You Cannot Have My State

This is not mine, but it touches the soul of who I am as an American.

Youbelieve we’re broke.	Ibelieve we live in one of the wealthiest nations on earth.
Youbelieve public employees don’t deserve good health and retirement benefits.	Ibelieve everyone deserves good health and retirement benefits.
Youbelieve it’s okay to silence your opponents.	Ibelieve everyone’s voice should be heard.
Youbelieve might makes right.	Ibelieve a bully is a bully, whether he’s an angry kid on a playground or an angry man in a suit.
Youbelieve government should be vilified, belittled and shackled.	Ibelieve government is the only institution in the world in which we can all share and participate equally.
Youbelieve in every man for himself.	Ibelieve we are better and stronger when we work together.
Youbelieve “we can’t…”	Ibelieve “We can. We must. We will!”
And so, in this time and place, I plant my flag and make my statement. With all the fervor and strength I can muster I tell you now, YOU CANNOT HAVE MY STATE! There is room in this world for honest disagreements. There is room for differing policy views and different world views. But there is no place in this state, in this world, for the behavior you have chosen. There is no place for those who would trample the rights of anyone, be they in the minority or the majority. There is no place for those who would hide from the voice of the people behind armed authority . There is no place for those who would serve the interests of wealthy corporations ahead of the poor or disadvantaged. There is no place for those who would say “We have nothing to discuss.” I did not ask for this fight. But you have brought it to my home, so fight I will. I will not allow you to create the ugly, selfish, hateful world of your vision. We are better human beings than that. While your world view insists that self-interest is the way forward, my world view rests on the power of community. The new day starts now. We are going to clean house. Your power derives solely from the consent of the governed, and we no longer consent to be treated as your subjects. Your experiment is over… YOU CANNOT HAVE MY STATE! Dennis Deery March 11, 2011 PDF version of You Cannot Have My State
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