A United Cause For The United States

Yet again, I have come across an editorial by Lou Dobbs that I could not agree with more. I see Dobbs now was an old Republican that has lost his faith in the party and turned Independent. I think this because his latest article, "Middle class needs to fight back now," speaks to that point. Sorry Lou, but I beat you to this idea months ago. But you get all the credit and that is probably for the best.
Dobbs begins his article with a statement that I have said many times in the past. He states, "I can't take seriously anyone who takes either the Republican Party or Democratic Party seriously -- in part because neither party takes you and me seriously; in part because both are bought and paid for by corporate America and special interests." And if that was obvious, I don't know what is. The increasing corruption of American politics in evident in the ineffectiveness shown by Congress in the last six years and beyond. I don't see how anyone could still call themselves a member of either party. Both are so corrupt, they no longer focus on the issues but on one-upping each other in the press. That is not the way government should work and Dobbs agrees.
Dobbs explains what has caused the two major parties in America to become so ineffective. He cites a recent study done by the Center for Public Integrity. During the study, the group found, "in 1968 there were only 63 lobbyists in Washington. Today, there are more than 34,000, and lobbyists now outnumber our elected representatives and their staffs by a 2-to-1 margin." That is completely pathetic. Special interests have been an increasing problem in Washington since I can remember. They run the government. Dobbs cites evidence that whoever can throw around the most money in Washington can "not only influence legislation, but in many cases to write the language of the laws and regulations." This is a blatant disregard of EVERYTHING this country was founded on. Do the people running this country remember what democracy is? I don't think so.
So what is the plan of action for Americans? What can we really do that can help fix this problem? I agree with Dobbs' idea. In fact, it is almost identical to my own idea and would be just as effective. According to Dobbs, "we don't have to wait for the midterm elections to begin to engage in our new political life." While not voting for incumbents would have a lasting effect on Congress, Dobbs suggests that voters take it one step further. He says every American that cares should, "walk into our town and city halls all over the country and change our party affiliation from Republican or Democrat to independent." What an impact this would have. If both parties were dealt such a blow right before an election, the face of American politics would change forever. And I would be proud to see it happen.