Working for Change

All across the country ordinary people are working very hard for an extraordinary goal, changing the course America has taken. I am one of those people. By myself, I am not at all important; but I am not alone. There are thousands of people giving up nights and weekends, letting the housework slide and the lawn become over grown, and living off pizza and canned soda. We are knocking on doors, making phone calls, posting yard signs, attending meetings, and doing lit drops. We are pleading with our neighbors, our friends and our families to get involved in the political process.

Why? Because we know this election is not about which of the two rich white guys running for president gets the job. This election is about change. It is about the kind of change that comes when voters all across America are angry.

The anger is deep seated and scattered. It is about everything and nothing in particular. I have listened to voters angry with George Bush for the loss of jobs, and for his right wing agenda, for getting us involved in another war with Iraq. I have talked voters angry with John Kerry for protesting the war in Vietnam, for questioning the decisions of the President, and for his liberal votes. They are mad at both major parties for the failure to work together on healthcare, education, or election reform. I have spoken with voters angry at Frankfort's inability to pass a budget, angry for their passage of the "gay marriage" bill, and angry over their failure to go beyond party rhetoric and address real problems. Locally, the anger is directed at the water company buy out and the smoking ban. But I believe the anger is about more than any of those issues.

We are mad at government that is increasingly out of touch with reality. We are angry at the lack of integrity in our elected officials. We do not believe either party has the guts to stand up to big business or deep-pocketed special interest. Moreover, we do not believe that change will come from the top. It starts with me, and you, and you, and you. It begins with talking to our neighbors, our friends, our families. It spreads from one voter to another as we take back the local offices, the county offices, and the state. Change happens when each of us holds government accountable. Together we will have the government we deserve.