The breaking point

Donald Trump caused so many problems when he was in office that it’s a wonder the whole country did not fall apart. And yet it didn’t. And President Biden fixed many of Trump’s messes and is working on the rest.

But there is one mess that worries me, and it should worry you too. It is the state of our children. The almost unbelievable cruelty done to our little ones during the trump years is hard to fathom. And sadly, it hasn’t stopped.

This is because of evil governors like Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis, who not only do not appear to care about our little ones but sometimes actively encourage the cruelty. Bullying is all over. LGBTQ+ children are being targeted. Books are being banned right and left. And girls are growing up without certain freedoms, such as the ability to make their own medical decisions.

And new polling information out only serves to amplify the fact that our children are in a great deal of trouble. The report was done by the center for disease Control and prevention, And it found that many teenagers, particularly teenage girls, are experiencing “record levels of violence, sadness, and suicide risk.”

The report showed clearly that almost 60 % of high school girls felt hopeless, depressed, or sad. It also found 30 % of girls had considered suicide as an option. This is an increase of almost 60 % from just ten years ago. The number of girls who have experienced violence stood at 18 %.

And there were also findings as it relates to our LGBTQ youth. Almost 70 % of these students experienced persistent feelings of hopelessness. And 45 % had considered suicide. Nearly one quarter was bullied at school. The study also showed that black and Hispanic students were more likely than white students to not show up to school out of fear for their safety.

The Health officials are now saying: “Act with urgency.” Indeed. It’s a five alarm fire and we need to act. This agency says we have an urgent need for more services and school programs for our young people. It was a bit horrifying for me to hear all this, and I’m sure you feel the same.

Time and again, we have seen Republicans in elected office let our children down. Time and again, we’ve seen the needs of these children abandoned. We do need to act with urgency. And we need to highlight these issues as we go forward. Never before have the words “save the children” resonated so very deeply.