Reading A Declaration of Independents by Greg Orman hit me in several ways. I laughed at the absurdity of an elected official, a sitting elected official, living in a totally different state than the one he is charged to represent. Then I cried, for the same reason and for the fact that he actually won reelection.That is profoundly sad to me.
It’s like are Americans that far removed from caring about the people they send to office and their “ability” to RELATE to their, the American People, concerns, especially community concerns.
I mean at this point it seems like the only reason parties succeed is through the detachment of its constituency to even the most basic values for good representation, being part of the “community” even if “community” encompasses the entire state.
Then I cried for myself, when the book pointed out the reality that most of the people born in the bottom 20 percent will more than likely die there.
Talk about scary AND depressing. Because I was born in the bottom 20 percent and has had no success in getting out and trust I have and am striving to in more ways than is necessary to say.
To know that partisan politics really does play a role in that reality is angering yet I say again is it the parties or the detachment of the American People?!
Greg’s telling of the conditions that “governs” our Government is eye-opening in some respects because I am still young enough to not know when government was actually functioning and mind-boggling because REALLY??? Our Government has truly lost a lot of the values that was subtly instilled in my beliefs of “do the right thing and all will work out”. That is simply untrue and that is simply the hardest pill to swallow.
Yet!!!
Greg Orman does leave me with a smidget of hope. Even if it is from his own determination to fix the duopolistic nature of our governing body.
His call to Independents to run for office and for Americans to consider the Independent path in politics is very sound. He has mapped out a way for Americans to regain some form of power back in such an overtly disregardful and corrupt political environment.
Will his call and the call of other Independent activists be answered?
Time will tell.
Natesha Oliver is the founder and President of Missouri Independents Stand Together (M.I.S.T.). She lives in Kansas City, MO.
