I am GenX, the forgotten generation remembered by memes saying we drank from garden hoses and weren’t allowed home until the streetlights came on. Like most of my ilk it is what I prefer. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be writing something like this but here goes.

I grew up in Iowa in a largely German and very Christian community where factories were the main employer. Much like Western New York, blue-collar with hard working families barely getting by during the ’80s recession. My single mother taught me to believe that if you work hard, are true to your word, pull yourself up by the bootstraps you can build a good life. You care for your family, look out for your neighbor, and work hard until retirement. I learned that America is a melting pot welcoming the huddled masses. In school, we were taught that America was built on the backs of immigrants wanting freedom to live the way they saw fit building lives in America, the Land of the Free. We learned about history, science, grammar, government and politics. It was expected that you mind yourself and respect others. Opinions are just that, not fact.

My husband’s job initially took us to California and then Texas. We moved here more than two decades ago and our community has been good to us; provided my daughter with a good education and good jobs for my husband and myself. I have lived here for more than half my life and my adult roots run deep. I obtained my RN from JCC ultimately becoming a nurse practitioner 16 years ago. I started as a home health aide, worked in nursing homes and at local hospitals providing care to a lot of you in some capacity or another. I’ve seen you scared, hurt, in pain, in grief, in your worst personal moments. I have held your hand, or your parent’s hand, or held your baby. I have done my best to give you comfort and care.

I am not a political person but seeing this government take away our security and stability makes me sick. I am a local nurse practitioner that is hearing from patients daily that they are afraid of what is happening. An 84-year-old patient told me last week that she and her friends are having lunch at home rather than at a restaurant out of fear that someone may overhear them discussing concerns about our government.

How far has our country fallen that an elderly person is afraid to speak their thoughts and opinions in public for fear of repercussion? I hear daily about grocery costs and inflation, healthcare and medication costs, retirement and social security, the list just goes on. There was a Facebook post about a local high school running a fundraiser, not for the band or class trip but for basic supplies. How are farmers supposed to survive when agriculture programs are cut without thought? Ask anyone who works at the VA what care for our veterans looks like after these senseless cuts, I have and it is bleak as hell. FDA cuts will impact food safety, medications, baby formula, and on and on. The EPA is rolling back protections that make the air we breathe and the water we drink safe. Government cannot be run like a business; their job is to govern in the best interests of our society. We pay taxes for things such as schools and roads and pay into social security, so we all have a safety net and income after retirement; not to make the rich richer.

The current administration is slashing jobs and funding for veterans, children and our elderly. Funding for things such as farmers feeding local communities, cancer research, libraries, and Head Start are being cut to fund trillion-dollar tax cuts for the mega-rich. Elon Musk runs across the stage with a chainsaw while his DOGE underlings access private citizen data. Americans who have dedicated their life to public service are being fired, programs being shuttered without thought or concern for “we the people.” Our national forests are up for sale as “timber”. What point does any of this serve? It serves the mega-rich and increases profits for corporations. People in government are afraid to do the right thing and are punished when they disagree. People are being shipped and incarcerated in other countries without due process.

The people going to foodbanks are your neighbors, some are parents skipping meals to feed their kids. People are barely getting by both young and old and everyone in between. It is called social security for a reason. All working people contribute to the system, and we are entitled to receive this money upon retirement. We are entitled to things such as temporary disability if you are hurt or food stamps if your job doesn’t cover all of the basics. Infants and children are entitled to the nutrition and health care they need to learn and grow into healthy adults.

Don’t listen to what Trump and his sycophants say, watch what they do. Billionaires in the government care about making themselves richer at the expense of the working class. They are cutting programs and safety nets vital to the average American. They say that empathy is the enemy, that government spending directly benefiting the common American is out of control while giving tax cuts to the top 1%. While slashing jobs, Trump spends millions on golf. He brags in the Oval Office about making his billionaire buddies richer while elderly lose retirement savings. This administration says they aren’t cutting Medicaid and Medicare while doing just that behind closed doors. They don’t care about lost jobs, the cost of housing, groceries, or health care. The current ‘government’ is ruled by men who want to make themselves richer at your expense.

This administration wants you to believe that the other side is crazy and out to get you and do you harm. We need to meet in the middle, no one side is all right or all wrong. If you take a moment to listen, you realize how much we all have in common. What is wrong is Trump and Elon riding roughshod on our country’s checks and balances. They are actively selling the soul of our country, not to benefit you but to line their pockets.

I don’t care who you voted for. I encourage you to pull back from social media, change the channel or better yet go talk to your neighbor. Educate yourself about what is really happening because time is rapidly running out. Look up what Project 2025 is and decide for yourself if this is what you want for your future.

As for me, I am going to keep loving my family, having my friends’ backs, and caring for my patients every day. I am going to advocate for common sense and common ground in government because We the People need to take a stand. Forget Democrat or Republican, make calls, join organizations like Hands Off or 50501, attend local protests, and talk to each other. I will do my part in making our country better for us, not them.

Kris Bailey is a Westfield resident.