Our angling and our public lands are at risk. Our nation is in trouble. And we have a national election coming up on Tuesday, November 3rd.
As we approach the 2026 election, an awful lot of voters are laser-focused on the American economy. Both inflation and the high cost of living are major sources of concern.
That’s not surprising given that gasoline and diesel prices are going through the roof, groceries continue to cost more and more — as does electricity — and new tariffs are driving up the prices for everyday household items. And as interest rates increase, home mortgages continue to rise. It’s getting to the point where it’s hard for many of us to pay our insurance premiums, keep a roof over our heads and put food on the table — and that’s true in spite of our president claiming that we’re experiencing “the greatest economy we've ever had by far.”
There are other issues that matter as well. Will someone build a data center next door and drive our electricity costs even higher? Will Social Security and Medicare still exist in ten years? Will we bring the national debt, which is now more than $40 trillion, under control? Will our votes continue to be counted in free and fair elections or will we slide into authoritarianism? Will the tech giants who are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) make our jobs obsolete — or worse? Will we keep attacking our nation’s longtime allies with new tariffs? Will our war on Iran ever end? Will the rampant corruption in Washington, DC go unchecked? The list goes on and on.
At the same time, if you’re an angler — or if you simply love the outdoors — there are some serious hot-button issues that demand your attention.
For example, the political party in power right now — the Republican Party — is trying to remove the clean water protections that preserve our fisheries and keep our drinking water safe. Should our votes help support these attacks on clean water?
Those same politicians in Washington, DC are also attacking our public lands. Should we vote to privatize and sell off the public lands that define our American birthright, or should we cast our ballots for candidates who will defend them?
And in case you missed it, the Republican Party — the Party of Trump — is dismissing settled science and trying to lock in catastrophic global heating by increasing pollution from vehicles and power plants. Should we really support politicians who prioritize pollution and corporate profits? Or does it make more sense to vote for candidates who share our values and feel a moral responsibility to our kids and grandkids?
From where I sit, it’s actually pretty easy to look at the big picture — everything from high inflation, to the ongoing war with Iran, to unnecessary tariffs and trade wars, to a slowing labor market, to our $40 trillion national debt, to the flailing economy, to the ongoing assault on public lands and waters, to the escalating cost of living, to the massive corruption at the highest levels of our government, to the complete lack of accountability — and ask a simple question. Should we support a Republican party that currently controls the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and both houses of Congress? Should we reward Republican politicians with our votes and two more years of political domination?
Or should we go to the polls this November and demand change?
That’s the big question we need to answer right now.
I should make one final point. It’s not as if our two party system always ensures a happy outcome. The Democrats, who have frequently disappointed the people who vote for them, have a long history of coming up short. There are no guarantees that they will save the day on the economy, or climate, or public lands, or the national debt, or inflation, or any other important issue. But when the party currently in charge is so demonstrably bad on so many different levels, voting for change is the only sane option left to us in 2026.
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