There are horrible, horrible people everywhere

Mark is a 33 year old male. He has been in and out of jail since he was 15, mostly for drugs and violence. He has had a variety of jobs—all various forms of manual labor—but he’s unemployed right now. And he’s totally ok with that. He likes having cash to buy weed, but he has some friends he can bum off of at the moment, and his food and shelter are taken care of by his mother. His mom also provides money for drugs, but she’s not aware of that.

Cheri is a prostitute. At 18 years old, she gets paid to provide sexual favors to strangers. She did ok in school and could probably work in an office somewhere, but she likes her current gig. She’s considering getting in to porn.

Jose is 24. He’s the second-in-charge of a local gang. His specialty is the drive-by. It doesn’t seem to matter how fast the car is moving or where the target runs, Jose always makes his shot. He likes killing. He has a son, Alphonse, and a daughter, Maria. He is teaching them the ways of the gang, so they can be a part of it when they get older.

Pat is 64 and homeless. Between the loss of husband 15 years prior and a host of medical problems, she wasn’t able to keep up with her mortgage payments. She’s been on the streets for a few years now and seems to have lost her grip on reality. She likes to spit on people as they walk by.

*****

There’s a Democratic debate tonight on CNN. Hillary and Bernie and a few other people I’ve never heard of will stand on stage and fight to be the leader of the nation. What I want to know is: who do they want to be the leader of?

Because America is filled with shitheads and assholes and really, really stupid people. Like, really stupid. And mean. And vindictive. And violent. There are horrible, horrible people everywhere.

But does being horrible preclude them from deserving healthcare? Does being stupid mean that they shouldn’t be paid a living wage? Does being an asshole mean you don’t deserve the same rights as the next guy?

If your answer is yes, then what does that make you? Who do we become when we choose who is deserving of comfort, aid, help, and support and who is not?

If you knew that Mark was beaten by his father and told he would never amount to anything, would it change your mind? What if you found out that Cheri was molested as a kid and had a schizophrenic mother? Or what if Jose joined the gang because it was the only way to protect his family? What if Pat had once been a successful scientist that had created a cure for cancer? Would any of that change your mind about what they did and did not deserve?

What kind of nation are we when we fight against paying for fixes to the system that allows the Marks, Cheris, Joses, and Pats to fall through it? Or when we reward the banks and oil companies that turned our economic and environmental systems upside down? What kind of nation are we when we’re constantly judging and keeping score?

More and more, we seem to be a nation of people that want the best for ourselves and people like us, and screw everyone else. But we are a nation of failed human beings, and the path to success involves holding our hand out to help horrible people, just as you would hope someone would help you in your time of need.

Being a great nation means embracing each other and “the other”.

It means paying for schools even if you don’t have kids.

It means moving toward renewable energy, even if you are a wealthy oil baron.

It means supporting gay rights, even if you think it means the Devil will feast on their delicious homosexual bones.

It means healthcare for all, even for those that knowingly harm themselves with drugs and tobacco and harmful chemicals.

It means finding ways to deal with other nations, even if it’s difficult, so that there is no longer genocide.

It means paying more if you’re wealthy and less if you’re not.

It means that the wealthy don’t get more of a say in our government than the middle class and poor.

I am looking to back a candidate that is interested in fixing current messes and setting up an equitable system for the future.

After tonight, will I #FeelTheBern? Will I proudly don a pantsuit t-shirt (which, Hillary, is the only brilliant thing your team has come up with. You really need to fire all of them)?

Will I learn the names of the other guys?

The Republican party is a shit show (build a wall, Trump? Really?), so I know my candidate isn’t there.

A vote for a Green or Libertarian candidate is a wasted vote (somebody needs to fix that as well. There are some good ideas in the other parties).

So, where am I to turn?