Hopes, Dreams, and Resolutions for 2025

Tempus Fugit! Yes, I had to take 4 years of Latin in high school. Little did I know how fast time actually flies.

And now, as 2025 arrives, I find myself sobered and thinking about what lies ahead.  For my loved ones and all the workers in my life. For the workers who will put food on my table, heat my home and keep my lights on, keep my Boston streets  plowed, pick up my trash, fill up my tank, deliver my mail, care for my mom and other elderly, disabled, injured and the ill persons; report the news, and manufacture the pills I take and the products I use on a daily basis — all year long.

And for all those unrecognized and often unappreciated government workers who draft, implement, and enforce public policies; set and enforce safety and health standards for our workplaces; process our social security checks; administer health programs like Medicare and Medicaid; set standards for clean air and water; protect our natural resources; manage air traffic; conduct scientific research; forecast our weather; support veterans; assist low-income families with housing, food, and healthcare; and help ensure the safety of our food, drugs, and other products.  And that’s just a snapshot of who they are and what they do.

Sobered and Worried

We will soon have four more years of the Trump administration. Where will the President’s priorities lie?  With the health and safety of the workers who are the lifeblood of our economy, our communities, and our families?  Or with the corporate interests that actually thrive on the labor, blood, sweat, and tears of the workers who keep them in business and bring in their profits?  Mr. Trump’s record, remarks, advisors, and billionaire buddies (like Elon Musk) are reason enough to worry (see here, here, here, here).  The past, as they say, is prologue.

However, there does seem to be one glimmer of hope – his nomination of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon to serve as his Secretary of Labor.  She is one of the few Republicans in Congress to co-sponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Voices in organized labor have applauded her nomination, though there are doubts that the administration will actually support her worker-friendly perspectives and agenda (here, here and here).

Hopes and Dreams

Take a look at my 2024 wish list here. Most are unrealized, so I simply add a few more to them here.  Though I am not optimistic, my new and additional hopes and dreams follow.  Basically, I hope without expecting that:

• The Trump Administration won’t be as bad as I fear — for workers, for families and communities, for public health and safety, and for the environment.
• Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer vigorously pursues a pro-worker agenda and stands up to pressure from her boss to do otherwise.
• The new, non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) does not approach its work with a slash and burn mentality but rather makes sensible recommendations.
• President Trump will not denigrate and/or reverse protections for women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community.
• The Trump Administration will support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and efforts.
• RFK, Jr’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services is either withdrawn, defeated, or if approved, be subject to ongoing and vigorous scrutiny.
• Our federal government agencies will abide by their statutory mandates and missions, resisting any pressure to do otherwise.
• There is not a mass exodus of talent and experience from our federal agencies.
• Trump voters and supporters will come to realize he’s not the answer they were looking for.

My Fears

While hope springs eternal, here’s what worries me:

• Trump will have opportunities to appoint conservative justices to the federal bench and perhaps even to the Supreme Court.
• Trump will disparage and threaten productive partnership with international institutions like ILO, NATO, WHO, IMF, and the UN.
• There will be a brain drain from our federal agencies, especially our health agencies, e.g., NIH and CDC. And the EPA, which is also an agency critical to human health and well-being.
• The public will become immune to or exhausted by administration policies that don’t actually serve their interest, or the interests of others that support their living standards.

My Resolutions

• Stay informed and committed to worker health and safety.
• Keep up with and speak out on what the Trump Administration is doing to help or harm workers.
• Appreciate and verbally thank the workers who impact my daily life.
• Keep worker safety and health a topic of conversation – with my family and friends.
• Take a break from the news when I get overwhelmed… and then come back.
• Remember that every day is a gift. Use it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!