<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>As someone who has run for office, I can tell you that by the time most people have filled out the candidate forms, the money scum process has already soaked the integrity out of most people.<br>
<br></div>I ran for school board on basically $0. I had a few parents who donated $88 each to fund mailing out a block of postcards and I bought yard signs and some web ad spots (about $2k total).<br><br></div>I came in 5th out of 4. But the vote counts showed I got 60% of the number of people I directly contacted so I think I touched a few nerves along the way.<br>
<br></div>I'm not sure that displays of dissent have any impact at all. On some level, I think a few of the powers that be may get an inkling of a clue that their next election may get harder but I really think that gets interpreted as, "Oh crap! I'll REALLY need to raise even more money now.".<br>
<br></div>Computer generated (and printed) messages get scanned for OCR and read for key words. A handwritten letter is claimed to have a greater impact due it's greater likelihood of being read by a human. Email gets processed by automation and rarely read by a human.<br>
<br></div>Any chance to request the politburo to publicize ALL funding sources should be taken. <br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 10:06 AM, Edward Holcroft <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:eholcroft@mkainc.com" target="_blank">eholcroft@mkainc.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">It is sad. Like you Sergio, I too am an immigrant for whom the US is now home. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">
As a starry-eyed new immigrant, I was bitterly disappointed to experience the election process first hand, to hear the things that came out of the mouths of the candidates and to examine their lifestyles and business practices etc. And I mean all the candidates, on all sides. It was such a thoroughly, depressingly poor cast that all you could really do was vote for the lesser of two evils, or perhaps spoil your paper in protest. Much of the thinking, as expressed in their utterances and actions, was as pitiful as the worst I've heard out of the mouths of the tin-pot, banana republic, third world politicians from whence I hail. In our case though, they're worse, because they should know better.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">However, the USA is still, to me, the greatest place on earth to live and work. So the question is, what do we do to fix this mess? We cannot just "vote the government out" because almost all the candidates are equally bad - I even see it down to local level, when you look at the corruption going on here in GA from the Governor's Office down to the local sheriff. I have no idea what to do as a citizen to fix this.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">I watched this great video talk by Lawrence Lessig, but it's shy on practical advice: <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lawrence_lessig_we_the_people_and_the_republic_we_must_reclaim.html" target="_blank">http://www.ted.com/talks/lawrence_lessig_we_the_people_and_the_republic_we_must_reclaim.html</a> He articulates the position that by the time it gets to the election, it's too late for you and me ... the funders have had their say.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Short of burning down the Reichstag, how to we show civil dissent in meaningful way - a way that brings about the hope and change that we are being denied? I just do not know ...</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">cheers</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">ed</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="h5">
<br><br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 7:27 PM, Sergio Chaves <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sergio.chaves@gmail.com" target="_blank">sergio.chaves@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
This is a perfect sample of "La Democracia" that all Latin America<br>
experience for years. I came to the US nearly 30 years ago, trying to<br>
experience true freedom, true justice, and the true respect for the<br>
country's constitution.<br>
I no longer feel like that. In fact, I have experienced quite a bit of<br>
flashbacks.<br>
Sad, very sad!<br>
<br>
If any of you have the time to read this article/study<br>
<a href="http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/full_text_search/AllCRCDocs/95-1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/full_text_search/AllCRCDocs/95-1.htm</a><br>
you may notice a few coincidences with what happened to Brazil then<br>
and what is happening here now.<br>
<br>
Sad...<br>
<div><div><br>
On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 5:39 PM, Jim Kinney <<a href="mailto:jim.kinney@gmail.com" target="_blank">jim.kinney@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> I stand corrected. Too bad the correct tense has the word "perfect" in it as<br>
> the past wasn't perfect either.<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 5:11 PM, Sean Kilpatrick <<a href="mailto:kilpatms@gmail.com" target="_blank">kilpatms@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Jim,<br>
>><br>
>> It's a good question; only the verb tense is wrong. You need PastPerfect:<br>
>><br>
>> ". . . country have we turned into."<br>
>><br>
>> Sean<br>
>><br>
>> ------------------------------------------------------<br>
>><br>
>> On Tuesday, August 20, 2013 08:07:44 am Jim Kinney wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> > <a href="http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20130818120421175" target="_blank">http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20130818120421175</a><br>
>><br>
>> ><br>
>><br>
>> > What the hell kind of country are we turning into?<br>
>><br>
>><br>
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><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> --<br>
> James P. Kinney III<br>
><br>
> Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain<br>
> at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail.<br>
> It won't fatten the dog.<br>
> - Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain<br>
><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div></div></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">-- <br><div dir="ltr">Edward Holcroft | Madsen Kneppers & Associates Inc.<br>3020 Holcomb Bridge Rd. NW | Norcross, GA 30071<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr">-- <br>James P. Kinney III<br><i><i><i><i><br></i></i></i></i>Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you
gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his
own tail. It won't fatten the dog.<br>
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain<br><i><i><i><i><br><a href="http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/</a><br></i></i></i></i></div>
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