They Are Not Coming to Save Us
{ Nicholas Lazzaro }
WITH 2023 NOW coming to an end, 2024 is a fresh new start. Bringing with it, includes many of the same problems in our politics left unaddressed. Issues like, immigration, cost of living, healthcare and reproductive freedom are top of mind for most voters. The election year of 2024 includes a presidential election, a statewide election for US Senate, house seats and state senate/ house offices. Although many are fixated on who the presidential nominees will be, the real power lies within local elections that will be on the ballot in 2024. This includes several special elections in the Worcester area, house seats that will be contested, as well as contested selectboard and school committee seats. What we all need to remember going into 2024- is that the President is not an absolute power, they are not the messiah or savior to solve your problems.
To begin, it is important for us to understand why the President cannot solve all of our issues, regardless of their platforms. The President does not legislate from the Oval office. In fact, similar to Trump, Biden has been using executive orders to by-pass congress for many initiatives. However, the potency of many of these initiatives has been extraordinarily weakened by the fact they are not bills going through both chambers of Congress. The president can use the bully-pulpit to rally for legislation and for the passage of bills, but he or she cannot simply create the doctrine. A major misconception amongst voters, assigns incredible legislative blame on presidents when congress usually is last to act and cannot pass meaningful legislation in an appropriate amount of time. However, this is because our process is designed to be slow, deliberative, and foster debate hence, why the filibuster exists. Although frustrating, this system is designed to prevent extremism, and poor legislation from becoming law, fostering bipartisanship. However, this process is painstakingly slow, and it is very hard to see immediate results for many of the everyday problems we experience as voters.
Thus, local elections, and state office holders are the most important elected positions you will be voting for in 2024. Washington DC is not coming to save you. They do not care if your local school has new books, they do not care if your transportation is free, they do not care if the sidewalk near you is handicap accessible. Washington’s job involves large scale funding projects, national legislative agendas, and social issues. Whereas your local and state offices main responsibility is to care for each and everyone of these issues. State and local officials hold most of the power to decide where federal and state funding goes to solve problems. They are the key decision makers for who’s school gets new books, what roads get fixed, and which sidewalk is repaired. Who you elect to your school board decides which schools get funding for programs. Who you elect to your Selectboard or City council decides which roads and sidewalks are fixed. Who you elect to the State house decides funding for healthcare, schools and infrastructure as well as policy directions for social issues that affect us all. Your local elections have incredible consequences to your daily life. Which is why, in 2024 it is so critical to vote for those on your local ballot.
If you find yourself in a position where things are not much better for you under Trump or the Biden Administration your first check needs to be to who you are electing to your Selectboard and State Representative. These two positions truly dictate the funding in your district, and the distribution of those funds. Their initiatives can affect the macroeconomy of the community for better or for worse. If you are worried about democracy, rising costs, and have a distaste for the status quo of the last 8 years, the change happens in your community first. Run for something, organize for a candidate who values your input, and stick up for others who do not have a voice. People power far outweighs presidential and congressional force.