Open Letter to the Senators of the United States

It is with great pride and a heavy heart that I write to you today.  I am proud of the United States of America's heritage and foundation based upon the Bill of Rights that give the American People the opportunity to speak their mind to their government and to ask their representatives to do that job which they were elected to do: represent the People.  It is with a heavy heart that I am writing today to discuss a topic which has eroded the American People's ability to have a real voice in their government and turned elections into little more than class warfare.

The Citizen's United vs. FEC ruling by the Supreme Court in 2010 in a divided 5-4 vote began allowing corporations to not only begin spending money through political broadcasts in an effort to promote their candidate of choice but allowed unfettered amounts of money to begin undermining the people's voice.  Corporations do not enjoy the right to vote, but they do enjoy the right to directly affect the outcome of elections by spending exorbitant amounts of money to spread their message more loudly and widely than any individual could hope to.  

Lobbyists that represent special interest groups are little more than shadow companies that stand between representatives and corporations with the sole purpose of funneling funds from corporations (for-profit and not-for-profit) to candidate's campaigns for election and reelection.  Done directly and without a middle man, this act would still be considered illegal in federal campaigns, but by allowing lobbyists to act on their behalf, it has become standard practice and perfectly acceptable to spend money on candidates and ask for political favors and consideration in return.

As of today, I do not accept that it is a foregone conclusion that my government is utterly lost to us.  I do not accept that you have all abandoned us completely in the lust for the almighty corporate dollar.   I believe that our first act as the People of the United States needs to be communication with our representatives in the United States Government.  I am writing you today in an effort to communicate to you, my Representative, my wishes as a member of your constituency.

It is time that you and your peers return the government to the hands of the American People and take it away from faceless corporations that have only one goal in mind: profit for the few on the backs of the many.

On Thursday, December 8, 2011, Sen. Sanders of Vermont introduce a bill to the Senate that would create an amendment to the Constitution to overturn the Citizens United ruling and put the power of governing back into the hands of those that you represent, instead of allowing corporations to continue to dominate our elections by funneling money into campaigns and political broadcasts in an effort to undermine the American People.

I am demanding that you, as a representative of the people, as one of MY representative, sponsor and support this bill with every ounce of your political influence. When a similar bill is introduced and passes in the House as well as the Senate, we can begin the process of letting the People retake their rightful place in a Government.  I would like to be able to say that MY representative is the one that began the process of removing corruptions from the United States Government and returned honor and respectability to those that represent the American People.

Please do not ignore those People you represent.  Approval ratings for both the House and the Senate are at an extreme low.  Recent surveys suggest that close to 80% of the American People, people that you and your peers represent feel that no one in Congress should be reelected.  This is an expression of our distaste for the way in which our government has quite literally been bought by corporations that are beholden to a small group of shareholders rather than the American People.

We cannot and will not continue to abide this corruption.  I am writing you today with the hope that you will reflect the opinion of your constituents and agree that this cannot continue.

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Feel free to use the above text to contact your Senator.

Find your Senators HERE

Open letter for the House of Representatives

It is with great pride and a heavy heart that I write to you today.  I am proud of the United States of America's heritage and foundation based upon the Bill of Rights that give the American People the opportunity to speak their mind to their government and to ask their representatives to do that job which they were elected to do: represent the People.  It is with a heavy heart that I am writing today to discuss a topic which has eroded the American People's ability to have a real voice in their government and turned elections into little more than class warfare.

The Citizen's United vs. FEC ruling by the Supreme Court in 2010 in a divided 5-4 vote began allowing corporations to not only begin spending money through political broadcasts in an effort to promote their candidate of choice but allowed unfettered amounts of money to begin undermining the people's voice.  Corporations do not enjoy the right to vote, but they do enjoy the right to directly affect the outcome of elections by spending exorbitant amounts of money to spread their message more loudly and widely than any individual could hope to.  

Lobbyists that represent special interest groups are little more than shadow companies that stand between representatives and corporations with the sole purpose of funneling funds from corporations (for-profit and not-for-profit) to candidate's campaigns for election and reelection.  Done directly and without a middle man, this act would still be considered illegal in federal campaigns, but by allowing lobbyists to act on their behalf, it has become standard practice and perfectly acceptable to spend money on candidates and ask for political favors and consideration in return.

