking about them. Who knows, some of us might be overreacting and your perspective or insight on why you support a given policy might set our minds at ease or at least provide an alternative perspective to temper the confirmatory bubbles we all live in.
I will continue to talk about politics and flood my feed with political statements I agree with, and even ones I disagree with with commentary on why.
If you're tired of hearing about politics, congratulations, the rest of us are tired of talking about them too. Instead of resorting to apathetic acceptance we choose to support or resist and continue to keep the public eye on our government, an entity that is supposed to be working for us.
When lives are at stake, complacency and apathy are death's friends.
So fight for what you believe, speak up for it, speak up against injustice wherever you may see it.
