Voting For The Same Kind Of Leader Is A Devil’s Errand That Must Be Avoided

A new report from No Kid Hungry Florida moved me to my core. It put words to what many of us feared was happening: 82% of families say food costs are rising faster than income, and 47% of families had to choose between buying food or transportation.

No family should face such agonizing choices. Even if you’re lucky enough not to be represented in these numbers, you likely know someone who is. And seniors aren’t faring much better. Although Florida was once seen as a retirement haven, home insurance premiums there are among the highest in the nation. As such, some advisors suggest people should avoid retiring in the Sunshine State.

In one of the richest nations in the world, individuals and families are making harrowing choices, such as whether to put gas in the tank or food on the table. The stark reality facing our neighbors is rising food costs, skyrocketing insurance rates, and exploding property taxes. These things have emptied the pockets Floridians spent years working to fill. Even before the war in Iran, Floridians were feeling the heat of a souring economy. Now, things are unbearably worse.

All people should be able to care for themselves and the people they love. And elected officials should devote themselves to making this happen. Instead, the administration advanced a fund to pay January 6 insurrectionists even though these individuals stormed sacred spaces, defied law enforcement, and instilled fear in legislative leaders and onlookers.

In the United States, far too many people are presented with a Sophie’s Choice of sorts. They are forced to make gut-wrenching decisions without assurance that the future will be better than today. Rather than seeing and responding to their needs, President Trump said he doesn’t think about Americans’ finances, not even a little. Juxtapose this with his personal and family’s fortune, which has increased dramatically in his second term in office.

Finances are only part of the problem. Each day, we wake up to a new assault on our Democratic government and institutions. There is a persistent undermining of the rule of law, and an aggressive assault on common decency.

I can’t tell you how many times Floridians have woken up to things we just didn’t think were possible – launching a fund to reward the people who staged an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the governor drawing and pushing through legislative lines that dilute the voting power of our neighbors, and so much more. And far too many of Florida’s legislative leaders have misplaced priorities.

Each day, we’re told by those in elected office to fear and turn on each other — that some Americans count more than others; that some don’t count at all. Greed and bigotry are celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerade as strength.

I’m hearing people say they’re fearful of living and afraid of the future. Healthcare is so unaffordable that some people report delaying treatments or rationing care.

Against this backdrop, the inaction of state leadership is appalling. When was the last time you heard Ashley Moody speak on the challenges facing Floridians and what she’ll do to respond? 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said history will not forget the silence of the many. Even in the face of grave wrongdoing, far too many elected leaders are embracing silence rather than tangible action.

When confronted with turmoil, I know it’s hard to hope. I’m here to tell Floridians that we can choose something different. Electing the same kind of leader is a devil’s errand that we need not accept. The time for politics as usual is far gone. And we do not have to wait for people in Washington or Tallahassee to respond. We can be the response we imagine and need.

If ordinary, working-class people run for office and commit to electing candidates who see them and want to respond to them, how much better would our lives be? This sentiment is bigger than a rhetorical question. It should be a clarion call to choose something different. I hope we heed the message.

Angie Nixon is a Florida State Representative and candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida.

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