F E AT U R E
two separate entities slowly but surely
becoming one in the same. From this,
the U.S. is showing citizens it’s true
colors - providing a clear depiction
into the deep, crooked, darkside they
so often try to hide; revealing to us
that democracy may not be possible
within a capitalist economy. That is, the
capitalism unfortunately sculpted by
U.S. leadership. A system now clearly
exposed by decisions which have been
largely molded by countless lies, illegal
bribes, unacceptable backdoor deals all the embarrassing components of an
economic system plagued by “cronyism.”
So, our only hope is not through writing
our legislators over and over, we're
far passed that stage and so are the
lawmakers. Their minds have been made
up for them for quite some time now. If
you honestly believe that writing to our
state’s legislators will help us overcome
this struggle for life, liberty and pursuit
of happiness, then you are wasting
valuable time. It may seem slightly
absurd to many great advocates for me
to suggest such an action of opting-out
of a particular strategic task so many
have already been participating in.
Before resisting or refusing to believe,
my very notion that contacting our state’s
representatives is useless, let
us consider some key factors first
and foremost.
“It is said that the first duty of a politician
is to get elected - and the second duty is
to get reelected. If you are an average
Congressman or Senator, you must raise
over $2500 every single day of your
term” (Henslin 2010:446). This is why
money has been dubbed the “mother’s
milk of politics.” Considering this excerpt
from the book Sociology: A Downto-Earth Approach, written by James
Henslin, there is much more to learn
about how the American political system
functions, better yet, how American
politicians make decisions. Henslin
writes, “Members of Congress who want
to be reelected must pay attention to the
special-interest groups and lobbyists, for
they represent blocs of voters who share
a vital interest in the outcome of specific
bills. Well financed and able to contribute
huge sums, lobbyists can deliver votes
to you - or your opponent” (Henslin
2010:445). Not to mention, Henslin
points out the fact that “Half of the top
100 White House officials go to work
for or advise the same companies they
regulated while they worked for
the president.”
In addition, this impressive Sociology
Textbook discusses how special interest
groups form political action committees
(PACs) to solicit contributions from
many, and then use that large amount
to influence legislation. Henslin directly
states, “PACs represent broad social
interests, mostly the financial interests,
such as the banking, defense, oil, and
pharmaceutical industries”
(Henslin 2010:445).
The following page in this textbook
puts many things into perspective when
it describes a scenario by allowing
the readers to imagine what it may
realistically be like as someone in an
American politician’s shoes. This is a
fascinating representation of a writer
somehow assisting their readers with
an ability at mentally illustrating how the
politician is forced to make particular
decisions. For instance, Henslin writes,
“Suppose that it is only a few weeks from
the election. You are exhausted from
a seemingly endless campaign, and
the polls show you and your opponent
neck and neck. The representatives of a
couple PACs pay you a visit. One says
that his organization will pay for a mailing
of your campaign materials, while the
other offers to buy TV and Radio Ads.
You feel somewhat favorable toward
their positions anyway and you accept.
Once elected, you now owe them. When
legislation that affects their interests
comes up for vote, their representatives
call you - on your private cell phone and tell you how they want you to vote.
It would be political folly to double-cross
them” (Henslin 2010: 446).
Therefore, when learning more about
how the American political system
functions, it becomes apparent that
our letters, emails and phone calls are
probably the last on their daily list of
responsibilities to attend to, assuming
of course our concerns are even a topic
that makes a spot on the list overall. So,
it is clear to me the time is now for us
to stand up and speak out, together - at
the very same time, using the same
words - something passionate, honest,
truthful, catchy, logical, believable,
meaningful, understandable and entirely
powerful type of chant or key terms to
focus on shouting, while marching during
the mass demonstration. The primary
objective, main goal or overall mission
statement could consist of something
that communicates a message that is
VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE USA 67