Letter: Do your homework now - and then vote

Whether you voted Republican or Democratic in 2016, the Trump Administration - along with its congressional and judicial partners - has already left you worse off than before. It is dismantling the rights, opportunities and protections of ordinary citizens, workers, retirees and, yes, even business owners.

Think about it. In just one day's news alone, we read of Trump and his buddies gutting the food stamp program, attacking unions, suppressing a study warning of the dangers of formaldehyde, and threatening health and reproductive care. Not to mention the looming threats to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

What can you do? You can vote for congressional representatives who share our values: who believe in the rights of all workers to job security, a living wage and a safe work environment; who believe that access to health and reproductive care, nutrition programs and a social safety net have a positive impact on all our lives by reducing poverty; who believe that safeguarding the environment gives us all a better chance at a good life; and who believe that we can protect the environment while creating clean energy and jobs.

Now is the time to think about this, though. Not just on Nov. 6. Learn about the candidates for Congress and for state, county and judicial offices, too, so you can vote with confidence. Answer your door when candidates and precinct volunteers knock. Attend meetings and debates. Ask questions. Get informed. Then vote.

Diane Dassow

Lombard