All we can do is write to our politicians, but what do we do when

[ThomCat]

they keep ignoring all our letters and emails?

Have any of us ever received even the slightest hint that they read any of our letters, or care about any of our opinions?

Have any of us ever received anything that wasn't a form letter or an automatically generated response?

Has any politician ever changed his or her position to support what we wrote and said we want them to support, against the wishes of lobbyists and corporate masters? Ever?



If they can weed out the truly progressive candidates so that the only options for us to vote on are the centrist pro-corporate liars like Obama, then our votes don't mean a damned thing.

If they ignore our letters, then writing doesn't mean a damned thing.


So what can we all do that makes a difference, especially those of us who are poor?

[valerief]

1. We march and it gets no coverage. We go to rallies and it gets no coverage.

Looks like they want us all to leave.

[ThomCat]

5. Yes, I remember the worlds largest peace marches

and the largest number of coordinated peace marches, all being ignored by the media. :(

If our party could ignore that, and every march and demonstration since, then they really do want us to be invisible.

[valerief]

8. Yes, those ignored Iraq antiwar didn't happen, did they? If the media doesn't cover a tree falling,

does it fall?

Appalling.

[Cleita]

2. Yes. Some have gone on talk shows and mentioned that they have been

overwhelmingly petitioned on certain matters, so I think they do keep a tally. Keep it up regardless. When their phones, faxes and emails start jamming because of the traffic, they get the idea.

[ThomCat]

3. But how many dollars does it take for them to decide to ignore

all the petitions and calls and faxes and emails? I don't think the going rate is very high any more.

All our politicians seem to be so used to serving corporate interests that the lobbyists probably don't even have to up the ante to get their obedience.

[Cleita]

7. I agree. It has seemed like, we the people, have been put on one big giant

ignore that started with the Bush administration and seems to be continuing on through this one. It's like they found out they could ignore us then so they aren't going to change unless we scare them. I don't know how we are going to do that legally.

[valerief]

9. History tells us the elites only understand violence. nt

[ThomCat]

15. If we could find a way to have an effective revolution

with the absolute minimum of violence I'd be all for it. We really need a revolution to overthrow the corporatocracy and all of their lackies that have taken over our government.

[valerief]

18. If we could keep our young from fighting for them and protecting them.

But their propaganda machine is too good, like the church propaganda machine. It's pretty hopeless without violence, I think, and I don't want violence at all.

[jberryhill]

29. India, Philippines, East Germany, Czech Republic, South Africa

I hope you don't teach history

[Laelth]

4. I have. In 2006 I got a very personalized letter from my Congressperson.

I was inquiring about universal health care, and he expressed a preference for a "hybrid" system like that in the U.K. I, of course, would have no problem with that. The NHS does a very good job.

Now, however, when it really matters, my Congressperson is a solid vote against any health care reform measure (on fiscal grounds, of course).

In other words, even when they do hear us, and even if they do respond personally, they may still only tell you what they think you want to hear. It's not a reflection of how they must sometimes vote.

Who thinks John Kerry is really opposed to the importation of drugs from foreign countries? I don't. I think his arm was twisted into that vote. his is just political reality. Many people in conscience do not vote their consciences, and many of them have good reasons for not doing so.

:dem:

-Laelth

[ThomCat]

6. Wow. That's pretty cool that you got a real response.

I got nothing but form letters, ever. I didn't even get that from Hillary Clinton's office. She's my Senator and she doesn't bother to respond to letters or emails. The only response I ever received from her office was fund raising appeals.

[Laelth]

11. I've sent many letters, but have only ever gotten one personalized response.

So, I'm not bragging, but it was nice to get the letter.

Now, of course, I'm furious because my Congressperson has radically "changed is mind," so it's a mixed bag.

:dem:

-Laelth

[smokey nj]

10. Pool our money and see how many we can buy?

I don't think we could buy as many as the corporations have, but we might be able to scrape enough together to buy one or two.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

16. It's the only answer, sad but true.

When it finally dawns on everyone (probably by then everything will be privatized, politicians irrelevant and it will be too late), that senators and reps are not into humanity but serious money, then the People can hire lobbyists to represent them to those the People have elected to represent them-- Greatest Country on Earth, and all that. :loveya:

[ThomCat]

17. Do you really think a politician would stay bought

once a lobbyist started waving corporate donations?

I think the media would have a field day attacking any politician that was bought by citizens while ignoring the blatant bribery going on everywhere in D.C. :(

Though, on the face of it I think this might be a very good idea. It's just a matter of which politician it would be best to buy, and how much it would cost.

[smokey nj]

22. We'd probably lose her/him to corporate cash eventually, but we

might get some good things while we have 'em.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

23. How about a system of auctioning for Reps on Ebay? If one goes

bad, just go back to Ebay and get another one. Better still, get the media lined up, show up at representative's offices with wheelbarrows full of money, and as you shovel it on their desks, tell them to say when it's enough-- could be interesting with the cameras running.

[valerief]

19. We'd be better off pooling our money for black market medical insurance. nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

32. We better make them big ones that count, then.

[David Zephyr]

12. You are asking the most important question here. I hope it gets play.

What can we do?

