The other day Thom Hartmann (the most popular progressive talk radio host you’ve probably never heard of) interviewed someone from the Occupy movement who summed up their frustration by saying, “Our politicians are there to serve the people, but they aren’t doing their job.” I think few in this country would disagree with that… but why aren’t they? Why does it seem that Wall Street and transnational corporations have so much more influence over our representatives than we do?
THEY have the money, I hear you cry. THEY spend all kinds of money to lobby congress. THEY buy the elections, which always seem to go to the candidate who can spend the most money. THEY own the media and control the message. THEY have corrupted the system and the people are at their mercy.
I agree that’s part of the story, but let’s think about it… Why do they lobby congress? Because they know how the laws congress makes can work to their advantage. Why do they contribute to campaigns? Because they know how important it is to get (or keep) someone in office who will protect and promote their interests. Why do they control the message?
Because they know that it’s OUR VOTES that really count.
Yeah. I said it. It’s all about us, baby. If they control the message, they control us… and then WE, the people, will put legislators friendly to their causes in positions of power… and keep them there.
THEY know how powerful we are. The problem is WE don’t! Most of us simply don’t believe we can make a difference and definitely don’t take our responsibility as citizens in this democracy seriously. The writer James Howard Kunstler summed up this attitude in the documentary, “Megamall:”
“Over the last 30-40 years, we’ve mutated from being citizens to being consumers. Consumers, unlike citizens, don’t have any duties or obligations or responsibilities to anything other than their own desires. I think that in ceasing to describe ourselves as citizens, we have, in fact, degraded our understanding of who we are.”
WE may have forgotten how much power we have in our system of government, but Wall Street and the transnational corporations have never forgotten… and they continue to use our own power against us. They manipulate us into supporting their causes and buying their products. So the best way to reduce their power, in my opinion, is to take back our own.
How do we do that? How do we take back our power as responsible citizens in our democracy? Here are my suggestions:
1-Get informed. Not by watching Fox News or any other corporate owned channels. Get your news from a diversity of sources online or from LINK TV or Free Speech TV, neither of which are supported by corporate interests. Find out who your representatives are and where their local offices are located. Put their phone numbers in your speed dial.
2-Determine what issues are most important to you. For me, the climate crisis tops the list, but I also like to find out what environmental issues are affecting my community.
3-Get involved. Voting is essential but it’s just the beginning of what you can do. After a quick search, you will no doubt find that your issues are already being addressed by organizations, many of whom will have a presence online or on Facebook. Once you “like” an organization on Facebook (or give your email to them on their website), you will start getting notices to become involved in their campaigns. You may be asked to sign petitions, send emails to your representatives or show up at a demonstration. On Facebook you can “share” their information and invite others to join you. The best part is when you get a notice that your participation along with others in your organization actually made a difference. That’s when you feel the power of Citizenship coursing through your veins!
So if I may quote the afore-mentioned progressive talk radio host Thom Hartmann, “Tag, you’re it! Go out and occupy something!”
