Why We Must Approve Redistricting

Those who urge us to vote ‘no’ on redistricting desperately want us to ignore the larger picture and look at this as just a local matter. They claim that merging our Congressional representation with the metro area takes away our voices. It is often a point of pride to disparage Fairfax and the metro area and claim we have nothing in common with them. They deny our ties despite the fact that thousands in the Valley depend upon the economic opportunities of the metropolitan area for their living. Electing a Representative who is aware of metro issues while also held accountable to constituents in the Valley is a step to promoting solutions to problems here in rural areas.

The Republican Party is why redistricting in Virginia is a national issue because of their blind adherence to the wishes of a man who routinely disregards his campaign promises to bring relief to the majority of his constituents. The president says he is  ‘entitled’ to more red districts. His preoccupation in upending the way the government and society work together while maximizing his own interests is compounding the damage to those he swore to protect and defend. His focus is not on the majority but on increasing the ability of him and his family and friends to enrich themselves. His and his sons’ fortunes have seen a tenfold increase over the course of his first year back in office, multiplied by their questionable dealings with the government. This comes from the people who campaigned against ‘the Biden crime family’.

Meanwhile, his economic and culture war policies have increased prices, caused uncertainty for businesses, destroyed markets for farmers, damaged our ability to react to a changing environment, and increased the internal divisions of this country.

Attempting to frame the Valley as separate from the rest of the state only serves to hold us back and frustrate needed progress. The national Republican policies have disrupted lives, caused job losses in federal employment, which Virginia depends upon, denied help for the less fortunate, and caused a rural healthcare crisis because of stripping domestic spending in order to create tax breaks for the wealthy. They talk of rural values while undermining opportunities and damaging a family’s ability to thrive.

Virginians have the power to begin to course correct from the disastrous policies and manipulations of the current MAGA regime. We must turn away from encroaching authoritarianism and restore Congress’s stake in governing. This president must be held accountable. I urge everyone to vote YES this Tuesday.

Steve Foreman
Warren County, VA

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