What Washington gridlock over the last several years has illustrated about the conflict that stalls our government is that it’s not about right vs. left, liberal vs. conservative; rather, the struggle lies between voters and the buyers of political influence. When push comes to shove, it’s usually buyers of political influence who come out on top (see the overwhelmingly passed Monsanto Protection Act, as well as President Obama’s consideration of cuts to Social Security as example of elite interests prevailing over voter consensus). What is at work to thwart our aim of self-governance is an influence gap between voters and a lobbyist/wealthy campaign donor syndicate. Through large campaign contributions coupled with lobbying efforts, they’ve wielded their considerable financial resources to disproportionately influence the decision making of elected officials. As voters, we take responsibility for this influence gap—because of apathy and our unwillingness to work together to hold elected officials accountable for selling their decision making to the highest bidders. By not demanding a limit to campaign contributions as a condition of electability, we’ve gradually allowed members of a small, exclusive establishment game the political process for their own advantage.

I am not personally affected, other than disliking injustice.

$8,573,115.97 of taxpayer funds was used to conceal EPA Region 4's mistakes and alleged illegal activity. 50 people have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma alone within 1 mile of CTS of Asheville Superfund Site. Neighbors abused, deceived and harmed by EPA Region 4 officials' response. Community Advisory Group has collected evidence to support federal charges to be filed against EPA Region 4 officials for creating a fake CERCLA site by submitting a falsified Hazardous Incident Report to the US Coast Guard National Response Center to expedite the creation of a CERCLA designation for the victims' property for a the contamination emanating from a preexisting the CTS of Asheville CERCLA site. EPA Region 4 has failed to protect human health and the environment in an effort to save careers and shield the agency from the embarrassing attention that would come from the original mismanagement. Call Congressman Meadows, Congressman McHenry, Senator Burr and Senator Hagan today and ask for the Congressional Investigations to hold the agency accountable and protect other communities from this type of systematic and systemic abuse.

The Big Apple Meat Market recently reopened in a much smaller space. The vacant site of the old Project FIND Center would perfectly serve the needs of the community and give us back an affordable market with a large space.

We are all impacted by the illegal activities of the "too large to fail/jail banks," such as those of JPMorgan. In February, a group of JPMorgan shareholders filed a resolution to divide the chairman and chief executive posts, but the board is lobbying against it. This is one way to provide some additional oversight. Vanguard and Blackrock, the top shareholders, have decided the outcome of shareholder votes in the past 82.2% of the time.

Accountability. If you want to covertly insert something into a bill about to be voted on…expect to have to explain yourself later!

Accountability. If you want to covertly insert something into a bill about to be voted on…expect to have to explain yourself later!

Walmart and a real estate developer are pressuring elected officials to rush a rezoning plan through the Montgomery County Council. Councilman Craig Rice is pushing for the county to rush its normal rezoning. He says the community will be hurt if the county council doesn't push the proposal through. In fact, small businesses and Montgomery County workers will be hurt if Walmart comes to Aspen Hill. A new store means big profits for Walmart and big headaches for Montgomery County. It means more poverty-wage jobs. And it means less business for small businesses.

Our country has suffered catastrophic economic and environmental devastation as a result of the ensuing imbalance of political and economic power over the power of the people. This power has been granted to corporate entities by affording them constitutional rights designed for human beings. I am starting my journey to Deny corporate personhood at the city level in Vancouver Washington to pass a resolution to Deny corporations human rights while giving corporations privileges that we the people grant them.

Two milk trade groups are asking the FDA for greater flexibility in how they inform consumers when artificial sweeteners are added to kid-friendly products such as chocolate milk. They argue that the required, prominent low-calorie labels are not attractive to children. Say NO to paving the way for artificial sweeteners to make it into your child's dairy consumption!!!

Yesterday, a State Senator and a City Councilmember were arrested. Their crime? Allegedly trying to buy an election. There will surely be calls for the arrested officials to resign. But that won't solve the real problem here. We must end the corrupting influence of money in politics, once and for all. Why did they think they could get away with it? "That's politics, that's politics, it's all about how much," the arrested Councilmember explained in a wiretapped conversation. "Not about whether or will, it's about how much, and that's our politicians in New York, they're all like that, all like that. And they get like that because of the drive that the money does for everything else. You can't do anything without the f***ing money." But the problem goes much deeper than bribes. It's the legalized corruption of campaign contributions that really poisons our system. We can't afford to let New York be bought by the highest bidder.

Currently, S.55 is stuck in the State Senate Appropriations Committee. This bill would set up a task force to study state government banking and financial activities and determine if the present way of performing them is the best that can be done or if there are better ways of conducting these activities in a manner that will better benefit the state and its citizens. Many state government agencies currently do business with several financial institutions that engage in questionable activities. One of the possible outcomes of the study by the task force as currently configured in this bill is determining how much risk our public money is placed under by continuing to do business with these systemically important (AKA Too Big Too Fail) financial institutions. One example of possible risk is Citigroup’s efforts to unload its investments in shipping companies which are losing money. Citigroup is the lead administrator of the state municipal bonding program. There is also some evidence that there are efforts at the federal level to turn deposits at these big institutions into property of the banks which could be used to bail them out in the event of failure of any of these banks resulting in the possible loss of these deposits to the depositors. It is very important that the Senate Appropriations Committee acts promptly to release S.55 so that this very important study can be undertaken. Signatures to this petition will be sent directly to members of the Appropriations Committee. Please sign this petition as soon as you can and thank you for your efforts. State/Public Bank Committee Jim Hogue, Chair http://vtpublicbank.com