I WANNA BE PREZ!!
Ok, so I don't really want to be the President of the United States of America. With all of the pressures and stresses, who would want that job? Well, apparently, there is a whole cast of characters willing to lay their heads on the block and toss their hats into the ring. Sadly, for the citizens of this great nation, there doesn't seem to be a candidate that understands what life is like, here on the ground. I have wasted my breath in countless discussions with people in my sphere of existence regarding the direction that our beloved US is currently heading. Is it going up, or down, or completely into the shitter? I'm not sure, nobody seems to be sure, but enough cracks are forming in our national foundation that I think it's time for something different.
I believe that we, the citizens of the United States, are far more qualified to run the nation in which we live than the sorry lot of disconnected professional politicos that we have to deal with now. There are two major reasons that our current political system is totally screwed: 1. It takes a ton of cash to run for public office. AND 2. The people that represent we the citizens, in the trenches, don't a have a clue as to who we are, or what we do to survive. Those two reasons have led me to toss my digital hat into the race for president.
Do I think I can win? Hell no! First off, I'm just an average American with no financial resource with which to run a political campaign. For my first campaign promise I submit that I will NOT spend a penny to run for president. Now, while I understand that I can not win a seat in the oval office without spending cash, I would argue that this makes me a perfect candidate because I can not, and will not, be bought by any interest group or corporate lobbyist. Unlike our current stock of old fart windbags on capitol hill, I know what it is to struggle for survival on the streets of the land that politicians only visit during election time.
I have decided to run for office without declaring myself a member of either of the options offered under our current two party system. You see, like most Americans that I have ever broached the subject of politics with, I don't fit into column D or column R. I'm pretty sure that the only citizens that agree totally with their party's political line are those that are too ignorant to think for themselves and merely repeat whatever the magical talking picture box tells them to think. The pundits, and zealots, are not my target. I hope to reach the 75% (I feel that's a fair figure) of frustrated, hard working, American citizens that are certain that their interests aren't even considered, let alone represented, by the suits who were elected to stand for them.
I have decided to run for office without declaring myself a member of either of the options offered under our current two party system. You see, like most Americans that I have ever broached the subject of politics with, I don't fit into column D or column R. I'm pretty sure that the only citizens that agree totally with their party's political line are those that are too ignorant to think for themselves and merely repeat whatever the magical talking picture box tells them to think. The pundits, and zealots, are not my target. I hope to reach the 75% (I feel that's a fair figure) of frustrated, hard working, American citizens that are certain that their interests aren't even considered, let alone represented, by the suits who were elected to stand for them.
Now, if you've followed along this far, I offer you a twist. I will not be running alone. I invite all of you to run for president with me. With your insight and input, I believe, that we can make the American dream a reality, once again. So with that, admittedly lackluster, introduction I would like to present to you the official announcement of the, first ever, digital presidential candidate.
THE SPEECH
My fellow Americans. I come before you, on this day, as a sad citizen of the United States of America. This nation, once one of the greatest on this planet, is quickly crumbling under the weight of its own legacy. While these United States began as a rebel yell against the oppressive establishment of its motherland, and quickly rose to the status of "Super Power", they now seem to have grown too content with the past perception of "America" to notice that the very foundations that this nation was built upon have begun to crumble.
I consider myself lucky to have been born a citizen of the United States, and understand that I am privileged to have the simple right to express my discontent of the current status of our home. I also understand that, as a citizen of this nation, I have a duty to exercise my rights and express my concerns for the future of this land that I love so. While I would, quite happily, tell every citizen of the planet earth about the amazing, and beautiful, nation that is the United States of America; I would be quite remiss if I ignored the many issues that exist within this democratic experiment that we all call home.
Imagine, if you will, that this great nation is a house. Our beautiful house, over the span of only two hundred years and some change, went from being the new house on the block, to being a house divided, to being the nicest home in the neighborhood. Before a single board of that house was set, a young group of rebels against the crown struggled to construct a firm foundation upon which we could build higher and higher. The founding fathers, traitors all, met in Philadelphia and, in what will forever be remembered as one of the greatest social experiments in the history of humans, hammered out a document which has served as the granite upon which this American house has stood for more than two centuries. The Constitution has held this nation firm, until quite recently, and offered the opportunity to change the laws of the land in order for America to have a chance to survive the ever changing world. Somewhere along the line we, as a nation, grew content with our big beautiful house. We dressed it up and showed it off to the world, beaming with great pride at the house we were able to construct. Unfortunately, through the years, we lost sight of the very foundation upon which our home was built. I want to return to the basics of that document, and reinforce our national foundation before this house collapses around us.
