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Dear would-be voters,
I understand your frustration and your disenchantment. I share much of it. You feel as though a bunch of rich people throwing mud at one another in order to attain some political position have no interest in serving your interests as American citizens. You're getting hit from all sides, telling you that partisanship is wrong, and that a government that can't work together can't get anything done.
But the question is, what is it you want done? Do you want the war to continue, or do you want it to end? Do you want to risk going deep into debt to take care of a medical emergency, even if you do have insurance, or would you like to see some sort of single-payer universal healthcare system like Medicare for All? Do you want corporations to have the right to pollute and toxify the environment without regulation, or would you rather have clean water, clean air, and the chance to pass these things on to your children?
Right now the political deck is stacked against average Americans having a real say in government. There are many things that contribute to this problem, but, frankly, the main reason is because too many people are unwilling or unable to get involved. Politics is not something that happens outside of your view, that doesn't affect you. Policy decisions affect your everyday life in ways that are close to unimaginable. They affect the interest rates on your credit cards, the interest on your savings accounts, the fuel efficiency of your cars, how much vacation time you accrue at work, how and why you can be hired and fired and laid off from your jobs, the way your kids are taught in school, and how safe you are out on the streets. Plus a million more things you never stop to consider.
The television news, particularly the national cable stations, have signed on with the monied interests to give you the information they think you should have. Information is the foundation of democracy, and without trustworthy sources, democracy founders. Large corporations with their own interests at heart support these sources with their advertising dollars--basically money spent to tell you what to buy, when to buy it, and where to buy it. It return, they expect these media outlets to filter the information they give you in order to guide you to believing what they would like you to believe.
In addition, these same corporations invest in our politicians through campaign contributions. The going price for a successful Presidential campaign these days is in the neighborhood of a hundred million dollars. Some of this money comes from people like you and me, but much more of it comes from rich corporate donors and their associates. In exchange, they expect the politician in question to vote in such a way that serves their interests rather than the population of the country as a whole.
The reason they manage to get away with this, to the detriment of the rest of us, is because they've managed to convince you that it's all outside of your control. That you can't do anything to stop it. But you can. By registering to vote and doing it. Everywhere and anywhere you can. In your local elections, in the primary races, and in the national elections. That's all you have to do. You don't have to organize, you don't have to write long essays supporting your position, you don't even have to talk to your neighbors about what you believe. You just need to find candidates who recognize the problems we all face and vote for those who seem to believe in the same things you do. Now this won't always work out, since politicians often mask who they really are. But every two to four years, you get to go back and do it again. If you've helped elect someone who's going against everything that made you vote for him or her in the first place, all you have to do is find someone who recognizes this and is willing to challenge him or her in the primary and support them. The main reason things have gotten so screwed up in this regard is because those who really want to make a difference are being held back by the system, and have not been given the support of their neighbors and friends.
This is your right as an American. To seek out people who will represent your interests. But it's not just a right. It's a responsibility as well. It's your responsibility to your community, your country, and even more importantly, to your children and grandchildren.
Democracy only works if the people participate. It only works if YOU participate. If you don't, you leave it to those who have the drive to get involved. You leave it to those who distribute pamphlets at the local mega-church and use fear and hatred to infect large groups to get out and vote AGAINST a candidate that you might well support. Or would, if you had taken the time to get to know the issues.
The founding fathers gave us a country devoted to liberty. But, as they themselves said, it will only last as long as we can keep it.
And that, my friends, comes down to you and me.
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