Folks, it is now June, voting day is now FIVE months away. This election, like every election, is important. It is time that we all begin to start seriously considering for whom it is we are going to vote. Luckily, the era of the internet has made this task quite simple and there are now a plethora of sites that compile useful information about politicians to assist us in making well-informed choices.
I will not attempt to sway any of you toward any particular candidate; although, I am not above encouraging you all to take a left turn. 😉 I will, however, offer a bit of advice that I think is useful and deeply important; as you research the voting records and personal stances of the candidates, both incumbent and non, also look into from where and from whom their campaign contributions are coming. If we as a nation can learn anything from Scott Walker‘s governorship, and recent victory, is that politicians who receive financial support from big business, especially those with long histories of being anti-Union (Walmart and Home Depot, for example), are going to vote anti-Union and anti-workers rights because that is what their owners –ooops I mean donors– want them to do. And this is true for all politicians: if one has received significant support from Wall Street, they will then represent Wall Street; if from the oil industry, then they will represent the oil industry; if from the corporate food industry, like Monsanto or Conagra, they will represent the corporate food industry.
Therefore, research each candidate’s campaign finances, as this, along with their voting records, will tell you everything you need to know about where his/her loyalties will really lie once they are in office. Chances are that the candidate with the least amount of money raised, especially from corporations and banks with a track record of greed and corruption, is going to be more loyal we the people. Just remember, though, that while whomever it is you choose come November is up to you, your vote effects the whole; so choose wisely and whatever you do, VOTE.
Vote because it is your duty as a citizen, but vote responsibly. It is your duty to your fellow Americans to vote not for the person who raises the most money or flings the best insults, but for the person who, upon research on your part, is best suited for the job. Who cares if they have an R or a D along side their name, or neither? No one should really because what matters most is what donors appear under their names, as this is a tell tale sign of who a candidate will truly be representing. The more millionaires, billionaires, corporate CEOs, and Wall Street bankers you see, the more likely it is that, once in office, we the people will be forgotten as the newly elected politician bows to the whims of his or her corporate sponsors.
It is essential that we put an end to the corporate puppet show in DC, and our respective home states, by voting responsibly come November. It is important that we take the time to remember those in Congress who have done right by the people and carefully research those running to replace those in Congress who have failed us. If we all do this, if we stand together, we have a far better chance of succeeding in reclaiming the political power.
Below you will find links to websites and articles that are designed to assist voters in making informed and responsible decisions.
This site provides the personal stances and voting history of each candidate and present office holder:
http://ontheissues.org/default.htm
This link provides information on which corporations own whom:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/09/congress-corporate-sponsors
This link provides the personal finances of some of Congresses top members (this speaks volumes as to where their loyalties have and will lay):
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/
This link provides information on campaign contributions:
http://www.opensecrets.org/
And this link allows you to not only view the political stances of candidates and office-holders, it shows you the bills and the votes each Congressperson gave to said bills.
http://votesmart.org/
© Karen Lyn and Take Back America, 2011-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author(s) and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Karen Lyn, author post authors as listed on this blog, and Take Back America with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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