This is my last update until after we have elected our new Representatives. I’m now through Ohio. More Ohio event updates at bottom.
I’m now walking east along the Ohio River, toward Pittsburg PA in a few days.
OUR VOTE – Its Beginnings and Purposes
Will we be subjects? Or citizens?
We rebelled from Great Britain due to King George III’s unwillingness to take the views of America’s colonists into account. Our cry then was “Taxation Without Representation.”
This first resulted in our Declaration of Independence at a time when few in the world lived other than as subjects, forced to obey a wide variety of Monarchs, Autocrats, and Despots.
Life for most was very grim. Poverty was widespread.
America decided that “We the People” would govern ourselves, via a Republic with democratically elected representatives at all levels of government,
Nationally, we defined the job our representatives would swear to accomplish in the Preamble to our Constitution.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Most of our state Constitutions similarly echo some version of the importance of serving “our common good.”
Nations, regardless of ideology, tend to rise if their laws and policies properly serve their people on the biggest issues that face us all: the economy, health care, education, the fairness of the structure and financing of our political system, financial protections; climate change, consumer protections; and much more.
As I walk and meet loads of different people, almost all of us understand that, for several recent decades, a majority of those we have elected to Congress and to our state legislatures have not properly served the interests of us all – “We the People,” and that it is badly hurting our nation.
We do not havean economy, based on capitalism, that broadly benefits us all.
We do not have a healthcare system that provides good quality health care to all of us at the least, total, systemwide cost.
We do not structure and finance the political system to elect our representatives in a manner that is fair, equitable, inclusive, and that provides us with both a wide range of choices and an optimal process to select among them.
And these are only three of many more issues areas that are not properly serving us. Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. All of it can be accomplished by enacting effective law and policy in each of the above, and many other issue areas. It’s not for lack of good ways to accomplish this. It’s due to our political dysfunction and the unwillingness of a majority to accomplish what they swore an oath to do.
However, we quickly divide from this common starting point of agreement, as to which candidate of which political party will best accomplish this.
Yet, since almost all of us agree on the dysfunctional root of the problem, fixing it in a nonpartisan way to benefit us all is likely our best starting point. Let’s make our elected representatives do a better job on behalf of us all.
Of course there are many good representatives at work on our behalf.
But if they do not constitute a majority, appropriate laws and policies are not enacted to properly serve us on these many common issues, Then, the entire institution becomes dysfunctional and unable to do its job.
Unfortunately, too many of those we have elected to represent our common interests – the “public good” of us all,” have Instead become incentivized to often act in ways that place their own re-election interests, those of their wealthy and influential campaign funders, and those of their political party above the common, broad interests of the American people.
As we now exercise our precious right to elect our representatives, VOTE – for the common good of us all!
Ohio events Update
Ohio activists have successfully used Ohio’s Citizens Initiative to put in play an anti-gerrymandering measure up for a vote in the November election as ballot measured #1.
However, the heavily gerrymandered Republican legislature proposed their own anti-gerrymandering ballot measure.
Moreover, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, who largely wrote the description of the anti-gerrymandering Ballot measure #1, wrote it so as to misleadingly state that it actually promoted gerrymandering.
Frank LaRose swore an oath, to suppoort the Ohio Constitution which, in its preamble states that he will “promote the general welfare” of all Ohioans.
How well is he doing his job?
Sadly, this sort of “representation malpractice” is all too common among a large proportion of our state and federal representatives.
It’s another great example of why we must improve the structure and financing of our political process.
I attended many events in support of ballot measure #1 while in Ohio.
See below for photos.
With Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of COMMON CAUSE, Ohio, outside the county board of elections near Columbus in support of Ballot measure #1 during early voting.
With League of Women Voters – Ohio activists in Ravenna, Ohio outside their county Board of Elections during early voting.
In Kent Ohio for a “Voting Rights” presentation by the League of Women Voters – Ohio at the Kent Public Library.
In Akron with activists at a “Honk and Wave” in support of Ballot Measure #1.
In Green Ohio with activists for another “Honk and Wave” for Ballot Measure #1.
Lastly, as I walk I meet a wide variety of wonderful Americans of all ideologies. In Ohio this included Pastor Ben Croston and his assistant Cindy Hughes of the Deerfield Friends “Church on the Circle” who devote the entire bottom floor of their church to a massive amount of donated clothing and other essentials that are available for folks in need from near and far.
Ben graciously allowed me to overnight my support RV in the rear of their church parking lot for two nights.
Once Again. Thanks for all your love and support!
Rick
Rick Hubbard