We all know that Congress is corrupted by big money and no longer represents the interests of ordinary Americans. We know that the two major parties put their partisan political interests above the interests of the country. We know that it doesn’t have to be this way and that the American people deserve better. However, as Congress is incapable of reforming itself we also know that we must organize an independent democracy movement to reclaim our government for the people.

Congress claims that it is divided because the country is divided—that’s not true. Over 75% of Americans want an immediate increase in the minimum wage, support comprehensive immigration reform, favor shoring up Social Security without any benefit cuts, and want to close tax loopholes that allow large corporations to use overseas tax shelters to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes each year. Yet Congress refuses to act.

How does a Congress with a 10% approval rating have a 90% re-election rate when it repeatedly fails to represent the American people? First, the two major parties are willing to subvert democracy by gerrymandering, the redrawing of voting districts to guarantee that the Republican or Democrat incumbent will automatically win, the result being that over 80% of Congressional seats nationwide, including Ohio’s 12th District, are now gerrymandered and non-competitive. Second, Wall Street and large corporations are willing to subvert democracy by the “legalized bribery” of politicians by lobbyists and corporate PACs that fund the multi-million dollar campaigns of the major party candidates, thus buying the laws they want while blocking the laws we need.

The Green Party and its candidates reject this “pay to play” system and do not accept corporate PAC or lobbyist money, so we are free to exercise independent judgment for the common good, representing people not corporations.

To save our representative democracy I urge all Americans, regardless of party affiliation or political beliefs, to become democracy advocates in demanding the independent nonpartisan drawing of fair and competitive congressional districts and in supporting a constitutional amendment that declares that corporations are not people and that money is not speech.