Cape Karen
Just think, in a few more days we won't have to watch and listen to anymore nasty 'slams' attacking one politician or another, or put up with the gazillions of obnoxious TV ads they're running this year. These stupid, senseless ads have cost more than most of us will ever earn in our entire lifetime. Two billion dollars, all spent for an onslaught of negative crap. Just think of all the good things that kind of money could have been used for instead. Yep -it's times like these when I'm glad I have cable - whenever I want, I can switch off the political stuff and watch Discovery, The Travel Channel, National Geographic or The History Channel, and just pretend it isn't even happening. Or, I just curl up with a good book!
But, it is happening, and we do have to stay somewhat aware or they could really do us in! Did you know that in 1968 we had 63 lobbyists in Washington? Do you know how many are up there today? There are over 34,000 - that's right, there are now over thirty-four-thousand "special interest" lobbyists crawling all over Capitol Hill like fire ants; offering to pay and 'pay-off' far too many, all-too-willing, corrupt and/or lazy legislators. And, you got it ~ we're the ones who keep getting stung by these disgusting vermin.
I don't know if you've been listening to CNN commentator and author, Lou Dobbs, lately, but I have - and I happen to like what he has to say. He 'tells it like it is' without being offensive, and he makes his point without resorting to a screaming match with his opponents. He says what most of us are thinking, but have no platform on which to stand to express ourselves. I also think his new book, "The War on the Middle Class" will quickly become a best seller. . . after all, it's about the war being waged against the vast majority of us by our own government!
Here's a couple of quotes I liked from Mr. Dobb's blog, posted on the CNN website today:
"So, what if a majority of us decided once and for all to walk into our town and city halls all over the country and change our party affiliation from Republican or Democrat to Independent? And what if that sizable number of us, who don't vote at all, decided to go and register as Independents? For the first time in decades, working middle-class Americans might just get the attention of our elected officials in Washington."
And here ~ I think he must have read my last blog entry:
"Our middle class has suffered in silence for far too long, and it cannot afford to suffer, or be silent, much longer. Hardworking Americans have not spoken out about their increasingly marginalized role in this society, and as a consequence they've all but lost their voice. Without that strong, clear and vibrant voice, all the major decisions about America and our future will be made by the elites of government, big business and the dominant special interests. Those elites treasure your silence, as it enables them to claim America's future for their own."
They "treasure our silence..." Whew! And, I agree - good idea, Lou - let's all register as Independents, en masse! And, let's get the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of our state Representatives and of our do-nothing Congressmen (who only work about 80 days a year, and give themselves a hefty pay raise annually) into our online address books; then we can start e-mailing and phoning them, like crazy, about our "special interests."
Hey! Maybe we could even make the news? Let's set a date and do it!
AP Wire: Washington, D.C. November 22, 2006
"Phone lines shut down, and all government computer systems crashed in the Capitol today. This was not due, as suspected, to an attack from you-know-who. It was discovered, after much investigation, that this massive interruption of services was caused by a very strange and uncommon event. It seems that, at precisely 10:00 o'clock ET this morning, over 200 million Americans were all trying to reach their elected representatives by phone or e-mail. Officials are now considering upgrading all government communication systems to prevent such an occurence from happening again in the future.
However, a spokesman from the Oval Office has quoted President Bush as saying:
"It is highly unlikely that this foolish event will ever happen again. I know, for sure, that this was just a minor hiccup, aimed at our good-old-boy system. Those powerless, middle-class people will go away and leave us alone. Trust me, we can continue to do whatever we want with their money, and with their puny little lives. Read-my-lips: WE have the power, and WE will stay the course!"
A Revolt of the People?
If not now ~ when? If not us ~ who?