How Much Government Do We Want in Our Lives?

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As I watched the League of Women Voters debate between Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and her opponent Kathy Barnette, both women proved that they are intelligent and knowledgeable about the issues facing this country. That said, their ideas on how to address these issues are drastically different. And I suppose people will vote based on their overarching views of how this country should move forward. Being an independent thinker, I wanted to keep an open mind and really listen to what each candidate had to say during this important debate. One of these women will be representing me and my family in Congress, and I want to understand as much as I can about their views on the issues.

During opening statements, Kathy Barnette began by telling a little about her background. She was raised on a pig farm in Alabama by a single mom. She was poor – very poor. But she worked hard and she pulled herself “out from under a rock” and made something of herself. She’s a smart, informed Black woman and definitely not a career politician. She believes this country provides opportunity to those who are willing to work for it, and that resonates with me. I wasn’t raised in a wealthy family. I had to pay my own way through college by living at home, working as a server, and studying hard to get scholarships to try to fill in the gaps. I teach my children that the best things in life are the things that don’t come easy. It seems like Kathy Barnette embraces that philosophy, too.

Madeleine Dean began her opening statement by saying she believes healthcare is a right. She also discussed ethics and trust in our public servants. I’m not a fan of universal healthcare, but of course I love the idea of having some trust in our public officials. She doesn’t seem to connect with me, though – and that’s not just because of politics. She’s very careful when she speaks (which I can appreciate), but she runs the risk of coming across as inauthentic.

The first question, of course, was about coronavirus and what should be done. Kathy wants kids back in school because parents are expressing more and more that they want their kids in school, too. She also pointed out that keeping children home puts poor and minority children at a disadvantage since many of these families don’t have the privilege of working from home. Some families are having to make tough choices between quitting their jobs or leaving their kids home alone while they go to work. I have two kids myself and I agree with her on this. Kids need school. It shouldn’t just be about their physical well-being, but also their emotional and mental well-being. It seems like some people forget this – and MAD proved that when she started throwing out numbers regarding COVID-19. She also said the only way to deal with COVID-19 is through leadership “so children can return safely to schools and mothers and fathers can return safely to work.” So what about those mothers and fathers who can’t work from home and wait around until they can “return safely to work?” What are they supposed to do? She seems to take this matter lightly. It’s not as simple as people either caring about the virus and keeping their kids home or not caring about it and sending them to school. There are people who simply don’t have the ability to work at a computer in one corner of the room while their child is learning virtually at their little desk in the other corner. There are people who need to work AT work. And they need their kids in school.

The next topic was small businesses and how to give them relief. MAD started by saying that she’s helped to pass four bills to send trillions of dollars in relief to small businesses, but she wants to do more. She introduced new bills because “one $1,200 check isn’t enough.” I understand that, but how much money can we continue to send and for how long? I’m an end-game kind of person. Give me a plan, but I also want some semblance of a timeline. Kathy pointed out that one of the Democrats’ bills that MAD endorsed wasn’t immediately approved by Republicans because it was filled with “foolish line items” and they were asked to look it over again. And when the Democrats reduced it by a trillion dollars, $600 million of that reduction came from police departments. She said they’re intentionally creating bills that they know won’t go anywhere to give an illusion that they’re working. Interesting.

Next came another big issue currently facing our country – race relations. Kathy spoke about how the history of this country moved Black people from being free in 1863 to being placed on the path towards equality in 1964 to where we are today. She stated that the Black community still needs to be included in the shared prosperity of this nation, but progressive liberals are hijacking the topic of inclusion and don’t provide a seat at the table when Black communities are discussed. She also stated that White liberals are quick to talk about defunding and abolishing police, even though polls show that 84% of Black people say they still want policing in their communities. One of the first bills she wants to introduce in Congress is the Minority Inclusion Act.

MAD said our country is at a Civil Rights reckoning and spoke about how she had the honor of serving with John Lewis and working with him on voting rights. She also said she feels we have to fight for racial equality, women’s equality, and LGBTQ equality. This is all true, but I’d like to know more about her plans of how to address the current issues facing this country regarding racial discontent. Honestly, it seems like Kathy has plans and solutions and MAD is very good at just saying the right things.

The two women continued the debate by discussing things like climate change, foreign relations, the second amendment, and school choice. In general, I found myself nodding in agreement with Kathy Barnette far more than I did with Madeleine Dean. Kathy just seemed to make a lot of sense and didn’t just have a list of talking points she tried to hit during the hour-long debate – she has strong opinions and feelings on how this country should move forward. She believes in the opportunities that this country has provided her and she’s a firm believer in helping people when they need a hand-up, not a hand-out. MAD is a smart woman with a lot of experience in politics. However, it sounds to me like her solution for most issues is for the federal government to throw more money at them or legislate them. Public schools aren’t doing great? Give them more money. Small businesses are struggling? More legislation and more money. Healthcare? Legislate. Personally, I want less government in my life. I want someone who will go to Washington and listen to the people in her district and work to make their lives better – and many times, that’s accomplished by simply getting out of the way. Kathy Barnette seems to understand that government officials work for the people – not the other way around. Government is of the people, by the people, and for the people – and I believe Kathy will remember that and remember us when she gets to Washington.

Paid for by Kathy Barnette for Congress.

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