Don’t let democracy go gentle into that good night

After 250 years of progress as a democratic republic in search of a more perfect union, our nation is facing its gravest threat. How we react to this threat will determine the future of our constitutional democracy as well as the future of the world our children will inherit.

As for me, I take solace in the words of poet Dylan Thomas who wrote, “Do not go gentle into that good night’ when he wrote about raging against the dying light. The bright light that has been our democracy is growing dimmer under the threats implied and the damage being done to our institutions.

Nowhere is that damage more evident than in the assault on public education. We have witnessed the damage done by Iowa’s voucher system following a decade of underfunding public schools along with the weakening of the AEAs which serve our most vulnerable children and the families who love them. Where is your rage?

The Age of Reason formed the basis upon which our Founders created our democratic republic. They understood a well-informed citizenry could govern itself and secure liberty for individuals with reason rather than brute force.

I will not let our democracy slip away quietly. Will you join me as I fight for women’s rights, voting and civil rights, for public education, for the environment, for our democracy and our children’s future? Now is the time to speak out, stand up, and “not go gentle into that good night.”

Larry Hodgden

Chair, Cedar County Democrats

Tipton