Today’s NYTimes has an important opinion piece by Margaret Renkl today in which she describes how the state legislature in Tennessee is working hard to make the lives of their constituents more difficult, more desperate—all in service of a harsh view of how government should function in America. And this kind of behavior is happening in states around the country. The trend will only change if more people stand up, speak out, and vote to replace officials who do not demonstrate compassion toward their fellow Americans and a rational view of public affairs.