> “The ISSUES must be ISSUES. Not little “litmus tests” foisted upon us by ***special interests*** or the media. Allowing them to ***steer us*** is what got us into so much trouble to begin with.”
Special interests steer us because they have the funds and we don’t. We the People were taxed on our incomes according the newly adopted 16th Amendment for the first time one hundred years ago AT 1%.
Now we pay on average for middle class family of four about 24% federal (including SSI/Medicare/Medicaid) and on average 9% State and Local.
I don’t care what values or principles one has, if you haven’t got enough economic freedom to move around and get involved, then you’re not going to be effective in politics and that goes for any candidate or leader. They need to be financed. Most don’t have the farm enterprise or the business back home that will sustain their interest in serving their country without needing to put their hand out.
So it’s no mystery that money is the mother’s milk of politics in this day and age and has been for a long time but even more so today.
The only way for ‘People’ to effect change they need and want is to march, boycott, phone/fax, move around and go to Washington and knock on the office doors of their Congress people. But that takes time and money to sustain it. The only time you really see it is when an emotional issue or news items grips people. But then the members of Congress and staffers just wait.....until the emotion subsides and goes away. Then it’s back to business as usual which is to line up the next batch of contributions from the interests that finance the works.
The democrats are more fortunate because a lot of their finance comes from unions including government unions and also corporate heads who they have allowed to game the system by counter-bribes of favorable tax treatments.
The bottom-line is people are in economic chains and can’t do much for very long. And most are unwilling to engage in civil disobedience.
I know it sounds unrelated but the keys to freedom and having the luxury of participating and enduring in politics is in tax reform.
Here’s where people need to study:
http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FAQs
In order for taxes to be lowered in any scheme, the Fed Gov must be DownSized. Close entire Departments, move any worthwhile functions back to States.
Only keep in DC what is expressly granted in the Constitution.
It is Time. And it may be precipitated by a collapse.