Less Talk, More Action

Following the developments of all things government online eventually leads one to the comments section of most articles.  If you’re not careful you can fritter away a large chunk of your day reading posts that range from insightful, to thought-provoking, to just plain stupid, to the kind where you immediately think, ‘And what facility did you escape from?’

So many opinions, so little time…

As I read I can’t help but wonder what might happen if everyone voicing an opinion actually did something concrete about it.  Even if it were no more than writing a letter, bombarding their reps with emails, making regular telephone calls.  Something.  Anything.

But my guess is that most are content to just sit around writing complaints hiding behind the anonymity of a screen name.  Which is a wise thing to do online.  But their elected officials need to hear from them on a very regular basis.

Don’t like a particular bill that’s coming up for consideration, or a vote, take five minutes to write an opinion that might do some real good.  Then slap a stamp on it and put it in the mail.  Follow it up with a phone call or two.  Remind them that whether or not they have your support in the next election is dependent entirely upon their voting record-and that you’re going to be following it very carefully.

I used to roll my eyes when people would talk about the future, “Think about what the world will be like for your kids and grandkids.”  Now?  Not so much.

Gasoline is almost $4.00 a gallon.  Again.  Decent cuts of meat, well even the not so decent cuts, really stress the average budget.  The cost of putting a roof over your head, not to mention heating and cooling it, is sky high.  Jobs are extremely hard to come by, and those that are available require an expensive education and/or experience.  Well, that, or you can fill out a McApplication, then hope you'll be chosen to earn McWages, that might be just enough to keep you out of the McPoorHouse.  If you're lucky.

So yeah.  No more eye rolling.  Now I wonder how much worse it might get for my kids and grandkids. 

If things are this bad now, how bad might they be in twenty or thirty more years-if something doesn’t change?  If we can’t get our politicians to do the jobs they were voted in to do?   Will our grandkids be living in boxes in alleys and shopping for food in only the most upscale dumpsters?

Sounds extreme, and probably a little paranoid, but this is happening more and more today.  And the economy seems to get worse every day.  So unless the American people do something about it now, I picture a society much like some of the books I’ve read.  Set in medieval times, you have the fat, wealthy land owners.  Then you have the dirt poor ‘tenants,’ working themselves to death for a little bit of nothing.  Why?  Because the land owners like it that way.

We hear all the time that the middle class is disappearing.  Think about that.  I mean really think about that.

If they’re disappearing what, exactly, does that leave us with?  The wealthy and the poor.  Most of the middle class is obviously not getting richer so, ipso facto, they must be getting poorer.  I know that includes me, and most everyone I know.  It probably includes you, too.

Think about that.  What life is like for you right now.  Then think about your loved ones.  Or your future loved ones.  What will life be like for them?

After you spend some time thinking about it, go buy a book of stamps, some stationary and envelops, find the names and contact information for every one of your elected officials-and start taking some action.  Not just once in awhile, but regularly.  When you make your calls, you want the aides to know you by name-without you having to identify yourself.

Is there going to be a demonstration within reasonable driving distance?  Jump in your car and show your support.  Let them see the numbers of unhappy voters increasing exponentially. 

If every unhappy person posting their complaints online would actually do something about it, our elected officials will start to sweat.  Because you're tired of all their baloney and have joined the ranks of the not so silent, unhappy majority.   

But none you alone won't make a difference.   On my own, I won't either.  It won't be until most of us get tired enough, angry enough, and scared enough to stop sitting back and letting  others  take care of our business that we can take effective steps toward putting our country back to what it should be.

It’s time to wake up and start exercising our rights as American citizens.