Where is the love?

I sat, like many of us, this past weekend watching the horror (and I use that word purposefully since I think the American public is becoming callous to violence) unfold in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue.  Eleven people lost their lives in a sacred place of worship.  Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax,  and Irving Younger all lost their lives.  Please read those names again.  They could be our brothers, mothers, aunts or grandfathers.  

Pittsburgh PA, Columbia TN, Las Vegas NV, Robstown TX, Wilmington DE, Trenton NJ, Santa Fe TX, Parkland FL, and many more.  Cities with tragic mass killings.  And do not forget the daily violence that plagues many of our major metropolitan areas (and also smaller cities).  The United States is a society where an unusual number of people die violently, at least in comparison to other rich, capitalist democracies.  The U.S. has the 31st highest rate in the world: 3.85 deaths due to gun violence per 100,000 people in 2016. That was eight times higher than the rate in Canada, which had .48 deaths per 100,000 people — and 27 times higher than the one in Denmark, which had .14 deaths per 100,000 in 2016.  The U.S. gun violence death rate is also higher than nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including many that are among the world's poorest (NPR).  One more way to consider this data: The IHME also estimates what it would expect a country's rate of gun violence deaths to be based solely on its socioeconomic status. By that measure, the U.S. should only be seeing .79 deaths per 100,000 people — almost five times less than its actual rate of 3.85 deaths per 100,000.

Let me take it from statistic to reality really quick, “I will only become a statistic. I will never be able to go to college. My dog will always wonder where I went. I will become a hashtag. I will never be able to fight for my life again. Please don’t let gun violence continue,” Colorado high school student Presley Leland wrote.  An analysis of school shootings in the past two decades by The Washington Post has found that more than 214,000 students in America have been affected by gun violence at school.

Our famed cities of Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Baltimore and St Louis experience hundreds of murders each year.  The upward trend in the national murder rate is attributed to sharp increases in crime in a handful of American cities. In Chicago, for example, the murder rate nearly doubled between 2014 and 2016. Milwaukee and Louisville, Kentucky, saw comparable spikes.

I am not pro or anti guns, but here are some facts: American civilians own at least 265 million firearms, which gives Americans the highest rate of per capita firearm ownership in the world, with about one gun for every American.   For a reference, Yemen comes in a distant second, with about 55 guns for every 100 people, according to data from the Small Arms Survey.  These surveys also show that gun ownership in America is actually highly concentrated with only 22% to 31% of American adults saying they personally own a gun.  Just 3% of American adults own a collective 133 million firearms – half of America’s total gun stock. These owners have collections that range from 8 to 140 guns, the 2015 study found. Their average collection: 17 guns each.

With the escalation of American violence, it is easy to blame the vast availability of guns as the culprit.  We could debate forever about whether this issue is about the guns, but that is not my point today – my point is it is about us - the people.  The answer is not about just the access to guns.  In my opinion, that is just a part.  Although gun availability is undoubtedly a major contributing factor, sadly these issues are becoming increasingly reduced to empty, emotional rhetoric and rallying cries for our politicians on all sides versus trying to find resolution that works for both sides. Given the history of these issues, and particularly gun control in America, it is unlikely they will be settled anytime soon. But we should ask ourselves what brings people to the point where they are shooting innocent people in schools, malls, concerts and places of worship? We are killing children and the elderly.  It is every day.  Every day.

It may make more sense to move past the polarizing issue of gun control and instead focus our discussion on an actual solution that can work for all of us – one that both sides of the aisle can agree upon. We need to focus on core values of America – our parenting, education of our kids, messaging from the media, our films & music, and leadership in our country (schools, businesses, and politics).  We can, and should, be better in these areas (I think most would agree).  

Where is the love?  I do not mean this in the literal sense, but in a figurative sense that we, as humans, owe it to ourselves to try to fix this problem. The love starts with the home – how are we raising our kids?  Are we focused on how they treat people or what they have?  The love starts with the press – are we focused on the catchy headline (sometimes even click bait headlines) or telling the true objective story?  The love starts with education – are we working to understand both sides of the discussion or just who is “right”?  The love starts with leadership – are we about placing blame or fixing the issues of the people you represent?  The love starts with faith – faith in mankind, faith that allows us to forgive, faith that guides us to the correct moral decisions.  The love starts with us – we all need to give a little more, accept a little more, understand a little more – and speak up a little more. 

Every generation seems to write about this in their music.  I do not have the answers, and neither did Marvin or John.  I will leave you with three pretty poignant and relative song lyrics.  Timeless….

