Can you believe this? This shit drives me crazy.
Makes me wanna plunge my head in the toilet and sing a slow lullaby.
I mean, when I hear “light refreshments” I think hummus, vegetable ranch dip, maybe even a ritz cracker or two. If I was being really optimistic I might even hope for some egg salad . But what the Hamilton West Harbour Committee means when they say “light refreshments” is a middleweight fruit platter and a half-tray of cookies. That’s fine, I get it, you’ve got two-hundred grand to spend on laser pointers and sound cannons to keep the geese away but you can’t spring for a shpeckle of egg salad. That’s fine. You’re about to make a filthy million selling Hamilton’s waterfront to some rabid condo-rats, but ya – hummus can be a bit pricey.
Makes me sick.
But the melon is great, and the cookies got peanut butter, so I triple-decker the paper plates and make a nice smorgasbord to take back to my seat, an overflowing cup of joe spilling onto people’s laps as I walk. Serves em right for serving up 2%.
The crowd is making eyes at me ’cause I’m narrating all of my complaints under my breath. I’m only twenty minutes late for the meeting and already the cookies are half gone. What the hell did I walk all the way down here for?

“Shhhhhhh”.

The suits are already knees deep in their own drivel. I’ve seen this Chris Phillips kid before – he’s the one they fly around the world selling the waterfront plan to developers. His job is to make sure that by time Pier 8 hits the auction block the investors are already foaming at the mouth. But tonight all he’s gotta do is make us riff-raff feel included in this billion dollar land grab. Naturally wherever he goes the “light refreshments” follow – keep our mouths full and we won’t ask too many questions eh Chrissy?
His spiel tonight is polished. A greasy project dressed up in dapper shoes. Not that it’s anything new. The city buys up old industrial land then pays for the cleanup and hands it off to their developer pals. Just like the old theatre on James or the Lister block, the same guys who do all the sprawl up on the mountain come trotting back out to help. Chris is sweating and saying, “work live and play” over and over, as if he’s already moved on to giving a sales pitch for the 1600 condos he wants to put out on the pier.

“. . .and rest assured the social housing in the North End will only be emptied out as a temporary measure. . .”
This guy cares about social housing like I care about the lice on my head. If the city stooges gave a single fuck they’d use the land they already own to build something affordable.

This waterfront project is a nightmare for anyone without half a million to blow on a condo, but the room full of geezers just wanna talk about how the skateboarders are getting wax all over their precious benches. There’s also a couple yuppies here dying to feel civically engaged but who can’t quite remember what it is they’re supposed to care about.

So the suits are winning. The deal is gonna be a smashing success. I’m over it.

But then they bring in the Scientists to talk about how geese are the real enemies of the harbour and how they’re gonna get rid of em all, which makes me cough up a full piece of pineapple onto the floor. What kind of nitwitted shitstain would take 3 years to asses Hamilton Harbour and decide that the geese are the biggest problem? I don’t remember us needing an 11,000 ton metal condom to cover up any Reef of goose shit. I don’t remember any flaming chimneys down on the harbour because of goose shit. Ya I get it, they’re plopping bacteria into the water, real tragedy, but I can point to a hundred things putting worse shit into that water every day.
“I’ve seen your goons shooting blanks at those poor honkers! Thought it was a real gun at first, scared the piss outta of me!”
“Maam, the Q&A will be at the end of the presentation, but that’s a great segue into our next slide about water-foul deterrence.”
And that’s when I really start cackling. You know what these clowns are up to? Here’s the laundry list: laser pointers, dogs, pyrotechnics, sound cannons, effigies, grape-flavored poison in the grass, oiling the eggs. . .
“When you rub a certain kind of oil on the eggs it suffocates the young, but the parents don’t know so they don’t go lay eggs anywhere else”.
Unfuckingreal. I knew these people were bad, but that’s cold ain’t it? All so that little Katey can go swimming in the bay without getting pink eye. Meanwhile every time it rains you get rivers of unfiltered sewage streaming in from Woodward Ave, and these wankers are oiling goose eggs!
“Why don’t you just pour gasoline on em and light em up! Might be faster”. I shove another handful of strawberries into my mouth and a snarky laughter spreads through the crowd.
“Unfortunately that wouldn’t be a possible strategy ma’am. Because they’re migratory birds there’s a great deal of restrictions. . .”
This coffee is making my throat dry and the pineapple’s hurting my tongue so I just get up to leave. I can’t listen to these monsters jabber anymore.
“Ma’am we encourage you stay until the end. We look forward to engaged community feedback after the presentation”.
“You want my feedback?”

