We have duty to be informed, engaged

I recently had a chilling conversation with a Trump supporter. She said his plan to make Canada the 51st state is smart and strategic. She denounced our neighbor as a socialist country that is “digging their heels in on an economic war they will lose.” But I question whether this is what most voters wanted when they elected Trump.

The popular vote was very close, and 89 million eligible voters stayed home. That means only about a third of the country voted for Trump.

Many of them believed the candidate when he claimed to know nothing about Project 2025, the governing plan he is now following to dismantle America’s system of checks and balances and impose a far-right agenda. I believe that many voters, unhappy with the price of eggs, were simply voting for change. I don’t believe they wanted Catholic Relief Services, a charity ministering to the poorest of the poor, to lose half their budget with the elimination of USAID. I don’t believe they wanted to see Social Security field offices closed and new rules instituted that leave older, disabled and rural people at risk of losing the benefits they paid into all their working lives.

But here we are. There is so much that could unite us. We all want a safe future for our children. We all want to live in peace. Most of us want to see constructive disputes, diplomacy and inclusive decision making in our government. But to get there, it’s not enough just to vote. We have a responsibility to be informed and to stay engaged, to have civil discussions about politics, to be curious about what motivates our neighbors.

And to do all we can to protect our democracy before it’s too late

Janet McDonnell

Arlington Heights