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Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?

Anna, Feeling unsettled, attacked and rather down, I happened to go to this conversation tonight and found your addition to the conversation about the political system here in the U.S. at present....

Tagged: Silence-of-Women, Oligarchy/Patriarchy, Status-Quo, Republic, Change

Replied Nov 13

Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?

Ok, let's think this through: The Romans used similar tactics to the ones that we use now to keep the ordinary citizens pre-occupied. Our "gladiators" play and spectators watch, in person or on t v...

Tagged: Silence-of-Women, Oligarchy/Patriarchy, Status-Quo, Republic, Change

Replied Nov 7

Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?

Hewitt, Remember, it was ONE PERSON, Mahatma Ghandi, who sparked and led the movement for independence in India. He read Thoreau while in prison in South Africa and got his inspiration. Then, he "...

Tagged: Silence-of-Women, Oligarchy/Patriarchy, Status-Quo, Republic, Change

Replied Oct 21

Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?

Nano, You said it best: "IF WE DON'T MAKE TIME FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR COUNTRY, WE WILL LOSE OUR DEMOCRACY [totally, I would add, because we already have lost most of it] and will end up with peo...

Tagged: Silence-of-Women, Oligarchy/Patriarchy, Status-Quo, Republic, Change

Replied Oct 20

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Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

Anna, Feeling unsettled, attacked and rather down, I happened to go to this conversation tonight and found your addition to the conversation about the political system here in the U.S. at present. Thank you for your open-hearted sharing. You elic...

November 12

Anna Gardiner replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

I'm joining this conversation a bit late, but felt compelled to respond anyway because of how fervent you all are in your convictions. As much of a cop-out this sounds, I have to say I agree with all who responded. Each respondent expressed the va...

November 12

Hewitt Rose replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

You are saying that people can always organize and always overcome a corrupt system. That is not my experience, nor is it the lesson from history. Sometimes people succeed in throwing off their oppressors, and sometimes they get crushed. A lot of ...

November 9

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

November 7

Hewitt Rose replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

Yes, I could be the next Mahatma Ghandi or Martin L. King or be one who gives that final essential push. Life is full of surprises, with the success of the civil rights movement being a major example. But, by the same logic, I should gamble contin...

October 22

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

Hewitt, Remember, it was ONE PERSON, Mahatma Ghandi, who sparked and led the movement for independence in India. He read Thoreau while in prison in South Africa and got his inspiration. Then, he "walked his talk" in every way possible. The same ...

October 21

Hewitt Rose replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

The answer to your question is contained in your post. Why do ordinary citizens not get involved in politics? Because, in our American Oligarchy (I prefer Plutocracy), their voices do not count, and they know it. The monied interests rule. Democra...

October 20

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

October 19

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

Matthew, Your last two sentences describes the challenge and the task wonderfully well. How do we get to enough people--especially those who acknowledge the challenge and the task and/or have resources of intellect, speaking and writing ability, t...

October 19

Matthew - NC replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

I guess the real question is "who is more likely to win a campaign, a 'good' candidate who is responsive to his/her constituents with little money, or a 'sleazeball' candidate who is responsive to his/her cronies with a lot of money?" I think the...

October 19

Nano replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'Why Do Few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?'

I have noticed the lack of participation as well... Everyone has so much going on, or so they think, that there is no time to participate in the discussion or the events. We all have to do day to day chores (laundry, take the trash out, lawn mowi...

October 19

John Antonelli replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'More Positive "Rules" About Food Stamps'

Winfred, just because the government wants industry to do something doesn't mean we have to buy them off. We regualte them.

October 19

Winifred Beam Kessler added a discussion

Why do so few"Ordinary" Citizens Contact Elected Officials, Go to Their Open Decision-Making Sessions, Speak Up in Meetings etc.?

In my experience, during election campaigns, particularly hotly-contested ones, is the only time that "ordinary" citizens are seen or heard, calling on radio talk shows or being televised at public meetings. For the remainder of the year, in any y...

October 18

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'More Positive "Rules" About Food Stamps'

HOW?? can we "get what we want without giving them [government] money"? What occurs to me immediately is that we give the government money already in our taxes. I know from rather extensive experience that ordinary (even extraordinary) citizens do...

October 18

John Antonelli replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'More Positive "Rules" About Food Stamps'

I think you defined crap food perfectly. As for government aid no way, we can get what we want without giving them money.

October 18

Winifred Beam Kessler replied to Winifred Beam Kessler's discussion 'More Positive "Rules" About Food Stamps'

Hewitt, THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE ROLE OF LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS OF "WE THE PEOPLE" IN MAKING NOISE AND SUGGESTIONS ABOUT GETTING STOREKEEPERS, BUSINESSES AND MANUFACTURERS TO PRODUCE AND MAKE MORE AVAILABLE HEALTHY F...

October 17

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