I turn to face em and pull up my skirt to give em a glimpse of ol’ Molly Muncher the Wild Haired Crone. “Get fucked you walking corpses! How about some real cream next time?” and I push back out into the tepid winter streets. What ever happened to cold Januarys?
Probably not allowed in Evergreen anymore. Whatever. I got plenty a hustle left on this block. And besides I see right through their bullshit consulting scam.
The vultures are ripping this city to shreds. I’m keeping my head above water, but it’s true it’s all starting to get to me. I feel like I’m the only one who sees through all of these glitzy spiels. I just wanna keep to myself, collect my score and keep moving, but this is getting to be too much. Chintzy bastards can’t even cough up for a little egg salad. Light refreshments my ass. I just don’t know about this city anymore.

-G.L.

About the Author:

During a late night editorial meeting, only weeks after we first floated the idea of a The Cannon Street Bellows, a stranger walked into The Tower. She said that she heard some kids got dressed up like pigeons and sprayed sour milk at developers, we said we heard that too. She chuckled and handed us an envelope, filled up a mug of coffee for herself, said she would have more in a few weeks, and walked out with our mug. The envelope was labeled G.L. and contained an article about the 541 cafe on Barton St hand written on coffee-stained foolscap. We were stunned — even for a crew of cynical anarchists this was pretty curmudgeonly stuff. But it seemed like the real deal, so we decided to give it space in this publication. A few months later we received another envelope, this time containing an article about Hamilton’s West Harbour Development Plan. We hope she keeps coming around!

A highlight of the Trump inauguration in January 2017 was when an anti-fascist’s fist connected exquisitely with the jaw of alt-right neo-Nazi Richard Spencer. Video footage of the punch went instantly viral, inspiring a whole genre of left-wing memes and popularizing the ethical question, “Is it okay to punch a Nazi?”

We’ll get back to that question. First let’s be clear that Richard Spencer is in fact a Nazi by any reasonable definition. His white nationalist think-tank, the National Policy Institute, openly pushes a political message of white genetic and cultural superiority. Their ultimate goal is the creation of a “white ethno-state” through radical anti-immigration policies. They’re anti-feminist and homophobic, calling for a return to “traditional” gender roles. And like fascist movements of the 20’s and 30’s, they invoke anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to argue for a supposed “third position” between capitalism and socialism.

Spencer and his cronies have positioned themselves as a kind of intellectual vanguard of the alt-right, which differs in style but not in substance from traditional neo-Nazi boneheads.

The term ‘alt-right’ was coined by Spencer around 2010, but initially failed to gain much traction in popular consciousness. This changed when white nationalists were joined by the woman-hating internet trolls of the “manosphere” in supporting the Trump candidacy. They spread their message initially on online forums like 4Chan, using memes and slang to vilify women, racial minorities, socially progressive liberals, and even mainstream conservatives. These forces are flanked by Matthew Heimbach’s Traditionalist Workers’ Party, an openly Nazi formation which is attempting to build a rank-and-file base to white nationalism.

These tendencies have coalesced into a perfect storm of organized bigotry and reactionary, cop-loving politics centered around the Trump Administration. With its authoritarian tone and racist pronouncements against Latinxs, Black people, and Muslims, Trump and his supporters have emboldened racist extremism, resulting in spike in hate crimes. Trump’s top advisor and National Security chief Steve Bannon is a crypto-white nationalist who has bragged that Breitbart, a far-right media outlet that he used to run, acted as a ‘gateway’ for the alt-right to the mainstream.

With the executive branch of the world’s most powerful nation state lending its ear, these alt-nazis present an existential threat to racialized people and threaten to turn back historic gains of women. On the surface they appear to offer white sections of the working class easy answers to very real anxieties – deindustrialization, declining wages, and global instability. But they merely misdirect anger against scapegoats, rather than dealing with the root causes of these problems. For most white people, this re-heated fascism merely offers a little “less” state-capitalist repression in return for slavish obedience.

