The Promise of Renewal

What allows the opinion of the MINORITY to rule the day…
It’s nothing more than the appearance of DOUBT.

Another possibility. Alternative facts. That legal grey area… where in one instance, if one person shoots another in the middle of 5th Ave, that person goes to JAIL. But of course… there are some instances where that doesn’t happen.

Because the shooter has a BADGE and LEGAL AUTHORITY.
Those people… they get TIME OFF.

With pay.

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https://www.vox.com/2022/7/7/23197430/jayland-walker-police-shooting-akron-ohio-footage

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I’m not a Branding Expert. I’m not a Media Guru or a Messaging Consultant.
I’m not an expert, period. Always a student… never the teacher.

But THIS? This is a branding exercise… this is a message.
When you see this, you know what it’s about.

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/us/jayland-walker-handcuffed-autopsy-report/index.html

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That didn’t just happen. That wasn’t an accident. That wasn’t done out of fear for the safety of others. There was no judge. There was no jury.

There was no Enforcement of LAW… just an execution.
No one to hold accountable for their crime, and no one held to account.

Has anyone stopped and considered the consequences of our just carrying on like nothing ever happened? You know, back to business as usual. Nothing to see here! Just move along to the next shiny object…

Never mind that gaping WOUND we’re walking around with… the soft underbelly exposed for all to see.

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Why does our Democracy STILL STAND?

Because there was someone there, to PUSH BACK against the depravity. To uphold Righteous Values. Because evil prevails when men of HONOR stand silent… and this Nation is worthy, of every ounce of effort called for in this moment.

To be SILENT is to be COMPLICIT in Her demise.

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Every year we till the fields, in anticipation of the bounty we will receive. With patients and practice, our gifts continue to grow. Our work only rewarded once the harvest is done.

Every year we toil and every SPRING we start anew, but every year brings with it new challenges. In the blink of an eye, our hard work can be washed away or left to whither… all dependent upon the desires of the STORM.

But every year regardless of the outcome… if we CHOOSE to start anew… our fields must be cleared, the remains turned back into the soil. With hope that someday… maybe this year… our bounty and our harvest will only GROW.

I believe in the Promise of Renewal.
I believe in the Infinite Potential of what might BE.

I long for our FUTURE with the same nostalgic passions, that some people harbor for our PAST. Our Better Days may still be ahead of us, but I question embracing a strategy of inaction, as the means of making it come to be. Watching. As TIME passes… just hoping someday, those dreams might become reality.

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It’s one of the fundamental laws that govern our physical reality. The pendulum will swing TRUE… because it must. That energy doesn’t just go away. It remains. It must be released. Like a hammer striking chisel or a sledge raining down destructive blows… that choice is always OURS.

**The American People retain the POWER to do BOTH.**

-JC

Variations On a Theme: D.S. al finé

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IF I were to sit down and think about it hard enough… I’ll bet I could come up with a list of at least 100 reasons why I cannot vote for anyone running as a Republican this fall. Chief among them, the delegitimization of the Office of President of the United States.

Because of that, they delegitimize the continued relevance of their own Political Party… so I will vote accordingly.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/14/rnc-debates-commission/

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On the flip side of that, right now I can’t seem to come up with a list of 10 reasons why I should vote FOR the Democratic Party. Yes, the GOP is running on NO national agenda, other than to OPPOSE. Their dog whistles have now become blow horns. They champion causes that disturb the MAJORITY of Americans and they slow any attempt to further the causes of Social Justice and Equality, even as their party holds a MINORITY in Congress.

The Democrats can’t protect a Woman’s Right to CHOOSE. The Democrats can’t protect our Right to VOTE. A Police Officer murdered a man with his knee while he had his HANDS in his pockets… yet the Democratic Party can’t pass a Justice Reform Bill that has that man’s name on it.

ONE PARTY is doing everything they can to roll back the clock, denying us that More Perfect Union, while the OTHER PARTY can’t seem to tie their OWN SHOES. And when they lose this fall, they’ll say it’s all OUR fault… THE VOTERS.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Bro

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I guess they’ll have to spend more MONEY on “voter education” next time around.

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I have no desire to vote FOR the Democratic Party. They have NO AGENDA. No message. No unifying principle that defines who they are… other than pleasing their DONORS at all cost… and yet somehow they say, it’s not THEIR fault.

It’s the VOTERS’ fault.

