Even members of the Tennessee have the capacity to change their hearts as Ebenezer Scrooge, portrayed by Alastair Sim in a 1951 film, did in “A Christmas Carol.” (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Finally, the Christmas season is here, and with it comes the spirit of hope and giving. We have embraced the spirit here in our household. The halls are decked, our stockings are hung by the chimney with care, my husband has shown his prowess in exterior illumination, and I’m listening to holiday hits while addressing cards and checking off presents on our list.
My husband and I watched a movie last night, “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” about Charles Dickens and the writing of his well known novella “A Christmas Carol.” I loved this film and watching how several people in Dickens’s life helped him shape the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. From his miserly lawyer with his safe in chains, the fellow theatergoer who remarked that one shouldn’t give to the poor because that’s what the workhouses were for and the man in the cemetery who, after being the sole person to attend the burial of his business partner, uttered the now famous line “bah, humbug.”
For the last few years, I’ve watched as those who hold power in Tennessee embody the worst parts of Mr. Scrooge. Every Tennessee state legislator takes an oath of office. Part of that oath states “I will not propose or assent to any bill, vote or resolution, which shall appear to me injurious to the people.” I’ve sat in the committees and floor sessions and watched as the Republican supermajority passed bill after bill, in direct violation of that oath, not caring who they harm.
Instead of helping the poor by easing the cost of groceries, Tennessee Republicans quashed a bill written by Democrats to abolish the grocery tax while passing big tax breaks for corporations. Instead of making it easier for those who’ve paid their debts to society to restore their voting rights, the Tennessee attorney general placed more burden on those with felony records, forcing them to get their gun rights back before they can vote.
Instead of helping the hundreds of thousands of uninsured people in our state by expanding Medicaid, they pass bills banning health care for pregnant women and kids with gender dysphoria. Instead of keeping kids and communities safe by passing common sense firearm safety legislation that the vast majority of Tennesseans want, the Republican supermajority passed a law to allow teachers to bring firearms into their classrooms.
Despite everything going on in the world, I still believe in the basic goodness of every human being. And that includes the people we’ve elected into power in our state. I believe they have the ability to change and welcome kindness, giving and love for their fellow humankind into their hearts.
Just as Scrooge changed, I believe our Tennessee legislators can change. They can find love in their hearts and realize that transgender people deserve the freedom to be their truest selves. They can embrace the dignity of their fellow humankind and respect their rights to make health care decisions for themselves without government interference. They can find the spirit of giving to help those less fortunate by expanding health care access, lowering their tax burden and ensuring their communities are safe and unpolluted.
This holiday season, I hope the spirits of Christmas past, present and future visit the Tennessee Legislature. Our lawmakers need to take a good, hard look at what they’ve done to our state and learn from their mistakes. It’s not too late to have a change of heart.
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