A Beginning...

 Greetings Friends!

I don't know about you all, but for me, knowing that we are less than a year out from the next presidential election, sorta scares the hell out of me! To cope with my anxiety, I've decided to create a blog where I'll periodically publish some ways that we can collectively make a difference in the coming election. 

I picked the name, "A Few Simple Acts Can Change the World" because I firmly believe that to be true. So I decided to create a simple forum for people to not only discover ways they can act, but for you all to share your ideas as well! As you likely are aware, Wisconsin is one of the handful of swing states alongside Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia. These states are known as such due to how close their elections have been over the past several elections cycles. As such, our work here in Wisconsin has a great impact on not only our local elections, but also national elections. 

Enough context, now on to my first few ways that we can move the needle towards preserving democracy and keeping our families safe.

Act number one: Become a monthly donor to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Since the arrival of Ben Wikler, the Wisdems have gone from being an underperforming party to a forward thinking and innovative party. My family has been a monthly donor for at least two years, because I am confident that every dollar is being used to elect compassionate and fair minded progressives all over the state! The groundwork that the Wisdems are laying now will pay the most dividends for November 2024, thus our dollars given now will have a greater effect.

Act number two: Join a neighborhood action team like the Eastside Progressives. If you are one of my neighbors, I hope you'll join us for our monthly meetings and/or to be a volunteer for an event. Not only do your neighborhood action teams provide opportunities to promote candidates and to get out the vote, but there is a great way to connect with others who want to do what we can to preserve and carry on the American democratic experiment. 

Act number three: Be hopeful and optimistic about the future, while grounded in our current reality. You are not the only one, nor are we the only two people in Wisconsin who care about the future and think the future would be better if we preserve the right to choose, to have bodily autonomy, separation of church and state, clean and renewable energy, common sense gun control, criminal justice reform, etc... We do make up the majority. So, if we come together and let our voices be heard as one, we will together create a better tomorrow! 

What I'm listening to: Speaking of being a part of the majority, check out this podcast I've been listening to for years. On Majority 54 Ravi and Jason talk about the week's political events and how a progressive can "grab an oar" and make a difference. I never miss an episode!

In the future I'll keep this shorter!

Matthew