Andy Schmookler: The Real Threat to American Liberties

I just finished the first round of my “Making the Rounds” tour of the Sixth District.

It is my effort to engage meaningfully with the people of the Sixth District, so that they will get to know me and what I believe we need to achieve together. (The reasons for these events are articulated at http://andyschmooklerforcongress.com/making-the-rounds-meaningful-conversation-with-the-voters/.)

They are also intended to kindle that fire in of the spirit that can enable us to achieve the extraordinary – to strike a blow, here in Virginia’s most Republican district, at the destructive force that the Republican Party has become.  And using the power of the truth to kindle that spirit.

Here’s a quick statement of the essence of my Round 1 talk, which had the title of, The Real Threat to Our American Liberties.

Our Founders’ idea of justice was based on the idea that “all men are created equal.” That means all citizens have the right to an equal say in choosing our government. One person, one vote.

But in America today, we are headed toward one dollar, one vote.

Thanks to the Supreme Court’s terrible Citizens United　decision, inequality of wealth can translate directly into inequality of power. At the same time, wealth has become more unequal in America than at any time in living memory.

If the richest can buy control over our government, the few dominate the many.　This is a violation of our Founders’ vision.

And it’s being carried out by a force for which there is no such thing as enough of wealth or power.　The few who are taking over– those with an insatiable lust for wealth and power – are precisely the wrong kind of people to control our nation’s destiny.

This is the real threat to our American liberties.

The second Round will begin on Thursday evening in Harrisonburg.  It starts at 7 p.m., and it will be at The Gathering Place at EMU, 831 Mt. Clinton Pike, (in the Common Good Marketplace behind Artisans’ Hope and A Bowl of Good).

The title of my talk will be “Plenty of Blame to Go Around,” with the subtitle, “Both major parties, the press, and We the People haven’t been living up to our Founders’ vision for America.

Andy Schmookler is the Sixth District Democratic Party congressional nominee.