I am not affiliated with any party, or any union, any PAC or SuperPAC, any lobbying effort, I don't know any millionaires, or billionaires, and I have not received one dime. This is simply my idea.
The occupy movement is generally supported by the majority of the US population. The majority of people are concerned about the increasing disparity of wealth and the influence of corporations and lobbyists in our political system. This concern has been galvanized by the street protests currently occurring. However, it has not been clear as to exactly what is wanted, and how this concern and energy can be turned into real change.
Within a representational democracy the primary power of the people is at the ballot box. If the people do not like what their representatives are doing then their power lies in removing those representatives and replacing them with someone who will do what they want. At the moment politicians are running their campaigns and pursuing politics just to be slightly better than the alternative, because they know that in a two party system the general public will vote for the least awful alternative.
This has led to the situation we are in today with politicians unwilling to risk their re-election by trying to do the best thing for the American people. In order for real change in this country to occur the re-election of politicians needs to be put at risk. This will require a willingness to risk the election of the "worst" candidate in order to influence the actions of the "better" candidate. In real terms this means you must be willing to risk the election of a pro-billionaire, anti-wealth-redistributing politician in order to alter the actions of a nominally pro-middle class, pro-social services politician. Without this risk nothing will change.
In order for politicians to know that their re-election is in jeopardy the electorate must inform them. The most efficient way of informing politicians is by writing them a letter. It is estimated that a member of Congress considers each letter written to them to represent the views of one thousand of their constituents. An e-mail has a far lower value as it can be automated and takes less work to produce. At present there are about 700,000 constituents per congressional district. It takes 51 % of the constituents to guarantee a political victory. By this calculation, 351 letters would be considered a majority position. I think if we mobilize sensibly we can far exceed 351 constituents per district.
So write a letter to your Congressional House Representative and your two Senators. Their addresses can be found here.
If you write your own letter it will be given more weight. Feel free to give some of your own personal concerns, but remember that for something to be achieved there must be a clear, concise message. I suggest the following message, and if you wish simply to copy this letter, put in your own representatives and sign it, feel free. For less than $2.00 you can be the voice of a thousand people speaking directly to those who can make a difference.
Dear (Your Representative or Senator);
I am very concerned about the direction of this country. Over the last several decades there has been a dramatic increase in the divide between the wealthy and the rest of the country. While many in this country struggle, the rich are getting richer at an increasing rate. Corporations are getting larger, more wealthy, and having increasing influence over the governance of our nation. This is not only unfair, but also damaging to the long term prospects of the US economy and the health and well-being of its citizens.
What is needed is at least a return to tax rates of the Clinton years, and as high as the Reagan years, a recognition that income from investment is no less a form of income than income from wages, the closing of corporate tax loopholes and unnecessary subsidies to profit-making industries, honest disclosure of the influence of lobbyists, and a reduction of that influence. We have waited too long for these steps to be implemented, and cannot wait any longer.
Therefore, I regret to inform you that unless you take measures towards these goal; by proposing or voting for bills that move the country towards these goals, and by disclosing all of your meetings with lobbyists and reducing that number, I will be unable to vote for you at the next election regardless of who the other candidates might be, or what they propose.
I wish you all the best in the struggle to make the United States of America a better place for all its citizens,
Sincerely,
(Your handwritten name here)
If you support this effort please share this with as many people as you think may be interested. I thank you for your time and interest.
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