An Open Letter to the Politcal Parties

a reply to: StoutBroux

If it is the will of the 'people' then they should be together on it.'United we stand,divided we fall". Let them see it is not a disgruntled voter here or there,but it is the PEOPLE as a whole that are fed up.

I wrote the OP in a moment of extreme frustration, after watching "Meet The Press." Some guy was on there trying to explain that the fault lay in the way the campaign was worded, totally ignoring the fact that I and many others are so disgusted with the way the government has been working (or not working) lately. It's not the words chosen that swayed my vote as much as it was the actions taken prior to the election.

The guy was basically saying that his party had some sort of right to force their will on the people, as long as they used the right words to describe it. The opinions and desires of the people are meaningless.

Now I have two people taking up for that belief? I am completely incredulous.

I am "We The People," just as much as each other person in the USA is "We The People." I am a citizen, with all the rights and responsibilities and abilities that go along with that title. When someone says to me, "You have no right to say that you're one of the people," that says to me that that person is practicing the same philosophy that has gotten us into this place, the same philosophy that causes all the angst they say they abhor.

I did reword the OP before I logged into ATS, because ATS has a myriad of opinions. I boiled it down to the following points:

• Actions that wind up hurting people are bad, and changing the word used to describe them does not make bad actions into good actions.
  
  
• Most people would prefer to make more than minimum wage, and would like to have the choice to work full time if they choose.
  
  
• People should have the choice to start a business if they want, and fail or succeed on their own merits.
  
  
• People would like to decide for themselves how to spend what money they have, instead of being told how to spend it.
  
  
• People would like to pay less taxes.
  
  
• People would like to be able to get manufacturing jobs if they want to.
  
  
• People don't want their children to die in a war fought over money and power grabs.
  
  
• People want the government to take care of the country's business... pass a budget, make good laws, enforce fairness, etc.
  
  
• People want the government to actually do what the writers specified in the US Constitution.

Now, maybe I was presumptuous to believe that a majority of people could agree on these simple points. If so, I apologize for offending sensibilities. I am curious, however, at which of the above is considered a heinous proposal.

So please, simply point out what it is you find so terrible... Do you want everyone to make a minimum wage in a part time job, with no hope for a better future and no benefits? Or maybe you want the government telling you what computer to buy, what car to drive, what food to eat, when and who to marry, how to raise your children, ad infinitum. Perhaps you want higher taxes? Perchance you want the government to restart the draft so more children can die in battle?

I promise not to be judgemental. I am just curious as to what it is you disagree with, so in the future I won't step on those sensitive nerves.

Oh, and I am not a Republican nor Democrat. I am an Independent citizen who votes based on the morality (defined as whether or not one will follow their stated beliefs when it is hard to do so) and agendas of the individual. I have never voted straight ticket in my life, and never plan on doing so. My allegiance is to the USA as defined in the US Constitution, not to some political party nonsense. Please leave the partisan bickering somewhere else, because it only tells me that there is no logic in a post that concentrates on it.

TheRedneck

Dear Redneck,

Bravo for a simply BRILLIANT letter. I for one am going to distribute an amended copy in Canada.

I, too, cannot believe that people will not stand together on some very succinct and dare I say across the board - fair and rational points. But you know the drill, if you won't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. (And apparently some people will, over and over again.) I am very glad that you are not one of those, and did something constructive towards that which you believe, and the fact that you gave permission to reproduce & distribute, is to be applauded as well.

I am also very interested in reading exactly which of those points people disagree with - and the why.

Because continuing to live in a world expressing the opposite of those points? Is not one to take pride in.

Star & Flag.

a reply to: TheRedneck

All the problems you mentioned existed before Obama and will exist after. You seem to forget all the times Republicans ran things they did nothing to help either. If you think this recent election changes anything you really don't get politics at all.

a reply to: TheRedneck

I am a democrat and you are welcome. You can have it. Do your worst. We are waiting and will watch the final destruction of tea party conservatism for the next two years. Democrats need to take a rest from all their hard work of doing good for the poor and laborers. After all, conservatives killed Jesus for doing good.

originally posted by: TheRedneck
I wrote the OP in a moment of extreme frustration, after watching "Meet The Press." Some guy was on there trying to explain that the fault lay in the way the campaign was worded, totally ignoring the fact that I and many others are so disgusted with the way the government has been working (or not working) lately. It's not the words chosen that swayed my vote as much as it was the actions taken prior to the election.

The guy was basically saying that his party had some sort of right to force their will on the people, as long as they used the right words to describe it. The opinions and desires of the people are meaningless.

