A Nonpartisan Appeal to Vote

By admin 07/23/08

“So what signifies wishing and hoping for better times…We may make these times better if we bestir ourselves.”—Benjamin Franklin

“Revolutionize through the ballot-box, and restore the government once more to the affection and hearts of men, by making it express, as it was intended to do, the highest spirit of justice and liberty.”—Abraham Lincoln

“Fortunately, history does not pose problems without eventually producing solutions. The dis-enchanted, the disadvantaged and thedisinherited seem, at times of deep crisis, to summon up some sort of genius that enables them to perceive and capture the appropriate weapons to carve out their destiny.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

““It is a part of the American character to consider nothing as desperate – to surmount every difficulty by resolution and contrivance.”—Thomas Jefferson

A More Perfect Union

To advance the American Revolution, honor our Constitution and breathe new life into our democracy, soon we the people must reclaim control of our government and compel it in a truly new and better direction.

The overwhelming majority of the American people have formed a powerful consensus for fundamental change, a consensus achieved despite our natural diversity and despite political efforts to divide us.

We are smart enough to know that the present political system is deeply flawed and unable to serve the people adequately. We are smart enough to know that fundamental change is not an option, but an imperative, at such a critical moment in the history of humanity, a time for great decisions and heroic deeds.

This appeal for consensus action seeks to reflect the sentiments of the people, to outline the task confronting us, and to recommend ways to advance the process of fundamental change.

This is a time to face facts. We are a realistic people, at our best when we are honestly informed about the challenges we must meet.

The survival of humanity should be the highest priority of all nations, and our nation should be a leader in forging the global alliances necessary to deal with climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, oceanic acidity and the possibility of severe asteroidal impact.
Our national debt continues soaring out of sight and beyond control while funds are desperately needed for vital social programs.
Our healthcare system is broken, and most of us are suffering from it.
Our taxation system is broken, and most of us are bewildered by it.
Gasoline is at $4 per gallon, and we wonder why.
Our free enterprise system is characterized by fraud and greed, with too many crooks and reckless speculators ruining too many lives and too many corporations putting the bottom line ahead of the interests of the people. The obligations of good citizenship extend to corporations—especially now when life is a daily struggle for so many of our people, a harsh reality in a society once proudly known for its abundant opportunity and compassion.
Our national infrastructure is deteriorating faster than we can afford to maintain and improve it.
Our reputation, as a good people with good intentions, as a model of democracy, is suffering. If we wish the world to respect our example of what a free and determined people can accomplish, we need to set a better example. We need to prove that we are worthy of the reputation which previous generations labored so hard and sacrificed so much to build.
Our representatives and senators are devoting more and more time to raising money and running for re-election, and less and less time attending to the people’s urgent business. Moneyed interests dominate the electoral and legislative processes. Our public officials and those who aspire to public office are locked into a corrupting self-perpetuating system defined by rigid partisan and ideological posturing, cosmetic legislation and profligate pork-barrel spending. Negative campaigning and uncivil behavior infect public discussion of the most serious issues. We are forced to witness behavior among our leaders— toying with the truth, name-calling, blaming others, playing mean-spirited games— we would tolerate among our own children. Within such a system, in such an atmosphere of distrust and hostility, the will of the people is easily neglected, often ignored, and sometimes defied.
A healthy democracy requires a press not only free but also responsible, providing the people with adequate reliable information and fair-minded opinions regarding our problems and the search for solutions. But the corporate media today are more concerned with entertainment and profit than with public service, often obsessing on trivial details and weak in reporting reality, blurring the lines between truth and half-truth and lie. Our democracy needs a more responsible free press.
Many other serious problems and issues concern us, of course, and some do naturally divide us. But most of us believe that most of our concerns could be resolved sooner and more fairly in a better political climate.

American democracy is ailing, but it can be cured, by us, together.

