Letter from Sacramento: Vote

I’ve been thinking a lot about corruption, lately. And happiness. And fear.

Each of the last eight years, a team of researchers associated with a United Nations initiative, have produced an annual World Happiness Report. The 2020 report was published just as the United States was locking down for COVID-19.

A few key things are notable about this year’s report.

Click here to access full report.

First, at 18th place, the United States remains just barely within the top 20 happiest countries. This remains down several notches from the ranking of 11 that the U.S. enjoyed when the first report came out in 2012.

Second, the report establishes that the environment matters. It affects happiness and mood. Very simply put: Clean air and pretty natural surroundings yield happier people and dirty air and the lack of natural surroundings reduce happiness.

Finally, and most importantly for these times, government corruption matters. When people feel they can trust their government and institutions--and each other--they tend to be happier.

Earlier this week, the current president of the United States, made it known during a press conference that he would not commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he doesn’t win the election in November. Over the last four years, he has also demonstrated a tolerance for corruption and has practiced it enough to spawn multiple investigations. He has lied consistently about the coronavirus and polling shows that a majority of Americans are wise to this.

Since taking office, the president has also waged a war on the environment and nature. He has made it clear that he considers protecting environmental quality a nuisance that hinders fossil fuel industry growth.

Now, one guy usually isn’t responsible for everyone’s happiness. But in this case, the president is one guy with a lot of power to impact our system, our environment, our neighbors and ourselves in very negative ways.

That’s why fear is on my mind.

We’ve had a lot of reasons to be afraid lately. But the fact that the current president has actually said he has doubts about handing over power after the election, makes the fate of our democracy feel more urgent.

If he is so determined to stay in power that he would abandon the history of peaceful transition between presidents, what else might he do?

I think about the protestors who have peacefully converged around the country to demand justice and speak out for Black lives.

I think about the children taken from their parents and sitting in mass detention camps at the border.

And I think about California.

The current administration has targeted California’s environment and if the current president continues beyond November, he will follow through on any number of bad ideas. Oil drilling will increase on public lands. Government scientists will be cast aside if their analyses conflict with a couple of big water districts’ plans for abusing the Delta. Cleaning up air pollution will be slowed if not stopped. National Park rangers will be muzzled.

Ballots will be arriving in the mail in about a week. Fill yours out and get it back in the mail early.

Then make sure your like-minded friends are doing the same. And then make sure your friends and family in other states are prepared for the election. Make sure they know what’s at stake.

I’m not going to tell you how to vote here. But I am going to ask you to pay attention and keep the environment in mind when you vote this year.

If you do that, you’ll help end the corruption eating away at our democracy. You’ll help protect the environment. You’ll help us begin to climb back up the rankings of happiness.

Sincerely,