1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

As the political climate becomes more and more divided, and as both human rights and workers rights become targets, I implore you to take a good hard look at two things. I would like you to please consider why checks and balances in Congress and in different government branches exist in the first place. Whether or not you agree with some of the goals or bills going through with the new Trump administration already in place, ask yourself two questions. #1 "Could repealing/changing this law ever be used unethically or used against me, the groups I identify with, or any other groups that have a right to representation?" And #2 "What has happened in history when these rights/"checks and balances" were either removed or did not exist yet? How did the working class respond? Am I prepared for this to happen again in my lifetime?" It's very unfortunate that we have to consider these two things right now, but we do. Personal ideologies and beliefs aside, you were elected by an already untrusting population of people who are accessing information about history and prepared to defend their rights. You have a responsibility to represent these people that elected you. You have a responsibility to represent the people that you do not agree with. Beyond just yourself, I would encourage you to take the time to connect with your fellow congressmen and women and have the same conversation with them. Everybody needs a reminder right now as to why they got here in the first place. You were not elected to vote based on your personal feelings or beliefs. But our Congress people and even our local representatives seem to have forgotten this. AOC had a video recently talking about the current state of affairs and she warned her followers of the risks associated with separatism. I hope that you all up there representing us are considering those risks as well. There's so much happening and so much at stake, it is hard to keep up with. And certain people in Congress are depending on that. But we are aware. There may be gerrymandering but we are not disconnected. There may be an electoral college but we are not separated by our regions. Even if books were banned or Internet access were taken away, we would still be interconnected and, one way or another, retain and fight for a government that works for all people and not just the billionaire class. The working-class people will not go back. Women will not go back. LGBTQ will not go back. We will not be quiet in the face of genocide and the tax payer funding of the war machine. Please ensure that we do not have to prove it. We all want peace, do we not? Thank you for your time.