And this rightward turn in the US is matched in recent years by far-right parties across Europe, bolstered by bigoted reactions to the “refugee crisis”. Humanity once again faces the very real prospect of a global ascendancy of fascism, armed this time with enough warheads to destroy civilization several times over.

No Platform

For now, the cutting edge of the fascist right occupies its biggest presence online, where it has parlayed discontent with the excesses of political correctness into a hip, irreverent bigotry, replete with viral memes and web-savvy slang. Their biggest threat for on-the-ground organizing is on university campuses. Alt-right figures consistently draw large crowds to their campus tours, and cynically accuse opponents who protest them of violating their free-speech rights.

Many liberals for their part remain steadfast to the dogma of free speech, arguing that if we allow fascists to have their say in the marketplace of ideas, they will expose themselves as buffoons, and reason will prevail among the citizenry. Absurdly, some liberals even argue that by stopping fascists with force, we become “just like them,” simplistically boiling fascism down to “violence”.

Militant anti-fascists have long demolished these naive claims, and continue to assemble to physically stop fascists from spreading their poison. The stated intent of alt-nazis is the segregation of the world into ethnically cleansed enclaves, a feat that cannot be accomplished without a massive application of state violence. They are in a position to draw support from Trump’s most loyal minions – the police, border guards, and functionaries of other repressive state apparatuses. They are immune to the shame-based call-outs of campus liberals, and are openly cultivating their own brand of white, male identity politics. Their influence will continue to incite racist violence. With their Nietzchean “master morality”, they only speak one language: force.

Militant anti-fascists are not seeking to use the state to criminalize the speech acts of fascists. Such state repression can be just as easily used against us. But would-be fascist leaders must be denied a platform to organize and build bases of power. As one anti-fascist writer put it, “people are free to have any ideas they want, but we are also free to mobilize to stop violence and oppression from becoming an unstoppable wave in our community.” In a world marred by deep power lines of class, race, and gender, free speech is not something that presently exists, but a revolutionary goal to be attained.

So yes, it is okay to punch a Nazi, but it is not enough. Defeating far-right reactionary politics requires that we out-organize them on the ground, to deny them a base. This will entail a sustained effort by fascism’s various targets and their allies to build self-defense responses – neighbourhood organizing against deportations for example. It also entails organizing with white and racialized sections of the working class around their common material interests, while countering sexism, homophobia, and white racist impulse with a message of working class unity.

While at the laundromat, I often end up chatting with strangers. It makes the whole process of folding shirts and matching socks more bearable. These conversations usually focus on the same types of things: the absurdity of how expensive rent in this city is getting and the onslaught of rich assholes from Toronto; the stress of precarious work with no benefits; and the difficulty of keeping up with bills. We usually just talk about the mundane struggles of being working poor.

But these days, the most popular topic of discussion is Donald Trump. A lot of people are enthusiastic about his election and hopeful that it will bring about positive changes. When I ask folks why they feel this way, I’m typically told that Trump is an everyday kind of man – someone who’s relatable and different from other politicians. His election is seen as striking a blow against existing political elites and the established social order that fucks so many of us over.

Trump got elected on a campaign that painted him as an “anti-establishment” figure. He appealed to the disaffected and promised to “make America great again” for the forgotten little guys. Several years earlier, mayoral candidate Rob Ford was elected in Toronto after a campaign that made use of similar claims and promised to “stop the gravy train”. Ford appealed to the neglected “ordinary people” of the suburbs, and vowed to take on the city’s downtown elites. Most recently, Conservative Party leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch has spoken publically about the need to challenge government elites and to look out for “the average guy and gal on the street”.

Such calls resonate with many people’s feelings of economic and political discontent, and appeal to collective desires for social change. But, do they deliver on their promises?

How do they measure up to scrutiny? And, where do they take us?

A Matter of Misdirection and Manipulation

Donald Trump is a billionaire business mogul who was born to a wealthy family. Up until his inauguration, he ran ‘The Trump Organization’ – an international conglomerate that owns and operates an extensive network of hotels, resorts, residential real estate developments, and golf courses. He owns countless homes, travels in private jets, and lives a life of extravagance. Drawing on the language of the occupy movement, he’s undeniably part of the super rich 1%.

