A study suggests that if you place a frog in a pot of chilly water and gradually increase the heat, the frog will stay in the pot. As its conditions worsened, the frog would simply adjust until it was finally too late.

I did not vote for President Trump, and I certainly did not vote for Elon Musk. Yet I cannot help but feel like that frog. It is for that reason that I have chosen to speak out.

Our environment is something we should care about. The next generations deserve the right to breathe clean air and to enjoy healthy rivers, lakes, and oceans. I will not tolerate the current disregard. Executive orders are now reversing regulations meant to rescue them. What will my grandchildren and my children’s grandchildren inherit?

All humans have rights. These rights are equal for everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Those rights include the right to have unrestricted access to health care. That as citizens, they have the right to vote without fear or impediment.

I believe in a global economy based on free trade. As the strongest economy and the greatest nation in the world, we need to be initiative-taking members of it. Nationalism does not serve that belief.

I DO NOT believe that every immigrant is a terrorist, rapist, or violent individual. To honestly believe that, is to be a racist. We need to offer realistic paths to citizenship for those who would enter our borders peacefully.

I believe in the right to own a gun, but I refuse to accept the right to own an assault rifle. As a society, we have the right to feel safe in our schools, churches, and other public buildings. Our children should not spend more time learning lockdown procedures than they do learning to read.

I believe in fiscal responsibility, but I do not believe in raising revenue through tariffs that hurt our own economy and the consumers who support that economy. I believe in fair taxation, but I do not believe in a war on taxes waged by those who could afford to pay them.

I believe in our judicial system and abhor those who would seek to ignore it while all the while using it for revenge on their advisories.

I ache for a return to election campaigns based on honesty and integrity. I prefer to cast my vote through an understanding of my candidate’s positions and beliefs rather than manipulation by fear.

I believe the current administration does not serve our best interests. I also fear that as a society, we will not react until it is too late. I urge you to attend a rally, write letters, and support each other by not being afraid to speak out.

I have made my decision. I am getting out of the pot before it gets too hot.