My name is Barbara McVeigh. I’m an interational award winning filmmaker, writer and educator.  I live in Northern California.

When I was thirteen years old I got the life lesson of the power of bad politics and corrupt media when my family stood in the 1981 National Strike.

My father’s union, PATCO, understood Ronald Reagan was playing a political game when he refused to support the union’s contract, after they had help support Reagan’s campaign. Most of the union members had been Vietnam Veterans who understood the value of honesty and integrity in our federal government. And they knew, as all costs and with utter peace, they needed to take a stand. And they striked, which was illegal as federal employees, even if it felt like the entire country, including the media, wanted to see us lose.

We suffered emotionally and financially for 20 years, trying to recoup all that was lost, as we fell into economic survival. I lost my dream to study oceanography in Santa Barbara and my guitar lessons. Later I put myself through college at San Francisco State University with holes in my shoes and hated my father for his choice to strike. I never went back to playing the guitar.

But the universe loves to laugh! Just ten years I began to understand our democracy is at stake – and Reagan’s dirty business is at the heart of the problem.  Between his oil deals, trickle down economics, knock down of labor and military spending, we can arguable say that Reagan was the wolf in sheep’s clothing, who, with a twinkle in his eye, squandered The American Dream, giving it to the billionaires while we, the people, have lost almost everything, including our democracy.

It’s time for take back … and that starts with a good honest look at 40 years of The Reagan Era and return to the values of what President Jimmy Carter has been showing us since his administration.

If Reagan got us into this mess, maybe he can get us out. Now, of course, he’s dead, and you might think that’s a problem. But, I’ve got an idea. A big idea.

My film and book projects are related to my personal story as I look to inspire others through the pain my family suffered in order to see that it’s not what you lose that matters, it’s what you gain.

It’s time for kindness, hope and positive vision! Let’s do it. And let’s take back our communities, our industries and our country.