OPINION: Weaponizing hardship
One of the most oft-quoted pieces of America’s founding ethos has become one of the least practiced by politicians.
“... to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The unalienable, God-given rights they were talking about included life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
For almost 40 days, politicians launched a power struggle that forced Americans to choose: feed your family or keep your medical care.
What an awful choice.
While we could discuss the intricacies of insurance premiums or food stamp qualifications, the underlying ugliness of this whole shutdown needs to be addressed: the people Americans elected used basic necessities as political weapons.
Americans should expect better from our elected leaders. Politicians and policies exist to serve the people — not the other way around.
As Kootenai County Democrats, we support leaders who empower your ability to feed your family, put a roof over your head, and live a healthy life with dignity. All of these things are equally important.
I know firsthand what it’s like to rely on food stamps and state assistance. I once participated in the very work-search programs I later helped manage as a case manager — supporting people in situations I had personally experienced. Too often, our systems make people feel ashamed for working hard yet still struggling to get by. It’s all about basic human needs and dignity. When those in power have never had to worry about food, housing, or childcare, they lose touch with the realities most Idahoans and Americans face. We need representatives who have walked in the same shoes as the people they serve.
In Idaho, empowering people looks like helping provide food while an Idahoan works their way through a training program, a college course, or up the company ladder toward gainful employment. It looks like helping single mothers feed their children while they rebuild their lives. It looks like supporting people with basic life-preserving necessities until they can pay it forward.
It looks like fully funding the ACA so that monthly healthcare premiums don’t outpace your paycheck. It looks like going to the doctor for a health concern without added panic about the cost of care.
It looks like Congress managing your tax dollars in a way that gets the highest return for the lowest investment — and treating that sacred responsibility with the dignity befitting the office.
It looks like electing state representatives, senators, and members of Congress who will be honest with you about how their votes will impact your household — and who won’t violate the Hatch Act with an avalanche of blame-laced, mud-throwing propaganda.
It looks like an America where every life is defined by peace, prosperity, and dignity.
The work toward peace, prosperity, and dignity starts now. Democrats are looking for candidates who embrace these American ideals to run in 2026. Now is the time to learn how to phone bank and door-knock — we’ll hold your hand every step of the way. Now is the time to become comfortable attending Democratic Club events and connecting with your like-minded community. Now is the time to become experts on Idaho civics and on candidates and their voting records.
If you need help with any of these things, reach out to [email protected]. Together, we can lay the groundwork for a more perfect union.
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Sarah Martin is chairman of the Kootenai County Democrats.