Now I have two people taking up for that belief? I am completely incredulous.

I am "We The People," just as much as each other person in the USA is "We The People." I am a citizen, with all the rights and responsibilities and abilities that go along with that title. When someone says to me, "You have no right to say that you're one of the people," that says to me that that person is practicing the same philosophy that has gotten us into this place, the same philosophy that causes all the angst they say they abhor.

Fine. You are "We The People". So am I. Don't use our shared name to espouse YOUR ideas. The document you are quoting when you use the term "We The People" was hammered together and agreed upon by dozens of men who were chosen as representatives of their particular parts of the world. They had the authority to speak for everyone.

You don't.

Your list doesn't really concern me, it's who you address it to that concerns me. The GOP and the Dems DO NOT CARE about you or your list. They are above you. They need not worry about what you want or what you don't want because they have you fully believing that they are the only game in town. It doesn't matter what they do, because they only have to be a LITTLE better than the other guy.

That's it.

The lesser of two evils is still evil. Stop voting for evil If you're serious about your wants, then you need to stop playing THEIR game and start voting for ANYONE else.

a reply to: TheRedneck
You speak as a person who has authority to speak 'for the people'. I do not recall granting you that. Regardles, the election was based on a segment of society which dislikes most of the rest. Your posting name is a prime indicator of your sensibilities.
The 'others' are stupid enough not to have repudiated the positions that you hold.
Repuslicans represent a MINORITY. This is not a typo.
The fact is THEY (not you) won an election by puke means and lots of billionaires' money.
There were no numbers supporting the wholesale ousting of Demoncrats (I don't like them either) but their group cowardice and ineffectual pandering to the 'middle' was misguided and moronic.
The entire lack of meaningful (to the majority) platforms by the 'conservatives' will be their undoing. This may be the last time that conservatives have ANY impact on politics.
It's the only possible positive outcome. That and the Demoncrats becoming Democrats.

I believe all "The PEOPLE" want of this Republican Congress is to put the brakes on the Maniac holding
the White House. 2016 is when their will can be applied.

Here's a tip - there were districts where the Republicans won a disproportionate amount of seats when the % of votes are factored into the equation. Thanks to the gerrymandering of the Republican party over the past decade, this is now possible. Look at Pennsylvania and North Carolina for examples. In 2012, the first congressional election after the last round of gerrymandering, Democratic House candidates won 50.59 percent of the vote — or 1.37 million more votes than Republican candidates — yet secured only 201 seats in Congress, compared to 234 seats for Republicans.

Dont think for a SECOND that the Republican party "won" a majority.

a reply to: AgentShillington

OK. Then you tell us what WE THE PEOPLE were saying with this election.

The Redneck sure got a bunch of 'atta boys' for his letter.

Let's hear your version...

a reply to: nwtrucker

You really aren't paying attention, are you?

I don't have the authority to speak for the people. If I attempted to do so, I would be a hypocrite.

a reply to: AgentShillington

Oh, I've been paying attention all right.

I get the hypocrite bit and I can't disagree.

I would humbly suggest to Redneck a modifier..."We The People who voted for this change".

I do disagree that there won't be change. Obviously there will. The question is will it be enough 'change' to alter overall direction?

One thing that make this a little different from past 'efforts'. The real and imminent threat of a 'real' third party in 2016 and the potential end of the Republican Party as we know it. ( The Democrats have abandoned JFK by so much and for so long that they don't even know they have already been interred in an urn.)

If it goes as you think-and it IS likely- then they will join the Democrat Party in a matching urn on the same shelf with the Whigs....

a reply to: wanderingman

Seeing gerrymandering has nothing to do with the Senate votes and gains by the Republicans, nor the states that were previously controlled by the Democrats that swung Republican or even the states that are still democrat controlled- including California- which had Republican gains, let me rebut with a counter hint....both parties gerrymander, it is at best. a minor factor in this election.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Regardless of whether I agree or disagree with YOUR letter; And I am part of the American People....

Don't speak for me and I won't speak for you.

Harmful changes are happening in this county, and no party that fails to address this will stay in power for very long. In particular the flood of foreigners must be stopped, and if it was stopped, wages would rise of their own accord. Anyone who promotes a "path to legalization" or "immigration reform" has lost my vote. I have immigrant friends and generally like them, but our country is simply being swamped. a reply to: TheRedneck

Feel free to sign it "We, Approximately 11% of the People"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Solution:

Approximate number of Republican votes Nationwide: 23,470,841
________________________________________________________ = 11.4 %
Approximate number of Americans eligible to vote: 146,311,000


(Based on US Senate races, based on the 2010 Census data.)