I hate to say this, but I sense that the White House, now that they've played the ugly cards that they held close to the vest all year, that they know they need to move very fast and get this bill signed into law.

What are those ugly cards that they kept secret all year? Selling out the public option, killing getting meds from Canada, mandating everyone buy corporate insurance, and worse letting insurance companies provide health "care" in states ignoring those states consumer and health safety laws with the blessing of the federal government.

The speed at which they are laying down their cards, the tone of the President ("the country will go broke") signals they are going to ram this thing through to all of our detriment.

This is personal. This is not some abstract political debate. This will hit us all right where we live. It will be "your money or your life." Our lives.

ThomCat, I don't know what we can do. But it's clear that there is a rebellion growing. It's at MoveOn.Org, Huffington Post, the Daily Kos, MSNBC, Air America, the Democratic Underground, The Nation and more. We were duped all year. And now we are learning the ugly truth.

I hope we have time to derail this wicked bill that will enslave us the rest of our lives (I'm not a young guy anymore).

What can we do? We need to do what we are doing. Tell everyone you know. Every friend of mine is a Democrat. Some active, most not. But they have no idea what is going down because they trust Obama. When I tell them the sham that is happening they get upset.

Truth is our trump card. Spreading it is our best tool. Tell everyone you know what is going down.

I don't think we have much time.

[ThomCat]

20. Truth is a very weak trump card in the face of PR firms

and the government will certainly be rolling out the PR firms to pacify people, convincing people that shit is gold. :(

I hope we can rally a huge backlash to really seriously burn the asses off every last one of these politicians who votes to chain us all to this massive corporate giveaway.

[David Zephyr]

26. Well, you certainly are right about the PR blitz that is sure to come.

Let the brainwashing begin.

That with Obama's fearmongering now can whip the sheep into submission.

George Bush and Fox News convinced Americans that Sadddam Huseein attacked us.

It's very depressing.

[laughingliberal]

24. I don't think we have much time, either. I talk to everyone. Most are shocked and had no

idea where this bill was heading.

[sabrina 1]

13. Sometimes they listen. Last Fall when they were

overwhelmed with calls from the American people opposing the bailouts on Wall St., Congress voted against them. They responded. But, we still lost. We were told later that Congressmembers were threatened into voting for the bailouts and the next vote went to Wall St. When asked who threatened them, I think it was Rep. Wilson from CA. said that Paulson had done so, threatening that there would be Martial Law if he didn't get the money.

The people have no lobbyists. We cannot afford to buy Congress so I doubt they bother much about what we think.

If we were able to offer them more money than the big Corps, then they might listen. But it's more than the money, imo. I think many of them believe in runaway Capitalism and actually admire the Wall St. crooks. So, I don't know what the answer is except to not donate anything to them, only directly to those who have stood up for the people. And to find a way to get more progressives to run, or Independents like Bernie Sanders. I don't know how to do that though, but there must be a way.

[ThomCat]

25. That is a core part of the problem.

Even if we could buy a politician, or get a few more progressives into office, there is too much power in hands that we can't influence. The Fed is owned and controlled by Wall Street. The Pentagon is owned and controlled by military contractors. They can threaten and intimidate politicians into voting against us.

It used to be that Unions were powerful enough to represent us, and could compete at that level influencing politicians. But Unions have been vastly reduced in size and power.

[rhett o rick]

14. It is well past time for a movement to oust the damn corporatists. Time to go to the streets. nt

[ThomCat]

27. I don't think that can happen.

The police are militarized. Any organization that even thinks of taking to the streets is infiltrated and spied upon, and civil rights be damned. Our government and our police don't really think we need our civil rights, and don't deserve them the moment we really try to use them.

The media would be against us, attacking us on every channel and on every page, creating a backlash against us.

I would love to see a movement take to the streets and get large enough to have an impact, but I really don't see it happening. We have grown a country that is designed to prevent it. :(

[eleny]

21. When they ask for money I'm telling them that I'm using any extra funds for health care

[ThomCat]

28. I tell them

"The first time I see you vote for a bill that privileges people over corporations, even once, I'll consider donating money to you."

[TwilightGardener]

30. Check out this nauseating Ben Nelson ad (featuring John McCain!!) that's running in my state--

This is why I don't even bother with him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6tCbTe2P5I

[ThomCat]

34. That really is disgusting.

:(

I'm sorry you're stuck with him. It would be wonderful if he could be replaced with someone much more to the left.

[Individualist]

31. The only real power we have is the vote. Use it wisely.

[ThomCat]

33. That isn't much of a power

when we can only choose between candidates who have been pre-screened by lobbyists, and corporate interests. If the only candidates we are allowed to choose are the ones they approve of, then is it possible to elect someone who will represent us instead of them?

[Individualist]

35. It is possible.

Just think about it for a while and you'll figure it out.

[ThomCat]

36. Don't be so condescending.

I've been voting for 20 years.

What is it that you think you know that nobody else has figured out yet?

[Individualist]

37. I had no intention of being condescending

and there's nothing complex about it. When one votes, look at the ballot and, as I said, use your vote wisely. I didn't say anywhere that I know something no one else does.