11/9/10 FB fan page (click here to comment) — As you know, the current concentration of power and wealth is not only morally wrong, it is politically and economically unsustainable. This is not a partisan issue. This is about what form of a government we have in America.
"In the late 1970s, the richest 1 percent of American families took in about 9 percent of the nation’s total income; by 2007, the top 1 percent took in 23.5 percent of total income. It’s no coincidence that the last time income was this concentrated was in 1928."
— Robert Reich, NY Times op-ed 09.02.10
It is not true, no matter how often it is asserted, that the only relevant question to ask about our government is the size of its budget.
We have to ask ourselves HOW do laws get made? Not just WHO is in power, but HOW did they get power? If we have lobbyists writing our bills, don't you think that's a problem? Please do not fall for fallacious arguments that reduce all questions about our politics to the size of the government.
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
— Louis D. Brandeis
Anyone who defends this power and income inequality either does not understand the meaning of democracy or is benefiting directly and will not give it up unless they are required to.
We are becoming a pure plutocracy. This problem has been growing like a cancer over many years, arguably since the founding. It affects all of us.
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
— Frederick Douglass
Please resist the divide and conquer tactics of the plutocrats.
We must go out as messengers to our neighbors, friends, and family focused on this as a matter of moral and political principle. This is not about party or electoral politics. This is a matter of urgency affecting our future. We need to inform and organize the citizens of America to demand democracy. Demand power for the citizen.
Citizens must lead and reset the norm on what it means to work together. Please do not take Congress as the model of cooperation. We must not mirror the division, rancor and corruption in Washington.
Please remember that most Americans of both parties are unhappy with Congress in general.
They are not intrinsically partisans. 37-42% of Americans identify as independent voters because they are fed up with the two-party system.
The Coffee Party is a truly grassroots movement that started in January of this year focused on bringing America together to address vulnerabilities and loopholes in our democracy. We want to find candidates that support this. We are entirely independent of any political party or organization.
We would like for our members to approach working with the Coffee Party in the spirit of collaboration for the common good. Please do not demand service from us as if you are entitled consumers. We are all volunteers asking what we can do to improve our country.
Join our grassroots campaign to demand power for citizens over the power of money in America.
- Attend our action Jan. 20-21, 2011 in Washington DC, or plan a corresponding action in your area.
- Share this blog post, and two related posts: $ in Politics an Election Issue in 2012 and Action Jan. 20-21, 2011 in Washington DC
- Email info [at] democracymeetup.com to join the conference call about our campaign.
- You can join our new group/forum focused on this on the Shared Purpose network.
- Please read: http://www.slate.com/id/2266025/entry/2266026
Editor's Note: The post above is by Coffee Party founder Annabel Park, orginally posted to our Facebook fan page. From now on, we will be reposting selected items from the Coffee Party Facebook fan page on this blog to help integrate our two on-line communities. We are developing a similar set of tools for this website which you can preview here.
