Our kids, again are the victims.

I set out today to write about healthcare—about the crumbling system that so many depend on, the policies that shape it, and the lives caught in the crossfire. But history has other plans. I cannot ignore what is unfolding before my very eyes. The President of the United States has unilaterally ordered the dismantling of the Department of Education. Not through congressional action. Not through debate. Not through the processes outlined in our Constitution. No, this was done by executive fiat, bypassing the very checks and balances that define our democracy.

This is not just about education. This is about power. This is about control. This is about the systematic dismantling of our government, one institution at a time, by a leader who does not respect the fundamental structure of our republic.

I am not a constitutional scholar. I am not a historian. But I know enough to recognize when democracy is being undermined. And I know that taxation without representation is tyranny. The Department of Education may not be perfect—no governmental body is—but the manner in which it was dismantled should send chills down the spine of every American who believes in our system of governance.

We have three co-equal branches of government for a reason. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches exist to prevent tyranny, to ensure that no single person can unilaterally reshape our nation to their will. What happens when a president decides they can dissolve entire departments without congressional approval? What happens when the legislative branch cowers instead of acting as a check? What happens when the judiciary is stacked in such a way that it will rubber-stamp these decisions?

What happens is what we are witnessing: a slow, strategic erosion of democracy.

And who suffers the most? Our children. The very ones this government should be protecting. Every department needs reform, but reform should be done with a scalpel, not a chainsaw. Education in the United States has long needed change. We are among the wealthiest nations in the world, yet our students lag behind in global rankings. But does that mean we should obliterate the entire institution? No. That means we need investment. We need leadership from experts, not political showmen.

Some argue that we spend too much on education, that administrative salaries are bloated while teachers struggle to make ends meet. And they’re not wrong—our priorities have been skewed. But the solution is not destruction. The solution is real investment in teachers, in students, in communities. Teachers, the backbone of our education system, make an average of $40,000 to $60,000 a year—barely enough to live on in many parts of the country. If we want better education, we must start by valuing those who dedicate their lives to it.

I do not understand how seemingly intelligent, caring people—many of whom claim to uphold Christian values—can turn a blind eye to the blatant authoritarianism unfolding in front of us. This is not about left or right. This is not about conservative or liberal. This is about democracy versus dictatorship. We are on a bullet train headed straight for the latter, and far too many are willing to look away.

I cannot. I will not.

This is not just about education. This is about all of us. About the America we claim to believe in. About whether we are willing to stand up before it is too late. Because the time to act is now. The time to speak is now.

Before we wake up in a country we no longer recognize.