About

It is time to take back America. It is time to stop fighting amongst ourselves; to stop accusing the Mexican or the “welfare mom” or our out-of-work neighbor of stealing our jobs or of being lazy. Why? Because they are not the cause. They are one of the 99% of us who are being taken advantage of by a meager percentage of the population who have somehow managed to claim nearly half of the nation’s wealth for themselves. While we, the people, struggle to keep a roof over our heads, food on our tables, and clothes on our backs, the rich get richer. While we, the people, avoid seeking health care when we’re ill because we cannot afford to see a doctor, the men and women on Capitol Hill, including the one’s who railed against reform, receive the best health care money (our money) can buy. Many of us are over-worked and under-paid; we have no idea how we’ll afford retirement for ourselves, a college education for our children, let alone how to afford the everyday expenses of life, which grow more and more expensive with each passing year. Yet, as the cost of living goes up, our pay has remained stagnate. As famed journalist and public commentator, Bill Moyers, said in a recent article entitled “Welcome to the Plutocracy,” since about 1980 the “average income went from $30,941 to $31,244 in 2008;” meanwhile, the top 1% has experienced exponential growth. The present disparity in wealth distribution in America today is rivaled only by that experienced during the Great Depression, but not by much. The thing that we, the people, must remember – something we once knew just a generation or two ago– is that the rich do not need what they have, nor do they truly deserve it. We have to remember that anything less than a living wage for our time and hard work is not only unfair, it’s stupid. We have to remember that a consumption based economy like ours only works if as many people as possible have a disposable income (what remains after you have covered necessities) in order to purchase goods and services. If the majority of Americans are living paycheck to pay check just to supply themselves with the basics (food, shelter, clothing, and a modest means of transportation), how is that going to grow the economy? It’s not, honestly. And we see it now, job growth is at a snail’s pace, people are being laid off and/or taking pay cuts, and losing their homes. In order for a consumer based economy like ours to thrive the people must have well-paying jobs (well-paying means, by ethical standards, that the earnings of an individual exceed the cost of living by at least 3%) so that we can afford to purchase consumer goods such as cell phones, televisions, gaming systems, and other non-essentials, the demand for which drives the economy. Lastly, we have to remember that we, not the rich, are the foundation of this nation; without a strong foundation the whole system will come crashing down. We give all the breaks to the people who need them the least, the extremely rich. According to statistics reported by the US Census Bureau’s 2009 report, nearly 14.3%, up from 13.2% (the third consecutive annual increase) of Americans live in poverty; that’s 43.6 million people who can’t afford to live! The Census Bureau reports that from 1999, the year in which household income peaked, to 2009, income inequality between the 10th and 90th percentile (the rich and not rich respectively) is growing. The Census Bureau admits it, why can’t we?! We need to recognize what these numbers really mean: we have no future as long as the rich own this country. We need to recognize that the number of people living in poverty is growing each year, and that this means that anyone of us could be included in those statistics at any point in time. However, with all that is wrong: lack of jobs for the people, insufficient access to health care, a declining education standard, and much more; the real problem is us, the people. We need to stop allowing ourselves to be pounded down by the rich and their Washington cronies. We need to stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated by the propaganda; the blacks, the Hispanics, the whites, the Asians, the welfare recipients, the housewives, the unemployed, the working-poor, the ever shrinking middle-class, we all need to see that we, despite what they try to tell us, are in this together. We need to stop being victims and start standing up for ourselves. We need to take back America. We call upon our fellow Americans, the 99% of us being victimized by a system of broken promises and out-right lies, to take up their Constitutional duty, to protect this nation from harm both within and without its borders. This time, we take on the threats from within: growing economic inequality and loss of jobs and dignity. Thomas Jefferson once said that every generation needs its own revolution. It is time for a Revolution for Citizen’s Rights: the right to employment and fair pay, the right to clean energy to grow our economy and secure a safe and clean future, the right to affordable health care, the right to the promise made by the founders of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s time the people, of, by, and for whom this nation was founded, stand up and take it back from the bankers and the corporations who have bribed, manipulated, and stolen it out from under us. We, the Take Back America Movement, are calling upon you, the people, our fellow Americans, to join us in reclaiming our country.