America came to be after a bloody revolution that could have been avoided if a greedy and careless king had listened to The People. England's king, however, was not willing to listen or to care. That's understandable: He knew he had the power.
The first warning of the ineffectiveness of his power over the colonists was the loud sound of three shiploads of tea crashing into Boston Harbor. The People, by way of 150 men, had a party: they dumped the delivery of tea, which was as important to them and all English and colonists' daily lives as oil or coffee deliveries are to us today.
The People known as "colonists" got fed up with growing taxation from England. When the peak of that happened, they refused to be threatened, cajoled, or made to fear. They did not hesitate to do without their tea, the staple of everyday life and society. They preferred to make a clear statement by way of a fortune in tea sent into the watery depths.
Yet, amazingly, even then the foolishness of England's ruling Power Street hid the facts. The king and all who hungered for power did not "get it." The internal and external conflicts escalated.
The famous "midnight ride of Paul Revere" tells of the alert to vigilant colonists as war rumors flourished. The People were being prepared. They had become determined to be vigilant. They were ready to stand up for The People, not for the English Power Street.
American history includes the story of Paul Revere's shout: "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Over a hundred years later, a filmmaker satired the event in the movie, "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming!"
In September 2008, The People do not fear satire or prophecies of doom. The People now reawaken, one by one, to America's determination to live free. They are re-learning how to use, dutifully and fairly, the powers they have.
And, unlike the British in the 18th century conflict with the colonists, The People win.
Since the days of the American Revolution, Power Street has been The People's Street, which is Main Street.
The People are the Power Street of America. This month in American history they reawaken to dangers hidden by clever and convincing words and habits of Political Street. The People rediscover the depth of meaning and real-life consequences of the powers placed in their, The People's, hands by the great founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The People have snoozed and allowed the U. S. Congress and Presidency to develop into 20 th and 21 st century versions of that British king of the 18 th century. They have watched, wrongly thinking themselves to be helpless. They watched, forgetting that they hold the power. Thereby, politicians voted and endowed themselves into one advantage after another. The People have winced but said nothing when members of congress have called them "our people," or "our taxpayers."
The People in growing numbers are beginning to wake up in alarm: "We are not your people'! We are not your taxpayers'!" as one or two members have called The People, insultingly, in recent financial crisis days of September 2008.
The People, coming out of their dreaming, are saying, "No! We are not your people'; you are our public servants'! We voted you in and we can vote you out."
I hope they would add: "We will voluntarily decide not to allow any of you to serve more than 12 consecutive years in office! We finally got it: As much as we may like you or admire you, we must give you a rest. As much as we appreciate your expertise on your various committees, we The People know that you are not indispensable!"
The People need to straighten their shoulders and speak up in increasing numbers. Main Street, where most of The People live, needs a lot of calls to wake up more people. The good news is that a significant number of people living on Main Street every day have finally blinked their eyes open to the fact of gross and increasing abuses happening on Political Street and Wall Street.
The People have had their coffee and cleared their heads more than in decades. They need to keep it up, coffee or not. They need to realize and tell others of The People that they, and they alone, can end the abuses of Political Street and Wall Street by making drastic and habitual changes in the residents wanting to live forever on Political Street.
The truth is, the Political Street has a landlord and it isThe People! The residents have no ownership possibilities whatsoever unless The People sell out, which the Constitution says they cannot do or be forced to do.
Therefore, only tenancy is allowed on Political Street, that tenancy has only two-, four-, and six-year contracts. That tenancy is set to expire automatically at the end of every term for whomever on Political Street does not meet their obligations tono, not to themselves and their families and croniesyes, to The People. In the case of the President, it expires automatically after eight consecutive years, and no change is coming in that rule, either.
On New York City's Political Street in these days, the mayor seeks a term-of-office rule change. The People should reject that effort. The office limitation rules empower The People to prevent the longevity that is so often fraught with problems. No public official, elected or appointed, is indispensable. Every mayor can run again on another day.
The People's numbers are growing. They refuse to yield to threats and dire warnings. They refuse to shrink back at the idea of having to do with less, a lot less, over the short term. They do not want to "understand and fall in line."
The People are falling in line behind a different drummer, their own rallying cries. Watch out, the People are coming!
This member of The People is voting for John McCain this November. He has been speaking against and voting against Political Street abuses during his years of on-duty public service. He is not perfect, but he is a man of The People.
This one person among The People has e-mailed two senators and her district congressional rep this week. Last night, my 7th district Maryland representative to the U. S. House got another e-mail from me: "Vote 'No' again."
I am suspicious of this Bailout fever. Yes, there may be very tough times ahead, but they will be nothing compared to what we The People will lose. Wall Street must work it out and pay the dues, not The People's taxes. Political Street should do as it should have done long ago to take privileges away from Wall Street dealers, political and otherwise. This newest version of a Bailout Bill, by whatever name it is called, will not fix the basic problems. It will likely have the equivalent of earmarks added.
The People are getting ready for a revolution not of guns and war but of their votes cast for new faces and ideas in Congress, on both sides. Our favorites can return, but for now, we want our guys and gals in office to rest, if they have been there more than 12 years. The forced rest of every President is a good rule.
The People want public-service-minded servants in Congress, who know that theirs is the privilege, not the right, to serve...The People.
The best and brightest of Political Street at the congressional end will understand when we send them home when they have served 12 years. The best and brightest will understand that we think those years are long enough for consecutive service.
The best and brightest will understand the need for their lease to expire for now, so they can return home to reconnect from home, not a political office paid for by taxpayers...The People. The best and brightest of Political Street will understand that they can run again...after a rest.
The call goes out along both sides of Political Street:
The People are fed up with a backward use of power! The People are Coming!
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