Vote for your own interests.

I was born in 1963. Being born black means I was born with the inability to vote. So often I stop to wonder why skin color prevented me from having such a privilege.  I wondered why it was important and how I was granted the power to execute a basic right. I grew up and examined the purpose of voting. I also examined what has been done to control that right.

We all know what gerrymandering is. We all know what redistricting is.  But do we understand why? Voting remains the single obligation of every citizen. Why has the 99% continued to keep the 1%’s system in place? Voting by party or popularity is absurd. When will we break the 1%’s dominance? The notion that families feel entitled to office shows WE have not done our jobs as citizens. The dominance must end.

The scary fact that the Bushs and the Clintons feel they own the office is one matter; the fact that WE have supported them is another. I feel the second is much more disturbing. Are our political offices family heirlooms or do they belong to the people? Do the 99% of US believe the nation belongs to the 1%?  

Laws are our checks and balances to justice. If those who make law remain above it, it stands to reason that the laws are for the 99% of US. The terms, US and us are interchangeable, as it is us and the US who are affected by law. Law implies consequences and penalties for actions designated as lawful and unlawful. Courage should not be the quality that determines who is allowed to break the law. Influence should not determine who gets to break the law. The law is the law.

Examine all the stories of Christie emerging now. We must not forget that all he has done has been allowed. He has operated with impunity to the point where he himself believes he can do whatever he wants.  He did not arrive at this conclusion overnight, it is a cumulative assumption based on what he has gotten away with. He and his buddies, those he has appointed and used his office to benefit have enjoyed the protection of the fear and money.  We that have spread news of his offenses have taken a stand.  We have also looked to the same system that allowed him to operate illegally for help. I contend that the NJ legislators should have defended the people of NJ.

His settlement with EXXON has been so glaringly corrupt some action may be taken. Asking questions about his activities is not in my humble opinion, enough. Only by holding him accountable will NJ send a message that all may understand. Other Governors have lost their positions for a lot less. What makes him so different?  The call to impeach President Clinton certainly pales by comparison of offenses for calls to have Christie impeached and held accountable for the billions he has cost NJ. Others have resigned for less.

The betrayal of trust of a public servant is egregious. Are the machinations of a career politician   common place and acceptable? When does it end? Does it end when the 1% dictates as the image becomes so tarnished Christie is of no use to them? What about Christie’s use to the people of NJ? He has been against us in the interest of his own selfish gain for years. The closer he became to being a Presidential Candidate the worse it got for NJ. NJ has asked for help in stopping him and saving the entire US from his corruption.

They say the greedy and selfish can never have enough. Well the 99% here in NJ have had enough. We pray that he is held accountable. We have to pray because justice is not as swift for him as it is for the 99%.  Examine all the poor in prisons who simply could not pay fines, fees, or penalties whose cases proceed without delay. They do not add up to the amount of NJ money that Christie has absconded from NJ. The fact that he has used NJ money to become what he is to the Republican Party is concerning. I emphasis this is not about party. This is about the type of PEOPLE who find value in his deeds.

We must examine the type of people who find value in his actions. We must also examine the type of people who find value in the actions of Mrs. Clinton. Who among us, the 99%, could not be prosecuted for the offenses brought to light? It is not about finding the best lawyer money can buy. That would mean they would be brought into court. There has not been a charge prosecuted as of this moment in time. There has been no real accountability as we in NJ and potentially the US are left to suffer the arrogance fostered by impunity.

I have no urge to break the law as I regard the law as enforcement of rules by which we all must abide. I thank bloggers and press for their courage in bringing these acts to light. In all of this I contend that we all, as VOTERS must make sure the opportunities for the corrupt to execute their plans be minimized. We cannot keep putting them in office. They need the votes of the 99%. We the 99% need to rise to our responsibility of protecting ourselves as they have proven they will do whatever it takes to accumulate more wealth for themselves and their friends.

I submit that VOTING is our power. We must not give our power to those who feel entitled to office simply because a family member held it previously. Oddly business and principles that govern them operate the Government. As a business principle the people who are ineffective get fired. Those who do not produce corporate gains are fired. The 99% must embrace that principle. We all lose at the hands of those who do not handle our business and make gains for us. They that ask us to do more with less yet they themselves continue to gain more.

I implore you all to VOTE responsibly and more often. I also urge you to vote for your own interest. Make a call to your representatives to remind them they represent you the 99%. It is one call that could save NJ and the US billions. They have yet to make it illegal to hide things in bills and legislation. The Christie administration has failed us in NJ. What we are finding is that all these illegal actions are related to him, those he hired, or got hired. What we also know is the more we dig the more we find. What we don’t know is which crimes if any, he will be prosecuted.  

Never forget that the courts we face owe us justice. The same courts that prosecute us are responsible for prosecuting him. The beginning is for the 99% of us to have the backing of the NJ Legislators. Therein is our power. The NJ legislators must know prosecuting Christie must be seen as justice for those they represent in NJ, not just a way to save their own political careers. 

Do your homework on candidates. As you take your car to be serviced or your children to someone to be cared for I am certain you consider their expertise, care, and record. You also consider how they treat you. Are they courteous and professional? Are they practiced and professionally certified?  Do they deliver as promised? Then why do we allow career politicians to operate any differently? They master the tools that keep them in office. They know what to say to whatever audience is before them. Now we have the ability to share their messages in ways they really must consider. 

We should expect them to be convincing, charming, and beguiling. There is one more thing we should expect. We should expect them to simply keep their word as they swear on a bible to represent us, all of us, not big donors or the machine that is entrenched.  They swear to uphold, not circumvent the law. We are at a point where it has fallen to us VOTERS to elect those who will abide by the law.  We can no longer expect them to resign when they get caught breaking the law and our trust.

This is not about rhetoric. It is about responsibility and understanding our responsibility as voters. Many have died and suffered that women and blacks be allowed to vote. Those who have always had the power to do so remain interested in keeping it. The least we can do is honor and exercise the rights many have worked so hard for us to obtain.

Thomas Jefferson stated that the purpose for public education was that the public would learn how to govern itself. We must ask our selves if Public Education is supported would it produce a more socially and politically aware constituency? Maybe that is why it remains unfunded, exploited, and the target of those who wish to destroy it. That is another topic for another time. For now, focus on using the power of the 99%. It is our voices and our choices that allow those in seats of power to remain. 

Politics is a career of making promises but public service is a lifestyle of keeping them.--AJC