As of today, I do not accept that it is a foregone conclusion that my government is utterly lost to us.  I do not accept that you have all abandoned us completely in the lust for the almighty corporate dollar.   I believe that our first act as the People of the United States needs to be communication with our representatives in the United States Government.  I am writing you today in an effort to communicate to you, my Representative, my wishes as a member of your constituency.

It is time that you and your peers return the government to the hands of the American People and take it away from faceless corporations that have only one goal in mind: profit for the few on the backs of the many.

On Thursday, December 8, 2011, Sen. Sanders of Vermont introduce a bill to the Senate that would create an amendment to the Constitution to overturn the Citizens United ruling and put the power of governing back into the hands of those that you represent, instead of allowing corporations to continue to dominate our elections by funneling money into campaigns and political broadcasts in an effort to undermine the American People.

I am demanding that you, as a representative of the people, as MY representative, introduce a bill to the House of Representatives that would do the same thing. When each bill passes in the House and the Senate, we can begin the process of letting the People retake their rightful place in a Government.  I would like to be able to say that MY representative is the one that began the process of removing corruptions from the United States Government and returned honor and respectability to those that represent the American People.

Please do not ignore those People you represent.  Approval ratings for both the House and the Senate are at an extreme low.  Recent surveys suggest that close to 80% of the American People, people that you and your peers represent feel that no one in Congress should be reelected.  This is an expression of our distaste for the way in which our government has quite literally been bought by corporations that are beholden to a small group of shareholders rather than the American People.

We cannot and will not continue to abide this corruption.  I am writing you today with the hope that you will reflect the opinion of your constituents and agree that this cannot continue.

________________________________________________________________________

Please feel free to use the above text and send it to your local representative of the House.

Find your Representative today by going HERE.

Be Heard Not Just Counted

I believe that we are lied to in the open so often by so many politicians and corporations in so many different ways that people not only think it's true but automatically discount any other way of thinking. Enjoy the corp/pol Kool-Aid; it's tasty but holds no nutrition. 

Corporations and politicians have colluded to make themselves richer without regard for the potential consequences to their employees, customers, communities, and environment. And they know that keeping a separate class of people down is the only way they keep that wealth and power. (See the last 300 years of history.)

I don't want completely free education, I want equal opportunity for reasonably priced education to those that desire to make more of themselves. 

I don't want to stop paying taxes; I want those that make more to pay the same percentage I do instead of getting tax breaks that aren't available to the rest of us.

I don't want a corporation to have the ability to give gifts and money to politician's campaigns in exchange for special exemptions and considerations and call it lobbying instead of being prosecuted for bribing. 

I want banks to recognize that when we trust them with our money, we expect to be treated fairly and not to be preyed upon by nickel and diming us out of every cent they can.

I don't want free health care or even universal health care, but I do want to live my life without being afraid that my next accident could result in an insurance claim that won't be paid by the company that I PAY to insure my health, thereby sending me spiraling into debt. 

I don't want free money in my pocket. I just want less money going into the pockets of politicians and more money going into our communities. 

I don't want MY debts to be forgiven; I incurred them. But in today's economic crisis CAUSED by the banks that we owe the money to, the banks need to accept some responsibility and fault for some individual's hardship. Yes there are programs out there, but the onus is still on the indebted to deal with the bank that helped create the problem in the first place. The banks should bear the responsibility for their poor business practices that harmed so many. Instead of a fine to the SEC which amounts to a slap on the wrist, they should take some losses and admit guilt while making things right for the borrower by modifying their loans to allow people to keep their home. 

I know that my opinion differs in some respects from OWS, and I don't have all the answers, but I believe that when the system is broken and allows for these abuses to continue, then something new must be tried. I don't see how we can just put new people in the same chairs and expect different results without LOUDLY and with great emotion voicing our displeasure at the current status quo. There is NO incentive for Congress to change their ways as long as we remain quiet and complacent. 

I will always encourage people to voice their opinion in the voting booth, but it is time we voiced that opinion in the streets too so that the politicians truly understand what we want.

Be heard not just counted.