Deja Vu...

...All Over Again

As I write this, Election Day has come and gone. 

Like so many of you reading this, I’m kind of dazed. I’m literally and figuratively shuffling around, trying to figure out what to do next. I expected to be disappointed about outcomes from various races, all up and down the ballot, but I didn’t expect for there to be so many races that went sideways. 

First, to all of you who stepped up to run for office, from school board to the national level, thank you. Running for office is a huge sacrifice, and I appreciate you and all that you’ve given up over the last election cycle. 

I see bright stars of hope in various school districts across the state, and in others, all there is is a very, very dark sky. At least for the next two to four years.

The bad policies, rejection of funds, and frivolous lawsuits in places like Peoria (PUSD), this time without any pushback. I’m considering starting a pool to take bets on how many months into their term the new Superintendent, Dr. KC Somers, will submit his resignation. 

That scenario seems like small potatoes when I consider the national hell landscape. All three branches of government are now under Trump control. It’s not even Republican control at this point. Trumpism is an entirely different beast because, well, it’s a cult. 

Now that the “dictator on day one” is the president-elect, I plan on believing everything he’s told us. I wish I could sugarcoat this and blow some sunshine up your ass, but when someone tells me who they are, I believe them. 

The next two/four years are going to suck. Like, a lot.

If this cult leader implements his tariff plan, we’ll all be spending a LOT more money on imported goods. If he makes good on his promise of rounding up immigrants, including naturalized citizens, there’s a really good chance that most produce grown and much of the meat processed in the US will rot in the fields and packing plants.

If you have a child with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or who receives any other services provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), prepare for the end of those services and for the US Department of Education to either disappear altogether, or to be run by the likes of Ryan Walters and Chaya Raychik. 

Worse, Trump has promised that Robert Kennedy Jr. will be in charge of healthcare. If there’s another pandemic, folks, we’re pretty much screwed. I’m very concerned about my friends’ elderly parents who receive veterans’ benefits, since Project 2025 states plainly that those benefits will go away. 

But women are too emotional to be leaders, amirite?

I wish this wasn’t such a dark Substack today, but we need to be realistic. Now that the “Trump Old Party” (TrOP) has control of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of government, we are officially in the first stages of fascism. All one needs to do is read Andra Watkins’s Cliff Notes on Project 2025, since they’ve very explicitly laid out their plans for all the world to see. 

I’m NOT OK today, and I’m not sure when I will be. I don’t even know if our democracy can withstand four or even two years with these authoritarian, patriarchal theocrats and oligarchs in charge. 

But what choice do we have? For those of us with updated passports and savings accounts or other assets, maybe we can escape somewhere, but what about average Americans? My loved ones fall more under the “average American” category, so my only choice is to fight. 

I’m tired, I’m scared, I’m disgusted, and I’m sad. I had every intention of taking a mini-sabbatical after the election, but I couldn’t even comprehend being on the I-17 for over two hours alone with my thoughts, despite the fact that one of my favorite people would be waiting for me with open arms once I arrive. 

But tomorrow is a new day. 

And even as I write this, I feel lighter. I feel my fear and sadness turning into anger, and I think that’s a healthy sign. So, Secular Fam, lean into all of your feelings right now. Reach out to the people you love the most and to the people who have the most to lose in the next 2-4 years. Most of my friends fit into that category, and they’re feeling even more out of sorts than I am right now. 

This is the test of my Gen X lifetime, and I know that I need to steel myself for the storm that’s coming. 

So Secular Fam, cry, rage, eat all the food, watch that trash TV, but also…find your people. Hug your children and grandchildren, snuggle your pets, celebrate holidays and milestones, and find joy wherever it exists. It won’t be easy, but we need you. Now more than ever.