Our Rights Are at Stake in This Election - Kenney

Our Rights Are at Stake in This Election - Kenney

 

Elections have consequences.

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While we all know this, we sometimes take this for granted. Many people fail to recognize that our Constitutional rights can be stripped from us at any time.

The US Constitution is a living, breathing and ever-growing document intended to be upgraded with the times. There have been 27 Amendments to the Constitution since ratification in 1788. The last time it was amended was in 1992. Its purpose is to outline and define the inalienable rights of US citizens, from the basic concepts to more complex issues which oftentimes find their way to the Supreme Court of the United States. There have also been many changes to US laws due to different interpretations of the meaning of certain rights outlined in the US Constitution by the US Supreme Court.

Like anything else in America, the decisions of the SCOTUS can be influenced by the political leanings of the current Justices. The current makeup of the Court is stacked with conservative Justices appointed by Republican presidents. This can affect the way identical cases are treated and decided upon by the court, which has immediate and far-reaching consequences to everyday citizens.

The recent ruling to repeal the guaranteed right for a woman to choose an abortion (Roe vs Wade) if she so desires is such an example. Ending the practice of Affirmative Action, which was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson in the 60’s, is widely believed to be the next target of conservatives. This law could be easily overturned by a conservative congress and upheld by the SCOTUS.

Those who refuse to see the nuances in the palette of a changing America, those who still see the world as black and white or those who only see the primary colors of our society are doing the rest of us in this melting pot a great disservice. A republican congress would likely roll back many rights that US citizens take for granted. The right for LBGTQ couples to marry is such an example but there are many more. Also, a conservative congress could block further advances of progressive ideas and policies.

And then there’s the expected cutting of Social Security benefits (republicans call them entitlements) that will likely be a result of a republican congress.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, elections have consequences. That is true in every election held in the US, both nationally and locally. This year, however, what is at stake are our fundamental rights as citizens. This fact cannot be overstated.

Vote like your life as you know it is being threatened, because it is!

 

Tom Kenney, Warwick