Yes, it is the voters’ fault… because we’ve allowed this BS to go on for way too long. The charade is UP. The jig is OVER… the “BIG LIE” walks hand-in-hand with the “BIG GRIFT” and we are ALL being taken for a RIDE.

The Democratic Party has become the Neville Chamberlain to the Republican Party’s Adolph Hitler. The President continues to seek bipartisan solutions to problems caused by the OTHER PARTY… while the other party won’t even recognize him as the legitimate President of the United States.

And why do we feel like it’s all our fault? WE VOTED! Just like they told us to.

But it always seems just out of reach… ‘Not this election, but the NEXT! Next time, with YOUR HELP… your financial support… we’ll get this DONE!’

… tick tock tick tock…

Time passes, and the narrative rolls along.

The conversation moves on, and the crisis de jure dominates the front page. War. Terrorism. Climate change. Inflation. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs…

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.

The People haven’t moved on… the Politicians have. Leaving in their wake a mountain of DEBT. A heaping PILE of unfinished business and unresolved problems, many of which they’ve raised MONEY on while they were in office.

Don’t talk to me about being a PRO-CHOICE party if you can’t pass a bill protecting a Woman’s Right to Choose. If the ACA can continue to STAND because it’s seen as Congress exercising its power to levy TAXES, then there must be a legislative path forward that will secure the support of all 50 Democratic Senators.

Yet one Senator still stands opposed.

And NO ONE seems surprised! He’s just doing what his “constituents” want him to do. He works for the people he represents… THE DONORS.

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Women are the MAJORITY in West Virginia Senator…

STAND UP for the rights of your constituents.📢⚖️🙌 #RoeVWade #AbortionIsHealthcare #MenForERA #ERANow #CEDAW pic.twitter.com/2BIi8C8t7A

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) May 11, 2022

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https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgmwqp/greg-abbott-baby-formula

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This isn’t a story of US vs THEM. This is a story of preparedness. This is a story of an inability to anticipate the consequences of enforcement of rules and regulations. This is a story about the real-life impact bad government has on ALL our lives.

This is a story demonstrating how incompetent our government has become, as they can’t even get the SIMPLE THINGS right.

It’s as if we must TEACH our government how to WALK all over again.

I can SEE the problem, just as clearly as everyone else. We’re stuck with no alternatives. BOTH parties contributed to this crisis… and it’s not as if this crisis couldn’t have been anticipated.

It was the Federal Government that enforced the law, shutting down that producer. It was the Federal Government that failed to anticipate the downstream impact of shutting down only ONE PRODUCER… knowing that they produce 1/3 of our domestic supply of formula.

And it was the Federal Government that crafted the legislation, that turned a BLIND EYE to the rise of a monopolistic takeover of our FOOD SUPPLY.

From the FIELD to the TABLE. Every aspect of our agricultural industries, from production to logistics has been SLIMMED DOWN. Cutting the FAT. Leaving more meat on the BONE at the end of the day… for less mouths.

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https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/03/09/climate-tariffs-debt-and-isolation-drive-some-farmers-suicide/4955865002/

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All we have to do is read the news and everyone can SEE it. It should have been a Presidential priority from DAY ONE. Where’s the Democratic Party? Where’s the party that supposedly represents our FARMERS… the GOP?

IF we assume that our legislators work for the DONORS, then it is clear that they are getting exactly what they want.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/us/politics/meatpackers-trump-covid.html

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One party is BEHOLDEN to the DONORS while the OTHER party is hesitant to ACT, because it might scare away their DONORS… and that’s why nothing gets done.

They can’t FUNDRAISE on a problem that’s already been SOLVED.

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Madam Speaker, @amazon has a plan for women who will be effected by this decision… they’re not waiting til Nov.

In 2018, this issue gave you the gavel.
In 2020, this issue gave your party the hat trick.

In 2022… your party needs to EARN our #vote.🎯 #ERANow📢⚖️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Wqvry7UJ5C

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) May 6, 2022

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Our two-party system is now BROKEN, and the parties will not seek to reform themselves. They continue to thrive on the dysfunction. They’ve become masters of the GAME they’ve created… and the losers of past political contests become the LEADERS of their party.

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@3:58 in the video: “I know folks- Republicans, Democrats, Independents; purple people, blue people, white people…”

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And why is that? Because he raised a massive amount of MONEY.

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https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/politics/jaime-harrison-fundraising-record-south-carolina-senate-race/index.html

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In my experience… the phrase ‘purple people’ is a dog whistle.
I can now see why he lost.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/27/harris-attacks-bidens-record-on-busing-and-working-with-segregationists.html

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… be sure and “Get out the VOTE” this fall.