From The Black-Eyed Peas:

People killin' people dyin', Children hurtin', I hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preachin'?, Would you turn the other cheek again?
Mama, mama, mama, tell us what the hell is goin' on, Can't we all just get along?
Father, father, father help us, Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questioning – “Where is the love?”

From Marvin Gaye:

Mother, mother, There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother, There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, eheh

Father, father, We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer, For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, oh oh oh

Picket lines and picket signs, Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see, Oh, what's going on
What's going on, Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on???

From John Lennon: 

Imagine there's no heaven, It's easy if you try
No hell below us, Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today, Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you, You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one…

Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers

Do you matter?

“To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” Louis L'Amour

We have the freedom to choose our leaders and engage on the issues that we care about. That means we can build power in our communities and create real change. Our right to vote gives us that power.  Our right to vote means that we matter.  Make a difference.  Get out and vote.

As our nation has many political discussions, debates, arguments today, I like to always ask first, “Did you vote?”  If they answer no, I generally will change the topic.  As Mr. L’Amour said, “One who does not vote, has no right to complain.”   We need to all help encourage more voter turnout.

Some encouraging data this year suggests turnout has been higher in this season’s special elections and primaries, experts say that this November it is still unlikely to break out of the middling range it has been stuck in for nearly a century.  People often cite a few basic reasons for why they do not vote in midterm elections: they are either too busy or not interested, according to Dr. McDonald’s analysis of responses to the Census Bureau from 2000 to 2016.  I would argue that this year there is more interest than in many years past.  Gun violence, mental health, addiction, healthcare, budgets, defense spending, immigration, the list goes on. 

Americans used to vote at much higher rates — sometimes above 80 percent in the second half of the 19th century, but turnout declined sharply from 1900 through the 1940s, as the power of the party machines declined and voter suppression shut out African Americans in the South and many immigrants in the North. The rate of voting has never recovered.

Did you know the last time more than half of eligible voters turned out for a midterm election was 1914?

The United States’ turnout in national elections lags behind other democratic countries with developed economies, ranking 26th out of 32 among peers in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Pew Research Center).

Perhaps the most significant change has been in who votes. Unlike in the 19th century, voter turnout is now highly correlated with class. More than 80 percent of Americans with college degrees vote compared with about 40 percent of Americans without high school degrees, according to Jonathan Nagler, a political scientist at New York University and co-author of a 2014 book, “Who Votes Now” (also cited in the New York Times).

As the 2018 elections approach, we’re seeing a growing range of threats to voting: Strict voter registration rules in Georgia that could create hurdles for minority voters; a voter ID law in North Dakota, blessed by the Supreme Court, that’s likely to hit Native Americans hardest; and in several states, purges of the rolls that risk disenfranchising eligible voters. Meanwhile, gerrymandered maps in several large states are set to produce results that don’t reflect the will of voters. And although intelligence officials have warned that foreign adversaries are likely to attack our election systems again, few states have done enough to keep the vote secure. But all of this is secondary if we cannot even get a majority of Americans to vote.

We all need to encourage others to vote, to vote because every election matters. Vote because the choices you will make matter. Vote because elections aren’t simply about your representatives in Washington or who is OUR president.  When we vote for our state and local officials, we make choices that will have very direct and concrete effects on our daily lives. 

You matter. Your family matters.  Voting matters. When voters don’t turn out to choose their local and state governments, they receive a government that doesn’t represent them.

This November, Americans have the opportunity to make history – if 50% of voters vote in the upcoming midterm election, it would be the highest midterm turnout in the last 100 years.  And each vote counts – with 435 House and 35 Senate seats, most governors and hundreds of mayors and local seats up for election, the midterms will influence our nation on through 2030 and beyond. 

The Get Out the Vote 2018 campaign aims to celebrate and promote voting and voters. New non-partisan PSAs encourage all audiences to have a voice in our democracy this November and connect them with resources to easily engage in the voting process through Election Day.

And as an additional reminder, if you do not have time on Election Day to vote and can’t access a mail-in/absentee ballot, you are allowed to take up to two hours off without loss of pay for this purpose. Such time off should be taken at the beginning or end of your regular shift, whichever allows for more free time to vote.  We have options people (btw, I would love to see a secure way for Americans to vote through their cell phones someday).

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Elections aren't just about who votes but who doesn't vote.” Michelle Obama

80 years apart, both relevant statements.  Please Vote.

Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers