Dear Governor Pritzker; We are Done.

From Illinois Review

Dear Governor Pritzker,

I write to you as a struggling mother, begging you to listen, and asking you for a few minutes of your time.

My kids returned to school this week for the first time since March, and as I dropped them off today, on only day 4, tears shed from my face because I can only assume that their happiness and joy of being back at school is soon going to be ripped away AGAIN. Because of you.

Because of you, I will need to remind them that we will get through this and do my best to lift their broken spirits, while behind closed doors, I cry from their pain knowing their right to an education is being taken away.

Because of you.

Because of you, more restaurants are closing their doors permanently because they cannot survive another shut down.

Because of you more homes will be foreclosed. More cars repossessed. More college funds drained. Hopes and dreams lost as we remain powerless in your hands.

Because of you, another teen suicide was reported just yesterday, because teens are NOT meant to be secluded, and some literally cannot handle the isolation.

Because of you, those parents must grieve a loss that never should have happened.

Do you know of these suicides? Do you listen to our mental health experts at all? Or do you know and simply choose not to report on these because it doesn’t fit your political agenda?

People like you, are why people like me, hate politics. It is never about what is right, but the agenda behind it and the money it revolves around.

You are supposed to be our leader. You are supposed to be the one on the front lines coaching us on how we will get through this crazy year and survive this virus rather than hide from it. You are supposed to be lifting our spirits with hope and a sense of community, rather you instill fear and neglect our rights as human beings tearing us apart.

You, Sir, are exactly the opposite of a leader. You are the epitome of what happens when money buys you power. Because, regardless of your intentions, you are simply not a leader. You did not work your way up the ranks, to build a reputation for us to trust. You did not gain the respect necessary to be successful in your position, and you certainly have zero understanding of the reality most families face with your shutdowns. And the worst part for me, is that you don’t even try to understand.

You do not ask for help. You simply pretend to know it all.

You choose to ignore the majority of families begging for you to listen, while you pretend you are saving us.

I am begging you….BEGGING YOU…to please listen.

You are in a position of power. Use that power to make things right. Give all school district families a CHOICE of virtual learning or face to face. Bring back our sports. You allow your daughter to ride and participate in her equestrian competitions, so allow OUR children to have the same opportunities.

Our children’s rights and opportunities should not be determined on how deep our wallets are, yet that seems to be the case.

I am telling you, we cannot survive another shut down. We just can’t. Mentally mothers are falling apart trying desperately to keep it together. But we are held hostage in our homes watching our children’s mental health deteriorate before our eyes. A chromebook with zoom will never be a replacement for school.

Please, listen. I want to help you understand. Get off the power trip.

I know my opinion doesn’t matter, I am just a very very very small fish in an extremely large pond, but I promise you, I can help.

I can help you see the realities families of Illinois are facing, because I am living it, each and every day. I live it. I also listen. I know the pain families are experiencing.

I watch your news reports where all we hear are numbers of positive Covid 19 cases, yet there’s zero discussion on how strong the survival rate is, OR how many of these positive cases were forced to be tested with zero symptoms.

My son was one of the first to be treated for Covid-19 prior to testing even being available. I assume my daughter had the same just months before. We survived.

My daughter has a disease that weakens her immune system, and yet our trusted pediatrician encourages school. She needs to keep her immune system strong, and needs more than ever to be in school. So, I do have some leverage in this. I’m literally “in it”.

But never, never in my 37 years of my life, have I fully felt powerless. But you, you Governor Pritzker make me feel truly powerless. I am watching you strip away our rights, and for what? Honestly, for what?

You think you are a big savior? You aren’t. You are abusing your power, and you are infuriating many of us. We can only take so much because I am telling you, we are tired. We are tired of you, and your dictatorship over our rights.

We are so very tired of feeling powerless.

We are tired of living in fear of what your next move is going to be. We are tired of watching our innocent children being pawns in this game of Power. We are tired of watching you sit back and allow our cities be destroyed while not having the backs of our officers or men/women in uniform. We are tired of being told to play by the rules, while those that loot, steal and lie run free because you Sir, have no backbone.

You choose to be a coward when this state, more than ever, needs a LEADER.

We are tired. We are frustrated. And we are scared.

We are scared on the permanent effects these shutdowns have on our children and our families. Yet, no one is talking about it, while we are expected to sit back and watch our children’s mental health deteriorate.

We are tired, and we are done.

Do better. Be better.

Our future leaders are being stripped away their rights from you, change that. Open schools, open our economy.

Gain trust.

Ask for help.

It’s not too late.