So, how do we get out of this mess?
Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution to this very complicated problem. The problem of how to change government back into the responsible, responsive, reasonable, and reliable organization it should be. To get government back on the job working for all of us again, not just for those with money and influence. At first glance, this seems like a pretty big job. Maybe even “Mission Impossible.” But it’s not. It’s quite simple. How do we do it?
Vote.
Doesn’t seem like much of a solution, does it? Especially coming from a political party that considers government in America-government that was voted into office-a problem. We’ve been voting for years, and look where it’s gotten us. We’ve heard for years that it doesn’t matter if we vote. That candidates are all alike. That it doesn’t matter who gets elected. That they all stink. That on Election Day, it’s our job to elect the one who stinks the least. It’s almost conventional wisdom that voting doesn’t change anything, except maybe for the worse. Maybe you know people who believe that. Maybe you believe that. But you’re wrong.
Voting is the answer.
We just need to change why we vote. That’s right-WHY. The solution to bad government is good government, and a lot of good people have spent a lot of years trying to elect good government. But that really is mission impossible; it can’t be done. Considering the quality of the candidates offered to us by the major political parties, the deck is obviously stacked against us. Stacked in favor of the status quo. Stacked in favor of business as usual. Stacked in favor of giving us all more of
…the same old shit.
Well, the T.O.S.S. Party got its name for a reason. It’s our mission to get rid of the stacked deck and replace it with a new deck. It’s our mission to get people to stop trying to vote IN good government. It can’t be done. It’s our mission to get people to start voting OUT bad government. That can be done. By voting out the government we have now. Government that doesn’t work. By voting out officials now in office. By voting out people who have, in some cases, been there for decades.
By voting out every single incumbent.
Why? Because most incumbents no longer work for us. And THAT is why government seems immune to change. That is why it seems voting no longer works. That is why some people have simply given up. Government no longer works for us because the whole time we’ve been busy with other things-busy not participating in our own political process-others have been busy participating up a storm. Busy gaining control of our government and the people in it. Busy using government to advance their own agendas. Individuals. Groups. Lobbyists. Big business. Big corporations. Whole industries. Special interests. Political action committees. Even foreign governments. All with one agenda.
Influence government.
Influence our government to see things their way. Influence our government to use its power on their behalf. To pass legislation favorable to their interests, or block legislation unfavorable to those interests. To cut “sweetheart” deals. Grant concessions. Make political appointments. Award contracts. Or to just look the other way. Influence that took years or even decades to develop. Influence that cost millions, or perhaps billions, of dollars to buy. And just who were the special interests trying to influence? Who was on the receiving end of all that attention? Who were their targets? Why, the people now in office. The incumbents. So, now they’re our targets too.