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Elections aren’t won—they’re bought. If we want real change, we must fund it ourselves. No billionaires. No corporate puppets. Just power to the people. Check out my post Stop Waiting for Change—Start Bankrolling It

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I’m not deviating from writing as Dr. Mom—because if you think what’s happening politically doesn’t impact parenting, daily life, or the future we’re handing our kids, then you’re not paying attention. The world we raise our children in is shaped by the policies, leaders, and systems we allow. Staying silent isn’t an option.

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Mary, this was a truly great essay. I hear the exhaustion in every line—the weight of watching power tighten its grip while the rest are left scrambling for scraps. The way corruption isn’t hidden anymore but flaunted, daring anyone to challenge it. The way people are kept angry at each other instead of at the ones pulling the strings.

This isn’t just an observation. It’s lived. It’s felt in the tension of a moment at the checkout line, in the flicker of a grocery store sign against the dark sky. It’s in the knowledge that distraction is the real strategy—keep people worried about the price of eggs while the real theft happens in plain sight.

There’s no speculation anymore. No “what if.” This is it. And it isn’t just an unraveling—it’s being pulled apart deliberately, thread by thread, by hands that never have to worry about the cost.

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Jay, the unraveling isn’t accidental, and neither is the exhaustion. You see it. You feel it. And that means they haven’t won. Thank you.

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Mary, no, of course, it isn't accidental. It is inherent in the system—specifically, the American Constitution. That document is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It was never meant to create equality; it was built to serve the pseudo-Christian, white, cisgender, heterosexual, landowning, wealthy men who wrote it—at the direct expense of everyone else, with their wives and daughters in the front row, alongside enslaved people and exploited workers.

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The Constitution was undoubtedly built with those biases baked in—but the real question is, what now? We can either keep pointing at the foundation or focus on the cracks and how to fix them. Systems evolve when enough people refuse to play by the old rules. So, where do we put our energy? Tearing it all down, working within it, or building something parallel that makes the old system obsolete?

And that’s why we need to keep talking about it. Silence lets broken systems stay intact. Conversations—real, uncomfortable, ongoing ones—are how change gains traction. The more we expose, challenge, and demand, the harder it is to pretend the cracks aren’t there.

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Mary, I have already tried to show a path into the future https://open.substack.com/pub/wildlionessespride/p/what-dignity-and-vision-make-possible. Frankly, that system is as beyond repair as Germany’s was after WWII. Anyone who truly wants change and an equitable future needs to start with a vision. What do they actually want to see? How do they envision a future America? What don’t they want?

So far, nobody seems to be asking those questions—true for any movement. With a clear vision, people can rally behind that vision, not just a person. And maybe, people who seem to be on the other side will support it too. That’s how a movement gains real power.

From Germany, I don’t see anything coherent, certainly nothing rooted in a vision—from anyone. Maybe that’s why there’s so little pushback. I don’t know.

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You're absolutely right—without a clear vision, there is no movement, just scattered frustration. But vision alone isn’t enough—we need action to match it. That means not just resisting the status quo but replacing the politicians who enable it. The current system is beyond repair because those in power benefit from keeping it broken.

History shows that real change happens when people stop waiting for leaders to do the right thing and become the leaders themselves. We need candidates at every level—local, state, and federal—who are committed to a just, equitable future, not just maintaining a corrupt, corporate-backed machine. That means running for office, supporting grassroots challengers, and systematically dismantling the complacency that keeps power locked in place.

If we want a future that isn’t dictated by greed, extremism, and stagnation, we have to build it—brick by brick, election by election, seat by seat. A vision without action is just a dream. A movement with a plan? That’s how we take back the future.

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Mary, I agree with every word. Every movement starts with one person, then the next, and the next—that’s how the Berlin Wall fell. The people of the GDR tore it down, not politicians. And just like Germany’s denazification after WWII, the U.S. needs the same reckoning.

That includes an election system that isn’t sold to the highest bidder, where power isn’t reserved for the wealthiest. Judges shouldn’t be political appointees. Without those changes, even the best candidates will be trapped in the same corrupt machine.

A movement with a plan, as you said, is the only way forward. And correctly it starts with the people—not waiting for leaders to do the right thing, but becoming the leaders themselves, outside the given system.

Of course, it may be that some politicians who have always been ignored and not recognized will join this new movement. And that would basically be more helpful than less helpful.

Fridays for future, BLM, Me too - they all started at a single person.

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Oh, and keep restocking notes that resonate with our message.

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Terrific read, Mary. I love the way you juxtaposed your experience at the market (which seemed horrendous, illuminating, and scary) against the horrors taking place in the country every day without end. A question. If it's all rigged, how do you propose we take action? I'm without a clue what would force a change. It's horrifying. xo

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That’s the question, isn’t it? If it’s all rigged, how do we even begin to push back? Some days, it feels like screaming into the void. But I have to believe that refusing to look away, refusing to go numb, means something. That naming the problem is the first step toward breaking its hold.

I don’t have a perfect answer, but I think change happens in layers—through conversations like this, through small acts of defiance, through refusing to let those in power lull us into apathy. History tells us that systems only stay rigged until enough people decide they won’t accept it anymore. The trick is getting to that tipping point.

And, god, it is horrifying. But I’d rather be horrified than indifferent. Sending you love, as always.

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Absolutely. The feeling of screaming into the void is something many people who care deeply about justice and change experience. But you’re right refusing to look away is powerful in itself.

Movements throughout history, from civil rights to labor rights, were built on the persistence of individuals who refused to accept the status quo. Small acts of defiance, community organizing, and conversations that shift people’s perspectives are what create the cultural undercurrent that eventually leads to systemic change.

The tipping point comes when enough people are awake and willing to act. And that action doesn’t always have to be grand; it can be as simple as educating others, amplifying marginalized voices, or supporting grassroots efforts.

The fact that you’re reflecting on this already makes you part of that momentum. Keep going.

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Exactly. History shows us that real change doesn’t come from a single explosive moment—it comes from the persistence of people who refuse to accept the status quo. Every movement, every shift in power, started with individuals who kept showing up, even when it felt like screaming into the void.

And you’re right—action doesn’t have to be grand to be powerful. Sometimes, it’s as simple as shifting conversations, supporting grassroots efforts, or refusing to look away when the system wants us to. But at some point, awareness has to turn into momentum.

That’s exactly why I wrote Stop Waiting for Change—Start Bankrolling It. Because if elections are bought, then it’s time we start buying them back. If you’re interested in how we turn frustration into real, tangible power, check it out—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Let’s keep pushing. Change isn’t given—it’s funded.

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I love you, Mary. You have such a great mind. xo

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