{"id":1056,"date":"2020-12-04T23:38:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T23:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=132814"},"modified":"2020-12-04T23:38:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T23:38:51","slug":"its-all-the-congress-americans-for-most-roads-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/04\/its-all-the-congress-americans-for-most-roads-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s All the Congress, Americans: For Most Roads Ahead!"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Ralph Nader
December 4, 2020<\/p>\n
We know their names! We\u2019ve given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred & Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials worked for the big majority of Americans instead of Big Business interests.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go through a short list of Big Deals:<\/p>\n
There are so many more congressional actions that could brighten the horizon. Congress could lead the way on affordable, available housing, repealing anti-union laws, push the White House to wage peace (diplomacy) rather than repeatedly threaten or use military force, ratify arms control, advance consumer, labor, and environmental protection treaties, push the Executive Branch to enforce the civil rights laws and to develop stronger corporate crime laws. The list of what should be done is long and overdue.<\/p>\n
The road to a more just society runs through Congress with the Members of Congress working for you, the people.<\/p>\n
You may say, what about obstructions of Congress by the Executive Branch and the Judiciary? Congress controls the purse, confirms the judges, has the tax-paying and the war-making authorities \u2013 as designed by our founding fathers, who never envisioned Congress abdicating those powers.<\/p>\n
In my little paperback book, Breaking Through Power: Its Easier Than We Think<\/a><\/em>, I wrote about the past battles for justice writ large that have been waged in Congress. None of these efforts took more than one percent of the people, actively engaged, connected, and knowledgeable, reflecting majority opinion. How did they win? They had a laser-focus on Congress and state legislatures \u2013 lawmaker by lawmaker.<\/p>\n Why don\u2019t tens of millions of Americans, who are hurting, deprived, under-insured, underpaid, disrespected, stressed out and obstructed from a better life, form Congress Watchdog Lobbies? Imagine summoning your Senators and Representatives to your<\/em> organized town-meetings to receive your<\/em> majority-supported instructions on how to use the power you\u2019ve given them.<\/p>\n Americans care for 70 million pet dogs every day. Spend a fraction of that time taking care of your two Senators and Representatives. Maybe they can start using their cell phones to call Members of Congress while safely walking their dogs. For ideas on how to form your own congressional watchdog group see: Become a Congressional Ratwatcher<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n