Rob Ford was a multi-millionaire and businessman, who similarly came from a rich family. Founded by his grandparents, the company ‘Deco Labels and Tags’ has been passed down through the generations and makes an estimated $100 million in annual sales. He drove luxury cars, owned several vacation homes in Florida and the Muskokas, and held an extensive portfolio of real estate investment properties. Until his death in 2016, he lived a life of privilege and indulgence.

Kellie Leitch is a former pediatric surgeon and university professor. She was born to an affluent business owning family, attended some of Canada’s most prestigious universities, and has boasted of having 22 letters at the end of her name. She worked an exceedingly well-paying job at a top-ranked hospital, taught at the University of Toronto, and held a chair position at the internationally renowned Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. She has served as a member of parliament and held a federal cabinet position.

These so-called “anti-establishment” figures are elite in pretty much every sense of the word. They are rich and powerful; well connected to influential people and institutions in both the political and business worlds; and have huge material resources at their fingertips. They talk incessantly about the “every day folks”, yet they are completely removed from the experiences that mark most of our lives. We have few, if any, shared interests with these people.

Divide and Conquer

It is all too common for those in power (or for those vying to gain power) to utilize a “divide and conquer” strategy to whip up support and strengthen their position. A divided population is easier to rule and control, and thus, it is beneficial to obscure commonalities and highlight differences between people. Purposively inflamed divisions’ function to direct our frustrations and hostilities horizontally, rather than vertically. History is littered with examples and our present moment is no exception.

We live in a time when most people’s standard of living is declining – we work harder and harder in shit jobs for low wages and with zero stability; we’re drowning in debt; and we’re sinking further into poverty. Many of us are rightfully fed up and looking for someone to blame. While there are many places we could look to, for example insatiably greedy CEOs, morally bankrupt investors, or corrupt politicians; we’re encouraged to look elsewhere.

Lately, it has become increasingly widespread to hear messages casting blame on immigrants and Muslims. The so-called “anti-establishment” figures in particular, have directed a lot of energy into emphasizing the impending threat of Islamic terrorists, the growing epidemic of freeloading refugees, and the ongoing crisis of job stealing migrants. But, it’s all smoke and mirrors. These narratives draw on and perpetuate racist tropes in order to direct attention away from those who are actually responsible for and benefit from our collective immiseration.

The greatest danger for folks living in Canada or the United States for that matter is not “jihadist terrorism”. In fact, the likelihood of being the victim of a terrorist attack is incredibly low – it’s even lower than your chance of being struck by lightening! You are also far more likely to lose your life in a car crash, drown in a bathtub, perish in a building fire, die in workplace accident, or be killed by bees. Furthermore, it is Christians who are the most frequent perpetrators of extremist violence on North American soil, and it is Muslims who are disproportionately at risk of being the target of attacks. The mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque this past January killed 6 people and injured 19 others, making it the largest act of terrorism in recent Canadian history. The shooter was a Quebec-born white nationalist and the victims were all Muslim.

On the issue of migration, claims are equally misleading. There’s no red carpet being rolled out for refugees – most are fleeing intense conflicts (for example, the brutal Syrian Civil War) and go through a difficult journey to get here. When they do arrive in places like Hamilton, they are housed in rundown, bedbug-infested apartments and given minimal support. As for the question of employment, immigrants are not stealing our jobs. Millions of jobs have been outsourced as the result of free trade agreements ratified by “our” governments and pushed for by companies working to reduce their labour costs in order to make higher profits.

Neither immigrants nor Muslims are the source of our hardships – they are fucked over, exploited, and oppressed by ruling elites just like the rest of us (and often get the worst of it). In the article ‘To Other Working Americans’, the group ‘Red Neck Revolt’ explains:

“We’ve been fed ridiculous ideas of the “invading” brown hordes, and the rich whites that make up the upper tiers (and financiers) of right-wing militias salivate over our reactions. If we’re busy fighting the Mexicans and Muslims, and trying to round up all the “illegals,” then we’re too busy to fight the real enemies, the ones who set us against each other to begin with. Most of us that keep falling for these lines mean well. Hell, we only want to defend our families and our communities… but in reality, we’re weakening them even more, by fighting our real potential allies and diverting our attention from the real enemy, the “enemy within,” the politicians and the race-realists, the bosses and white collar criminals who are the only ones really profiting off of us to begin with.”

While directed to an American audience, much of this sentiment rings true for Canadians as well.

