Election Hangover

Last night was rough in many places for many reasons; let me count the ways...
1) State Questions in Oklahoma. Last night the people of Oklahoma, in generally supermajority terms, accomplished the following things: refused to bring spending on education per child up to the average of our surrounding states; we voted in a governor who made one of her qualifications that you have to be married and have kids to run a state (implied message that her lack of political experience compared to opponent was irrelevant because her opponent wasn't a traditional woman); courts are only allowed to consider state and federal law in deliberations, not international law (only example was forbidding Sharia, Islamic law); all official state business must be conducted in either English or Native American languages, note that it actually said in the referendum that that official state business was not defined.

2) Ok, so Oklahoma itself is enough for one day.

- I am so frustrated today. Not because all these things passed (I figured they would) or because of the giant shift in National power (we all knew it was coming), but because of the mindset the election results reveal. We are so polarized that people have stopped feeling the need to think for themselves and have their decision-making default set on fear. We decided not to give our children and our future a real shot at success not because we hate our kids (no one hates kids holistically), but because we bought into the pie pieces-fear. You can't give money that they need to them, because it will get taken away from me! No one was actually opposed to spending money on education (I hope, but might be wrong) we just didn't trust the legislature to figure out how to pay for it without taking away all of our other social support system. That can't be true. I don't believe that we ever really were choosing between hospitals and schools, between education and mental health - that was fear propaganda that ignored the possibility to get rid of wasteful spending instead - but fear sells and 70% of Oklahoma voters were buying.

- And then there is the state language issue.... did the 75% of you that voted for that read it?? Really READ it?? First of all it says all state action, but acknowledges that it doesn't know what that means exactly. Second, it gives the legislature a blank check to pass whatever laws they want about requiring English. Third, it does allow you to speak a Native language if you want, but that's it! Sooo.... let's look at the fear message included in that.... I have been in the state for a few years now and NEVER been in a situation were someone around me was trying to conduct official business, but only spoke a Native language - this is immigrant bullying. It prohibits you from suing if you get taken advantage of because there was a language barrier, and it sets the stage for you to be fearful of what's coming if you came here for survival before your Rosetta Stone arrived to learn English. What exactly are we afraid of? That the foreigners are going to take over the state and WE will have to learn a new language, or that we will be bothered with the sound of diversity all around us, or worse yet, that at some point we will be encouraged to join the rest of the world in being multilingual?

I am tired of fear-mongering, tired of polarizations, tired of the belief that you are either right or terrifying; and I am disappointed in Oklahoma.

Stay tuned tomorrow for discussions about: Iowa, the Carolinas, Wisconsin, and SOO many other reasons why I might start looking for where I put my Canadian citizenship application just case things start to get really bad....