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And so now we’ve come ‘round FULL CIRCLE. It was the ultimate catalyst that drove me to start my political endeavor back in February 2018, and the crisis continues to this day… unchanged.

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/us/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-sunday/index.html

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And it’s all like variations on a theme… I swear I’ve heard this song before. The People demand it with their VOTE, but after the election the conversation starts to change.

The answers we seek as a Nation can be found… but only if we stand UNITED. As EQUALS. MY rights are not secure unless YOUR rights are secure. My Liberty is not secure unless your Liberty is secure as well…

And right now, neither Political Party is doing what’s necessary to secure our Democracy.

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That needs to change.

-JC

Where Do YOU Stand.

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The PEOPLE demand action…
and THEY go on vacation.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-camp-david-afghanistan-taliban-republican-criticism

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The PEOPLE want to secure our Right to VOTE.
The DNC commits $25 MILLION to the cause.

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They’ve chosen to prioritize VOTER EDUCATION. Well… I suppose it’s about time we went to D.C. and EDUCATED them.

Our Rights will not be secured by MONEY. Our Rights will not be secured by INFRASTRUCTURE. Our Right to VOTE will only be secured by LAW. With LEGISLATION, PASSED by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT… that’s how we secure the franchise.

That’s how we ensure the Will of the People reigns supreme. More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT!

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How do we defeat the BULLY and the LIAR? We STAND UP for the Rule of Law, we stand FIRM in our convictions… and we stand UNITED.

We do not do this for a Political Party. We do not do this for our own self-interest or our own personal gain. We defend our Right to Vote for the NEXT generation, and the one that will come after them.

We do this because it is necessary. There must be no boundaries standing in the way of any citizen who wishes to participate in our democracy.

Our future National Security is ensured when our access to the ballot is secure.

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT… and you will not stand alone.

-JC

Absolutely.

It’s hard not to live your whole life focused on the three inches right in front of your nose. Your interactions with others, their interactions with you. Your plans for the future and how those plans intersect with the plans of others. In the meantime, keeping a roof over your head and food on the plate consumes most of our TIME.

Because lord knows… their ain’t a whole lotta people out there who aren’t focused on the exact same thing!

Our family. Our close friends. Our congregations. Our community… individually, we can make changes in our lives; but many times those changes just happen to us, in the course of living our lives.

What we experience shapes us, it helps define who we will be.

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https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-04/missouri-congresswoman-eviction-moratorium-fight

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/congress-scrambles-extend-eviction-moratorium-saturday-expiration-n1275485

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Our interactions with others informs our decision making process… and those interactions can stick with us for the rest of our LIVES.

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https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2021.08.03_nyag_-_investigative_report.pdf

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It’s reassuring to see that the leadership of the Democratic Party has finally found the COURAGE to SPEAK OUT. It’s disheartening to see the level of EVIDENCE that’s required for them to do so.

OPEN SECRETS. Hidden in plain sight… you wanna talk about conspiracy theories? Look no farther than our elected officials.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/capitol-hills-sexual-harassment-problem/544946/

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How many times does this happen? Everyday. In Congress. In the boardroom. In the course of everyday events. Financial Institutions. Making lending decisions based on SEX and SKIN COLOR. Who carries more RISK. ‘… you live where?!’

Sorry, you don’t have the financial backing necessary to secure a loan.

It’s because they are BEHOLDEN… they are forced to DANCE for the DOLLAR. Regulations. Oversight. Stripped away in the wake of a devastating financial crisis… for the benefit of WHOM?💰

In their eyes, our elected leaders believe they are doing what’s RIGHT because they are fighting the ‘good fight’. In their minds, they can’t bring about change if they aren’t re-elected… therefore they must do what’s necessary to get re-elected.

You put a DOLLAR in the machine and YOU get to pick the next song… how’s that for extensive knowledge of the bar.

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That’s his “thing”, that’s his whole schtick. It doesn’t matter if there was no wrong-doing… the fact that there’s an investigation is all he needs.

How would that declaration have played out? There was nothing illegal… that’s how our elections WORK. Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/566479-clyburn-says-he-planned-to-stay-out-of-ohio-race-until-he-was-called-stupid

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Representative Clyburn may not be stupid… but he sure thinks the American People are. That’s the BEST ANSWER he’s got, hurt feelings and THIN SKIN?