The Game is Rigged

Every few years, election seasons rolls around and a corresponding political circus ensues. Politicians battle it out in the hopes of getting our votes; making grandiose promises of all the things they will do and making epic speeches on why they are the best candidate to lead us. Often the language they use is alienating and the experiences they talk about are unrelatable. So when people like Trump come along – people who talk like a “normal” person – it’s refreshing and gives the illusion of being a departure from the status quo.

Many of us want something different and we’re lead to believe that these figures can deliver. But they never do. Politicians aren’t allies they are the enemy. We are told that if we want change, we have to elect a leader to bring it about. We are told that if we have frustrations, we have to find a representative to address them. We’re told that if we don’t vote, we can’t complain. Essentially, we’re told that there is nothing else. This idea that there are no other options creates the climate where desires for social change are funneled into a dead end.

Our political system is the problem. It functions as a revolving door for elites of various stripes to further their interests and not ours. It offers us no way out, only a choice between one shitty politician and another. No matter who we vote for and no matter who wins, we lose. Luckily, we have other options. If we want to better our lives and lives of the people we care about, we can move away from asking politicians to taking action ourselves and building relationships with those who we actually share interests and experiences with.

By: Ann Turner

While at the laundromat, I often end up chatting with strangers. It makes the whole process of folding shirts and matching socks more bearable. These conversations usually focus on the same types of things: the absurdity of how expensive rent in this city is getting and the onslaught of rich assholes from Toronto; the stress of precarious work with no benefits; and the difficulty of keeping up with bills. We usually just talk about the mundane struggles of being working poor.

But these days, the most popular topic of discussion is Donald Trump. A lot of people are enthusiastic about his election and hopeful that it will bring about positive changes. When I ask folks why they feel this way, I’m typically told that Trump is an everyday kind of man – someone who’s relatable and different from other politicians. His election is seen as striking a blow against existing political elites and the established social order that fucks so many of us over.

Trump got elected on a campaign that painted him as an “anti-establishment” figure. He appealed to the disaffected and promised to “make America great again” for the forgotten little guys. Several years earlier, mayoral candidate Rob Ford was elected in Toronto after a campaign that made use of similar claims and promised to “stop the gravy train”. Ford appealed to the neglected “ordinary people” of the suburbs, and vowed to take on the city’s downtown elites. Most recently, Conservative Party leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch has spoken publically about the need to challenge government elites and to look out for “the average guy and gal on the street”.

Such calls resonate with many people’s feelings of economic and political discontent, and appeal to collective desires for social change. But, do they deliver on their promises?

How do they measure up to scrutiny? And, where do they take us?

A Matter of Misdirection and Manipulation

Donald Trump is a billionaire business mogul who was born to a wealthy family. Up until his inauguration, he ran ‘The Trump Organization’ – an international conglomerate that owns and operates an extensive network of hotels, resorts, residential real estate developments, and golf courses. He owns countless homes, travels in private jets, and lives a life of extravagance. Drawing on the language of the occupy movement, he’s undeniably part of the super rich 1%.

Rob Ford was a multi-millionaire and businessman, who similarly came from a rich family. Founded by his grandparents, the company ‘Deco Labels and Tags’ has been passed down through the generations and makes an estimated $100 million in annual sales. He drove luxury cars, owned several vacation homes in Florida and the Muskokas, and held an extensive portfolio of real estate investment properties. Until his death in 2016, he lived a life of privilege and indulgence.

Kellie Leitch is a former pediatric surgeon and university professor. She was born to an affluent business owning family, attended some of Canada’s most prestigious universities, and has boasted of having 22 letters at the end of her name. She worked an exceedingly well-paying job at a top-ranked hospital, taught at the University of Toronto, and held a chair position at the internationally renowned Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. She has served as a member of parliament and held a federal cabinet position.

These so-called “anti-establishment” figures are elite in pretty much every sense of the word. They are rich and powerful; well connected to influential people and institutions in both the political and business worlds; and have huge material resources at their fingertips. They talk incessantly about the “every day folks”, yet they are completely removed from the experiences that mark most of our lives. We have few, if any, shared interests with these people.

Divide and Conquer

It is all too common for those in power (or for those vying to gain power) to utilize a “divide and conquer” strategy to whip up support and strengthen their position. A divided population is easier to rule and control, and thus, it is beneficial to obscure commonalities and highlight differences between people. Purposively inflamed divisions’ function to direct our frustrations and hostilities horizontally, rather than vertically. History is littered with examples and our present moment is no exception.

