Politics before people?? Upon reading Congressman Ed Pastor’s endorsement for Mary Rose Wilcox I have just become so “politically chaffed” I had to speak up. I just don’t understand how Pastor’s endorsement means anything right now, especially when it has been so long since he has participated taking an active stance on the current issues that really matter to many of us. Now before the “collective gasp of shock” is heard all over Arizona and people begin cursing in Spanish at their laptops and other devices I am NOT NEGATING OR DIMINISHING what this incredible man and latino leader has done to contribute to the improvement of the workplace for ALL PEOPLE (civil rights movement), being an inspiration as a teacher in the classroom to scores of students, and being instrumental in the expansion of the bus lines…..My point is, I am not saying that he hasn’t done good stuff for Arizona….what I AM SAYING is that in the past few years when he has had a chance to be more of a vocal presence and to take a stand on some big issues facing Arizonans, where has he been???? I have this strong belief that current leaders in the Hispanic community (at the city, state, and federal level) have a civic responsibility to ensure that the future generations of leaders emerge even stronger and more prepared to set a good example for the next up and comers. By this I mean---share the success and knowledge! Share the insights! Teach Teach Teach! Mentor Mentor Mentor! Always have each other’s backs! In a state like ours, where Hispanics are constantly being targeted for everything, doesn’t it just make sense for us to come together and ensure that our political future is intact so that we have the strongest voice and the most effective presence possible in the places it counts? Keep this statement in mind when I relay to you that several times over the past few years I tried contacting Congressman Pastor for help in my own attempts to make it to Capitol Hill to testify before Congress about healthcare worker retaliation. I appealed to him for guidance, for mentoring, ---anything he could do to help me learn the process. I wanted to help get my national nurse organization NAASA (which I am the founder and president of) to Washington and needed his advisement and help to get there. I also asked for him to help get the issues of healthcare worker retaliation and patient safety issues out there into the public eye and into the legislature and into the political community. Despite numerous letters and Facebook messages I never received a single email back, a single response back on Facebook, or even a phone call from the Congressman. So while I respect those who say that Ed Pastor has been of huge influence to them and that they have had personal experiences with him Id ask that you respect my “experience” as well--- and their forgiveness for me not seeing Pastor’s endorsement for Mary Rose Wilcox as this huge benefit to, well, anyone’s campaign. I think his political influence has been flatlined, if you will, for years. I don’t want this to be a “bashing on Ed Pastor” when the reality is that Steve Gallardo, Anna Tovar, and Chad Campbell didn’t do anything to make the health and safety of Arizonans lives a priority in the legislature either. I went to Steve personally. I presented very good examples of patient safety bills from other states that would have been perfect for use in a red state like Arizona. I presented statistics pertaining to death rates from medical errors, and what healthcare workers face when trying to protect patients from harm or unethical practices in hospitals. I didn’t go in there on a rant. I went in there as prepared as possible to back up why Arizona needed this very important legislation. I mean, if we can talk about legislation that addresses who can use the toilet and who cant, or who can own nunchucks and who cant, or denying rights of people to learn about their historical roots (Mexican American studies in Tucson) or the rights of the LGBT community to be treated like the rest of society why on earth cant the legislature make patient safety and protecting the people that protect Arizonans a priority too????? FOUR jumbo jets full of people die EACH WEEK of preventable medical errors that go unreported because healthcare workers are afraid of reporting them. Those people are your mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, husbands, wives, and children. How is it that an issue like this DOESN’T MAKE IT INTO THE LEGISLATURE? Roughly 30 states in the US have laws to shield healthcare workers while engaged in the day to day acts of caregiving---and yet Arizona continues to busy itself on issues like trying to keep Martin Luther King day off of a calendar. My point is, it isn’t just Pastor who brushed off an important issue. The others did too. Despite stories of untimely deaths of people in the MCSO jails and the state mental hospital that were directly related to unreported errors. As a constituent I gave Ed Pastor a chance to help shed light on this issue, to help, to advise a political no body (me) on how to make a difference for other people. I asked for his guidance and mentoring------- HIS SILENCE spoke volumes to me. What it said to me was that I did not matter, the issues I was fighting for didn’t matter…. the health, safety, and well -being of Arizonans wasn’t important…..the message Ed Pastor sent to me as a Latina Leader and Nurse Activist was ---“Youre not worth my time or talent.” So is it surprising that our collective voice is not stronger in the legislature? Sadly, no. We do it to ourselves. So, Mary Rose Wilcox. Herein lies your challenge. Will you keep all the goods and influence to yourself-- or will you share your time, your knowledge, your leadership know how? Will you help the next generation of latino leaders rise up or just be concerned with your own status? I guess we will see……
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:59:55 +0000
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