A word or two about slogging on

Perhaps the real methodologists among us will throw up hands and leave at the end of the next paragraph--or not.

I have resigned myself to seeing no more spectacular results until this time next year. But, fifty six weeks down, forty eight to midterm elections is a sterling hall mark; a continuing rally cry for the way forward. This business of inching forward, carrying on, moving up seems relentlessly slow.

In spite of our gains in the November ballot, the GOP mowing machine moves on. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryon did stick with Trump’s coat tails just to get the tax bill passed, and it was done. The bill will be reconciled and effected, and no matter the small concessions to humanity, the huge scope of the bill is not for decency, but strangulation of the middle class on down, to their last penny.

It will be another year before we can go back to the polls and regain our ability to begin a decade of cleaning up. But, the year will send even more to the polls who find they must repeal Trump’s tax cuts and use the revenue to expand Medicare, strengthen Social Security and revitalize the social security net. Those last words are straight from Slate magazine, together with the notion the Republicans have delivered, and now will pay their piper.

No question I am sending up the same flag, singing the old song. But I do want to add a personal note to why I know we can finish this.

In the last seven years I suffered two major, potentially life ending brain injuries. Life ending. Final curtain. Hasta la vista. And I’m still typing today. The reason: medical intervention, medical treatment, and, finally, dogged determination, complete resolution to reach a reasonable outcome.

I know it is possible to regain speech, thought, physical coordination, balance, mobility. It doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it is an inch by inch by inch, never ending struggle. In fact, it never ends. In fact, I still struggle for words and look up synonyms for a word I hope is close, until I find a good one. If this were twenty years ago, believe me, I would be looking in Webster’s, not on line. But, I would be looking.

The day after the day after the last presidential election, I quoted Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill. “I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as he could be. ‘But Joe,’ said I, ‘you’re ten years dead!’ ‘I never died,’ said he.” Organize!

Keep up our good work of calling, writing, protesting, supporting our elected representatives. Just don’t quit. Some of us may not get to the finish line of this long recovery, but most of us will. Don’t quit. Carry On.