We live in a time when most people’s standard of living is declining – we work harder and harder in shit jobs for low wages and with zero stability; we’re drowning in debt; and we’re sinking further into poverty. Many of us are rightfully fed up and looking for someone to blame. While there are many places we could look to, for example insatiably greedy CEOs, morally bankrupt investors, or corrupt politicians; we’re encouraged to look elsewhere.

Lately, it has become increasingly widespread to hear messages casting blame on immigrants and Muslims. The so-called “anti-establishment” figures in particular, have directed a lot of energy into emphasizing the impending threat of Islamic terrorists, the growing epidemic of freeloading refugees, and the ongoing crisis of job stealing migrants. But, it’s all smoke and mirrors. These narratives draw on and perpetuate racist tropes in order to direct attention away from those who are actually responsible for and benefit from our collective immiseration.

The greatest danger for folks living in Canada or the United States for that matter is not “jihadist terrorism”. In fact, the likelihood of being the victim of a terrorist attack is incredibly low – it’s even lower than your chance of being struck by lightening! You are also far more likely to lose your life in a car crash, drown in a bathtub, perish in a building fire, die in workplace accident, or be killed by bees. Furthermore, it is Christians who are the most frequent perpetrators of extremist violence on North American soil, and it is Muslims who are disproportionately at risk of being the target of attacks. The mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque this past January killed 6 people and injured 19 others, making it the largest act of terrorism in recent Canadian history. The shooter was a Quebec-born white nationalist and the victims were all Muslim.

On the issue of migration, claims are equally misleading. There’s no red carpet being rolled out for refugees – most are fleeing intense conflicts (for example, the brutal Syrian Civil War) and go through a difficult journey to get here. When they do arrive in places like Hamilton, they are housed in rundown, bedbug-infested apartments and given minimal support. As for the question of employment, immigrants are not stealing our jobs. Millions of jobs have been outsourced as the result of free trade agreements ratified by “our” governments and pushed for by companies working to reduce their labour costs in order to make higher profits.

Neither immigrants nor Muslims are the source of our hardships – they are fucked over, exploited, and oppressed by ruling elites just like the rest of us (and often get the worst of it). In the article ‘To Other Working Americans’, the group ‘Red Neck Revolt’ explains:

“We’ve been fed ridiculous ideas of the “invading” brown hordes, and the rich whites that make up the upper tiers (and financiers) of right-wing militias salivate over our reactions. If we’re busy fighting the Mexicans and Muslims, and trying to round up all the “illegals,” then we’re too busy to fight the real enemies, the ones who set us against each other to begin with. Most of us that keep falling for these lines mean well. Hell, we only want to defend our families and our communities… but in reality, we’re weakening them even more, by fighting our real potential allies and diverting our attention from the real enemy, the “enemy within,” the politicians and the race-realists, the bosses and white collar criminals who are the only ones really profiting off of us to begin with.”

While directed to an American audience, much of this sentiment rings true for Canadians as well.

The Game is Rigged

Every few years, election seasons rolls around and a corresponding political circus ensues. Politicians battle it out in the hopes of getting our votes; making grandiose promises of all the things they will do and making epic speeches on why they are the best candidate to lead us. Often the language they use is alienating and the experiences they talk about are unrelatable. So when people like Trump come along – people who talk like a “normal” person – it’s refreshing and gives the illusion of being a departure from the status quo.

Many of us want something different and we’re lead to believe that these figures can deliver. But they never do. Politicians aren’t allies they are the enemy. We are told that if we want change, we have to elect a leader to bring it about. We are told that if we have frustrations, we have to find a representative to address them. We’re told that if we don’t vote, we can’t complain. Essentially, we’re told that there is nothing else. This idea that there are no other options creates the climate where desires for social change are funneled into a dead end.

Our political system is the problem. It functions as a revolving door for elites of various stripes to further their interests and not ours. It offers us no way out, only a choice between one shitty politician and another. No matter who we vote for and no matter who wins, we lose. Luckily, we have other options. If we want to better our lives and lives of the people we care about, we can move away from asking politicians to taking action ourselves and building relationships with those who we actually share interests and experiences with.

By: Ann Turner