Democracy cannot function well without a working consensus of the people and a responsible government of the people. The consensus of the people today has been achieved in a political atmosphere of fear and distrust and hostility. Our leadership exploits the dangers we face, encouraging us to oppose one another, sowing seeds of divisiveness and anger, seeking raw political advantage from our human weaknesses, not our strengths. This atmosphere must change!

Pessimists claim that declining turnouts at the polls demonstrate the apathy of the American people. This claim is false! The people know what is happening, and do deeply care. We are fed up, often outraged, but we feel helpless, frustrated by a political system dedicated to the protection of power and the satisfaction of special interests, not the best interests of the people.

The ballot is only as good as the leader it can elect, and the responsible citizen cannot be blamed for wondering if the ballot has any real value, if any candidate can make any real difference in Washington.

Both political parties are out of touch with our daily reality and have lost the trust and confidence and respect of the vast majority of the people, who yearn for better leadership yet doubt that real change can be achieved on election day.

Yet it is only at the polls that fundamental change can begin. Obviously, our political leadership cannot and will not voluntarily do what now needs to be done. Credible pressure must be applied, and only we can apply it.

We the people do have the power. What we need is a plan of action.

PROPOSAL 1

Compelled by our virtually unanimous disgust with uncivil political conduct and our powerful impatience with the performance and pace of our leadership, we must send a clear message: We, the governed, do not give our consent to the continuation of "politics as usual" — and we do demand visible significant progress on certain core issues beginning in 2009, or else.

We can begin by politely but firmly insisting that all candidates — all who seek our previous vote — must pledge support for an aggressive consensus action agenda moving us in these directions:

Stronger leadership in international cooperation to address all issues involving the survival of humanity.
Immediate improvement in the civility of political campaigning and conduct.
Substantial upgrading of ethical expectations and formal standards.
Assurance of the absolute integrity and reliability of the voting process.
Abolition of the Electoral College and direct election of the President and Vice President.
An end to lobbyists' contributions, and real progress toward publicly financed campaigns.
Independent nonpartisan commissions to oversee Congressional redistricting.
Fundamental overhaul of the healthcare system.
Fundamental overhaul of the taxation system.
Increased fiscal responsibility and accountability — and an end to "earmarks" and other pork-barrel spending.
Development of a long-range energy policy.
Strict enforcement of environmental legislation.
Commitment to a long-range plan for dealing with the national infrastructure.
Closer regulatory attention to the problems of corporate fraud and greed.

Also, we should insist that well in advance of election day the candidates for President should share with us a short list of the people being considered for appointment to the Cabinet and other high-level positions, and should pledge to us that an honest effort will be made to form a fusion government utilizing our best talent, experience and wisdom.

PROPOSAL 2

Citizens concerned about these and other critical issues and eligible but not registered to vote should register.

PROPOSAL 3

On November 11, 2008, citizens should go to the polls, and be counted. Each of us may then assert the power of democracy, by voting or by casting a partly or completely empty ballot — demonstrating in eloquent numbers our basic faith in the democratic process while providing an optional way to participate yet protest.

If enough of us do this — no matter how we vote or whether we vote —we shall in a single day transform political reality. We shall send a message which no responsible President or member of Congress can ignore or dare defy.

We have an historic opportunity to give ourselves and the world a timely and encouraging demonstration of the true strength and confidence of American democracy.

As a people, we need to make a long-range commitment to the process of change.

We need a national dialogue, civil and well informed and reasoned, engaging the whole democracy, involving not only our politicians but also our media, civic and business organizations, academic institutions, families.

To our young people: The future being decided now is your future. You should feel free to contribute actively to this dialogue.

We need less confrontation and debate and more cooperation and discussion.

We need a healing spirit of reconciliation and shared purpose throughout our society.

The humble beginnings of American democracy at Jamestown led to a revolution which lit a beacon of hope to a world shackled by ignorance, poverty and oppression. The promising ideals of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are now our responsibility. What should we do? What shall we do?

If fundamental change is needed — and most of us agree it is — we must begin somehow, sometime.

If not this way, how? If not now, when? Think about it.

—Submitted by concerned citizens

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