First and foremost: It’s our fault. Yes. It’s our fault. WE, (as in the people of the United States), returned the very same people that voted for the TARP in September 2008, back to office in November. Even if I, myself, didn’t vote for the incumbents, I am willing to take the blame. If I had done more, talked to more people about how this is a make or break issue, if I had organized protests, if I had used my influence, however small it may be, to try and talk some sense into people who don’t have the courage to stand up for what they really believe, who don’t know what to believe, who seem to only care what’s on TV and what the celebrities’ dogs have for dinner, — I am willing to shoulder my portion of the blame because it’s there.
But, that doesn’t mean I can’t change, that I can’t put forth a greater effort, to get back up again and try harder, to protest louder, more effectively, to learn how to work the media system to my advantage, to do what is necessary to actually change the corrupt nature of the government.
So with that in mind here is what I, and many others are, and have been trying to do:
Hold our elected representatives (senators, house reps, and president, all local city, county and state reps) accountable for their actions ( or inaction).
The power and influence that this small group individuals have is tremendous and can be used for better or for worse.
These people are elected to represent us, to be the voice of the people in the government. When they act against the majority of people in their own states, they betray that responsibility. When they do that, it is our responsibility to hold them accountable.
However, in defense of those elected, they have to be able to know what the people want. If we don’t tell them, they can’t know. They’re not psychic. So we write letters, make phone calls, send faxes and emails, meet with them in person to express how we want them to represent us; and we encourage and pressure others to do the same things. After all, if they want their opinion to count, they have to voice it. So, we organize meetings to talk about what is going on, to allow people to voice their opinion to the community around them, to work within the community to activate those who aren’t, to use our influence to have people take a stand, and be informed and knowledgeable as possible. So we organize protests, to allow people to publicly call out their elected officials and let them know what they want, to set the record straight on what each of us thinks should be done. And we’ll continue to write letters, make phone calls, send faxes and emails, meet with my representatives, hold community meetings, organize protests, and everything and anything else that can be done to allow people to act knowledgeably, so that our representatives know what we want from them, and so that more people can be represented.
Right now, we all should require to be represented by the people who are elected to do so. If we are not, we will require the individuals that were elected to represent us, but have failed to do so, to resign their office and take a long vacation from public service. This isn’t small fringe minority groups ‘we’, this is the majority of the people of the United States. If the majority is not represented, there is a serious problem that must be corrected. For example, IF the majority of the people in a California voted for a president (Obama), and then when the electoral college came around time to elect the president, if they voted for someone different (say, McCain), that would be a problem – the majority has been failed by the people who are supposed to be representing them.
In my view, most people in the United States are good people, meaning even if they don’t agree with the laws, they follow the laws. When people break the law, we agree that the law is to be enforced. If we think a law is unjust, we work to change the law. If we think new laws should be made, we work to add new laws.
There are people, and corporations who have broken the law, yet, continue to walk free, continue to break the law. Our elected representatives have the ability to act against those who break the law, to enforce the law. Yet they do nothing. Some stay silent. Some talk a good talk, yet do not act. Some come out in favor of those breaking the law. Some are swayed by bribes and back room deals for more power. Very few actually do their job.
There is a growing group of people who have reached their own personal ‘no mas’ moment, the ‘last straw’ moment where they (finally) stand up and begin to do everything and anything that is in their power to put an end to the corruption, enforce the laws. This group of people is growing in numbers every day, and that scares the people who have failed us and the people who are breaking the law. Rightly, it should – they’re about to get caught ‘red-handed’, to be called out like Jim Cramer on the Daily Show, the con-games that have profited them so much are coming to an abrupt end.
But there is also problem for everyone: if it’s not done right, if the corruption and illegal activities continue to permeate our government despite the majority’s actions to change it, we risk the potential of having an active majority that the government has failed, that no longer has any faith in the laws to be enforced. We risk vigilante justice, we risk the rejection of our system of government, we risk destroying something that works, only because we do not use it. And so understanding that, we will do everything in our power to clean house without burning the house down.
This isn’t about political parties, despite the attempts by both of the two major political parties to turn it into something that they can use to their advantage. Those groups, those individuals will either fall away and want nothing to do with us, or they will recognize that they too want the laws upheld and to be represented correctly, and join us. We welcome those who wish to step up and take action in what is a core part of our society. We aren’t a political party, we aren’t a political organization. We don’t want to be. We don’t want a single leader to lead us, we don’t need it. We are all leaders, we stand up and lead the way for those who lack the courage and knowledge at this time. Many will follow, and become leaders in their own courage and strength, to act. We will not stop our actions, even when the house is cleaned, due to the very nature of power. Power corrupts. Those in power, if left unchecked, will seek to gain more, to attempt greater abuses without responsibility, as we have regrettably allowed in the past many years.
This is how I see it, and how I feel many, many other people see it as well, and I hope others will come to see it this way too.
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