What To Do About the B (Ugly)B
What About the Recent Legislation — How Will It Impact Our Area?
The recently passed Big Ugly Bill (I can’t call it Beautiful) will adversely impact many residents of central Illinois, especially those who live in rural areas. One of the most onerous requirements under the bill is that many recipients of benefits must confirm their status of employment or qualifying disability every six months rather than once a year. For folks without a car or other reliable transportation, this is a huge burden. Another new requirement to be eligible for many of the benefits that people rely on is the work requirement - single people must work at least 20 hours a week to be eligible. But in states like Illinois with a $15/hour minimum wage, 20 hours a week of work will earn them too much money to be eligible for any benefits at all. A wicked catch-22 that there seems to be no way around.
Loss of SNAP benefits will mean more families experiencing food insecurity, more children going to school hungry, and more elderly folks having to make the heart-wrenching choice of buying either food or medicine.
Loss of Medicaid benefits will result in more people being institutionalized because of lost home care funds. People who are already in nursing homes may experience neglect (already a problem), because the bill allows nursing homes to employ fewer nurses and aides and still comply with the law.
So what can you do to help?
In the short term, here are a few things that individuals can or might do to help those impacted by the benefit cuts:
Help support local food pantries - a list will be posted here as soon as I find one.
Conduct or join a fund-raising campaign for the Community Health Care Clinic where many people without health insurance get treatment.
Organize within your church, neighborhood group, or just a collection of friends to offer rides to those without transportation who need to visit government office to fill out paperwork or apply for benefits.
Contact your legislators and let them know you are unhappy with the new requirements - call, write, email, or organize an in-person visit. Local organizations like the Alliance for Community Services are already planning legislative action - join them. Click the Helpful Links (on the right top of the home screen) to access a list of all Illinois legislators, along with their contact information.
Use your voice! Thanks to social media, every one of us has a network of people we reach on a regular basis. Use your Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky or other media account to tell the stories of those impacted by the bill and ask them to join you in letting your legislators know how you feel. Personal stories are a powerful tool to use to humanize the impacts of this legislation.
The Paperclip Resistance
It all begins with an idea.
During WWI, the Nazis invaded Norway and they ruled the country for almost five years. By 1945 some 400,000 German troops were operating in Norway, controlling a population of about 4 million. Around 40,000 Norwegians were imprisoned and over 10,000 lost their lives. Norway had one of the strongest Nazi resistances on the entire European continent and the strongest contingent were the teachers and students.
During that time, there was an underground Resistance movement in Norway which was very active against the Nazi war machine. But ordinary citizens also fought back, and one of the subtle ways they signaled their defiance of authoritarianism and Nazi occupation was to wear, you guessed it, a paperclip! Yes, the humble paperclip, representing the concept of “we are bound together,” became a visual symbol of unity, resistance, and courage during dark times.
The Nazis soon caught on to its significance and eventually banned its use, which demonstrates its effectiveness as a tool of protest.
And it is becoming that same symbol again! The Paperclip Resistance has been resurrected to serve as an organized, hopefully nationwide, symbolic movement against the authoritarian regime now active in Washington DC.
From The Paperclip Resistance website: “The Paperclip Resistance Movement is a revival of the past legacy of the brave Norwegian people who never gave up. We can draw on their strength and courage once again, to openly demonstrate our own courage and resolve and be identified as someone who NEVER GIVES UP, by simply wearing a paperclip. Our hope is that no matter one’s income, everyone can join the cause with a symbol everyone can afford and is readily available. A symbol we can rally around, that has already been identified as an image for the preservation of democracy. For a second time in recent history, this has now become a grassroots movement, for the people and by the people.”
It’s going to go viral on social media! Already talked about on Substack: Paper Clip Protest - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance. Notably, E. Jean Carroll, yes the lady who was successful in not one but two lawsuits against Trump, has taken to wearing a paperclip!
So even if you don’t feel you can resist the Trump administration in any other way (due to lack of opportunity or a legitimate fear of reprisal), you can wear a paperclip!