I want to see America rise from the ashes of her former self and stand taller than she ever has before. This nation should be a beacon of freedom and prosperity for the rest of the world to look to. I want to rebuild this house to surpass its former glory. Then I want to kick the doors open and invite the world into our home. None of this will be possible if we continue down the right or left side of, what is essentially, the same street. It's time to embrace the American spirit and blaze a new road to our future as a nation.
Constructing this road, while it won't be a simple process, will require only two things. Both of which we already have, yet seem to ignore. The new road which will lead to our beautiful home needs to be built using the Constitution and Common Sense. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Then why, for too many years, have we ignored these two basic building blocks upon which our nation has stood? I don't have the answer as to why. I only know that, in order to move forward in this tumultuous world, we need to come together as a nation and blaze a trail using the Constitution and common sense as our guide posts.
Now that I have beat the patriot drums, loud and clear, I suppose that I should share with you some of the ideas that I believe will help us move forward to a time when the world looks to this little nation and sees the true strength and resilience of the people that make it great. You see, my friends, for far too long we have measured the success of America, as well as the success of the American citizen, in terms of dollars and cents. Money, while very necessary, is not the most valuable commodity that America possesses. People are.
It is people that built this nation. It is the average citizen that has sacrificed, thru the ages, to push this republic forward. People who toiled, and created, and invented, and fought, and died, all to contribute a small part toward the construction of this nation. We owe it to ourselves, and those that came before us, and those that will follow our generations and carry the dream of freedom into the future, to stop the crumbling of this beautiful nation. If we fail, then those that came before us will have sacrificed and contributed in vain.
Our current system of government simply ignores the people that truly make America. Citizens are viewed as sheep who need to be guided to their destination by the mighty, and apparently all knowing, shepherds that sit upon capitol hill. In my experience, when sheep follow shepherds they only ever end up at the slaughter. I ask you, my fellow Americans, to shed the sheepskin that's been laid upon you by years of conditioning and stand up, tall, as the citizens that this nation needs to move into the future. Without YOU, there exists no United States of America.
This world, and this nation, stand on the precipice of a technological wonderland that could truly change the course of humanity, yet we seem to be backing away from the glory of the future and hiding in the wagon ruts of the past. That's why, I believe, that this nation needs to deal with its Past, Present, and Future in such a manner as to advance the United States to a position where it can serve as a planetary beacon of freedom. We must, from this day forth, rectify the mistakes of our past, deal with the issues of the present head-on, and always work toward paving the way to the future. We have failed to follow this simple course, and I think that now is the time to correct it.
If I am elected to the office of the presidency - not that there's any chance of that happening - I will not assume to stand as a lone figure at the helm of this nation. I will need the help of every American to lead this country thru the growing pains that will deliver us to the future. America is a nation of, for, and by the people so it only seems right that the people should be more connected to the operations of running it. Together we can take this ailing nation and steer it toward a future of peace and prosperity.
The technology exists, in the form of the internet and the constant communication society in which we live, to connect the American citizenry like never before. I will call on you to be the final check in our system of checks and balances. Using the technologies of the present, and fostering development of the technologies of the future, I will move to expose the legislative processes to the sunlight of citizen review. Representatives will be more easily held accountable by those that they claim to represent. Not even the presidency should be safe from the dissenting views of the public, for the greatest ideas often come from dissension.
I want to see America rise from the ashes of her former self and stand taller than she ever has before. This nation should be a beacon of freedom and prosperity for the rest of the world to look to. I want to rebuild this house to surpass its former glory. Then I want to kick the doors open and invite the world into our home. None of this will be possible if we continue down the right or left side of, what is essentially, the same street. It's time to embrace the American spirit and blaze a new road to our future as a nation.