IF ONLY they hadn’t gone and said bad things about a U.S. Representative, he might have stayed OUT of that particular election… the election that wasn’t even in his STATE.

… right.

He backed Nina Turner’s opponent because he didn’t want someone elected that would rock their BOAT. He wanted someone sympathetic to their cause. The status quo. Toe the LINE. Back to BRUNCH… there’s re-election campaigns to FUND.

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https://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-endorsed-candidate-shontel-brown-faces-potential-ethics-probe-1613460

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It’s their cause. Their agenda. Senator Bernie Sanders has an (I) at the end of his name… the only thing Democrats LOVE about Bernie Sanders caucusing with their Party is his ability to FUNDRAISE.

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jim-clyburn-changed-everything-for-joe-bidens-campaign-hes-been-a-political-force-for-a-long-time/2020/03/30/7d054e98-6d33-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/01/13/election-2020-cory-booker-drops-out-leaving-democratic-field-less-diverse/4454654002/

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THIS is our Political System laid BARE. This is how the Political Infrastructure is RUN… and none of it is ILLEGAL.

There is no “US vs. THEM” anymore. The Political Parties are UNITED.

They work for the people who got them elected…

THE DONORS.

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https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr-edge-frm-asst-sec-061118.html

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https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2020/home.htm

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The majority of us don’t have the time necessary to spend absorbing every act undertaken by Congress; and how every piece of legislation for the last two-and-a-half years that has passed the House, has gone on to die a slow death in the Senate. Mitch McConnell says the Democrats hold a SLIM majority in the House, while Republicans in the Senate hold a SIGNIFICANT minority.

Most people seem to forget… the Republicans held THREE BRANCHES for two years, and they only got ONE major piece of legislation PASSED. But my goodness…

They sure did raise a lot of MONEY.

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https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/fundamentally-flawed-2017-tax-law-largely-leaves-low-and-moderate-income

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https://itep.org/55-profitable-corporations-zero-corporate-tax/

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What happens if 55% of us just don’t pay our taxes? This Country… and their agendas… would no longer exist. The American Middle Class is the MAJORITY. Every BAILOUT, HANDOUT, and SAFETY NET we’ve ever established has been FULLY FUNDED by the United States TAX PAYERS. Yet large corporations and dark money interests are allowed to write our legislation. They dictate to the legislators what legislation should be passed…

If only the American People could afford their own LOBBYISTS.

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What happens when our elected officials break the law? When I break the law, I go to JAIL. The Wheels of Justice simply turn. Officers from TWO CITIES AWAY came and took me into custody once for an outstanding, $150 moving violation.

But when it comes to Congressmen and their decisions, well… if we start doing that, it might lead to elected officials being held ACCOUNTABLE for their actions. Could you imagine…

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https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/capitol-commission-republicans-arrests-b1891650.html

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This is not a game for the MAJORITY of this Country, the law is nothing to be toyed with. Yet the previous Administration could pick and choose when they would IGNORE Congress and face no consequences for their actions…

NO CONSEQUENCES.

In a land rooted firmly in PRECEDENT.

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https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/

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Where will that lead us in the end.

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The price of our INACTION will be measured in LIVES.

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No matter how much we disagree, we all still fight for the SAME THING. Liberty. Justice. The American Way. How we go about securing those promises… that’s where we disagree, and that’s where monied interests play their hand. The last thing they want is The People UNITED behind a common cause.

The system WORKS! On that we cannot disagree! The answers to our problems already EXIST… they’re being SILENCED by monied interests.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/01/12/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-pac-dccc-dues/

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/04/16/nancy-pelosi-house-speaker-book-susan-page-power-american-history/7231734002/

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In this Country, that honor should be EARNED… not seized. Granted, at the discretion of The People. Defended in rigorous DEBATE.

In this moment, there is no debate. Among the party, leadership has SILENCED dissent. They say, ‘Look, we get it. There’s a bunch of legislation that YOU want us to pass, and there’s a bunch of legislation that WE wanna get passed… so let’s compromise.

‘We’ll pass all that legislation that WE want to pass and THEN… at the END of the session… but even if we don’t have time to get all that done… be sure to DONATE to our re-election campaign…’

Besides, who else you gonna vote for… these guys?

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If we continue working only to avoid worst-case scenarios, we might achieve our goals… but we will never know what we might have had, if only we had dared to TRY. Raising the bar will not produce failure, failing to demand BETTER is where we fail to succeed.

This is OUR Electoral System… so long as we allow it to BE.

Absolute power corrupts.

-JC