Now Is the Time to Take a Stand, Not Settle for False Promises

When you’ve walked through enough storms in life—as a veteran, a father, and an everyday citizen—you start to recognize patterns. You can tell the difference between someone offering a life raft and someone throwing out empty words from a yacht. Right now, as our country stumbles through yet another political standoff, we’re being handed plenty of words—but not much more.

As the government shutdown stretches and working families sit in limbo, I want to speak plainly: the opposition cannot afford to bail out bad behavior again. The Democrats, and anyone who calls themselves a protector of democracy and everyday Americans, need to stop negotiating with those who would gladly sell hope just to save face. Let’s not prop someone up who has made a pattern out of stoking chaos only to beg for a lifeline once that chaos turns real.

Because I’ve seen what that lifeline can cost.

Who Pays When the Government Fails?

I’ve lived through shutdowns before. I’ve felt the sting of benefits delayed, healthcare access restricted, and the struggle of veterans like me left wondering when the system will remember that we exist. We’re always the first to feel it—those of us depending on reliable checks, small business contracts, or food assistance. The pressure lands not on the Capitol, but on the kitchen tables of hardworking Americans.

A government shut down isn’t a symbolic protest—it’s a real act of failing the people. When you threaten people’s livelihoods for political gain, that’s not strategy, that’s cruelty wrapped in a suit and red tie.

So when folks start talking about “working across the aisle” or “putting politics aside and rescuing the presidency,” I have to ask: rescue what, exactly?

Saving a System or Feeding the Dysfunction?

I understand compromise. As a soldier, I learned how to listen to others even when we disagreed. But there’s a difference between unity and enabling. Between peacekeeping and surrender.

Donald Trump—whether during his previous years in office or more recent stunts—has operated on a cycle of disruption followed by demands. He throws fuel on a fire, then asks others to clean it up, all while blaming the nearest scapegoat. Now he’s backed into another shutdown mess, and the whispers are starting. Some want the Democrats to step in again—to “be the adults in the room” and restore calm.

But let’s be clear: this moment isn’t just about being mature. It’s about drawing a line. If the opposition continually gives in to temporary fixes, we encourage long-term damage. You can’t teach responsibility by rewarding recklessness.

We Need More Than Apologies and Empty Deals

How many times have we accepted lip service and empty promises from those in power? Promises about protecting social security, improving healthcare, or honoring veterans? Each time we settle, the system learns that all it takes is a pretty speech to make people forget the last betrayal.

But people are hurting now. The system isn’t abstract to us. It’s a denied medication. It’s a shut-off notice. It’s a missed rent payment. We don’t get the luxury of delay while lawmakers argue egos on C-SPAN.

So no—this is not the time to negotiate half-hearted solutions behind closed doors. This is the time to demand transformative accountability.

The People Are Watching

To every elected official—especially those in opposition—I say this: the people are watching you. And more than that, we’re counting on you. Not just to be nicer or smarter than your opponent, but to have spine and principle when it counts.

Don’t bail out anyone who’s willing to toss working class folks aside to keep their image intact. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking government unity is more important than government morality. Decency without justice is just decoration.

Let This Be the Moment of Backbone

Eventually, every person comes to a point where they have to decide who they’re going to be. I’ve faced that in uniform, in family courtrooms, in housing offices, and now in this advocacy path. And I promise you—there is no “right time” to stand up for truth, justice, and dignity. There is only *now*.

Now is the time for the opposition to stand tall and make it clear: we will not reward dysfunction. We will not be accessories to destruction. We will not let the machinery of government be manipulated for personal gain.

Let this shutdown be the moment we set a new standard. Let it be the moment we reclaim accountability. And may no leader—Democrat or Republican—forget what people truly need from those in power: courage, integrity, and the will to call out lies even when it’s hard.

We deserve more than promises. We deserve progress.

**If you’ve felt the weight of shutdowns in your life—miss