Constructing this road, while it won't be a simple process, will require only two things. Both of which we already have, yet seem to ignore. The new road which will lead to our beautiful home needs to be built using the Constitution and Common Sense. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Then why, for too many years, have we ignored these two basic building blocks upon which our nation has stood? I don't have the answer as to why. I only know that, in order to move forward in this tumultuous world, we need to come together as a nation and blaze a trail using the Constitution and common sense as our guide posts.
Now that I have beat the patriot drums, loud and clear, I suppose that I should share with you some of the ideas that I believe will help us move forward to a time when the world looks to this little nation and sees the true strength and resilience of the people that make it great. You see, my friends, for far too long we have measured the success of America, as well as the success of the American citizen, in terms of dollars and cents. Money, while very necessary, is not the most valuable commodity that America possesses. People are.
It is people that built this nation. It is the average citizen that has sacrificed, thru the ages, to push this republic forward. People who toiled, and created, and invented, and fought, and died, all to contribute a small part toward the construction of this nation. We owe it to ourselves, and those that came before us, and those that will follow our generations and carry the dream of freedom into the future, to stop the crumbling of this beautiful nation. If we fail, then those that came before us will have sacrificed and contributed in vain.
Our current system of government simply ignores the people that truly make America. Citizens are viewed as sheep who need to be guided to their destination by the mighty, and apparently all knowing, shepherds that sit upon capitol hill. In my experience, when sheep follow shepherds they only ever end up at the slaughter. I ask you, my fellow Americans, to shed the sheepskin that's been laid upon you by years of conditioning and stand up, tall, as the citizens that this nation needs to move into the future. Without YOU, there exists no United States of America.
This world, and this nation, stand on the precipice of a technological wonderland that could truly change the course of humanity, yet we seem to be backing away from the glory of the future and hiding in the wagon ruts of the past. That's why, I believe, that this nation needs to deal with its Past, Present, and Future in such a manner as to advance the United States to a position where it can serve as a planetary beacon of freedom. We must, from this day forth, rectify the mistakes of our past, deal with the issues of the present head-on, and always work toward paving the way to the future. We have failed to follow this simple course, and I think that now is the time to correct it.
If I am elected to the office of the presidency - not that there's any chance of that happening - I will not assume to stand as a lone figure at the helm of this nation. I will need the help of every American to lead this country thru the growing pains that will deliver us to the future. America is a nation of, for, and by the people so it only seems right that the people should be more connected to the operations of running it. Together we can take this ailing nation and steer it toward a future of peace and prosperity.
The technology exists, in the form of the internet and the constant communication society in which we live, to connect the American citizenry like never before. I will call on you to be the final check in our system of checks and balances. Using the technologies of the present, and fostering development of the technologies of the future, I will move to expose the legislative processes to the sunlight of citizen review. Representatives will be more easily held accountable by those that they claim to represent. Not even the presidency should be safe from the dissenting views of the public, for the greatest ideas often come from dissension.
With a new spirit of citizen involvement, this nation can begin to take the steps it needs to move into the future. That future will not be run by career politicians who make secret back room deals without regard to the effects that the people will suffer with the simple sweep of a pen. In our America there will be no more lobbyists. We elect representatives to stand for the interests of the people in their home states or districts, not for the benefit of corporations who see the citizens of this nation as so much chattle. We will no longer elect corporate shills who spend more of their time sucking on the corporate tit than working to benefit the citizenry. Again, people are the greatest commodity in the United States not those green pieces of paper that we covet so dearly.
Well, my friends, I don't want to carry this initial entrance announcement on forever so I simply ask that you check back often as I will be laying out, what I believe, is the only course this nation can take to be a true leader in this world. That course is not, by any means, set in stone, because America must remain malleable to insure that it can adapt to whatever comes her way. Oh, don't you worry, it's going to be an interesting ride. I welcome any questions, comments, or concerns. While I may not be able to address all of them individually, I promise that I will listen to you, the citizens of this great country because I too am an American. So get out there and spread the word of WannaBePrez.com to your fellow citizens. Let them know that we can all be Prez.
So come along America, cause this could be one hell of a turning point in history. It could also be a flaming disaster. Don't you want to know where it will end? It won't cost anything more than thought. Don't you WannaBePrez too?
