Tip O'Neill Speaker of The House of Representatives, 1977-1987, said "All politics are local." There is evidence that this is as true now as it was then. We vote in our local, state, and federal elections so, why would it not be? 

Abraham Lincoln wrote, "The people -- the people -- are the rightful masters of both congresses, and courts -- not to overthrow the constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it." He seemed to be showing us the way to protecting our nation. 

Our Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." 

We all have those rights. Our nation has that right. 

The next line from the Declaration is, "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 

We are more than governed-by-consent. We, the people, are a branch of our government. We are, in fact, the base of our government. We elect fellow citizens to represent us in every level of government. We speak to our fellow government officials by protesting, written statements, and polling. We attend city council meetings, participate in discussions, and ask questions. We are part of the checks and balances. We vote on legislation together. We participate in our democracy, and participation is an absolute necessity on all levels. Sounds like a fourth branch to me. 

We are the government. A government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Now that we have acknowledged and accepted this, we can participate more.

I encourage more citizens to seek representative leadership positions at every level of our government. Each state's website has information on future elections. For more information on elections, please check out FEC.gov (link below). Together, we can make the necessary adjustments to set our nation on the best path to a successful future.

     I propose Border Security and Immigration Reform, National Education and Health Care Systems, a National Recovery Act and more. Please check out the links for more information.

Let's make a better path for our future. 

Thank you for your time and may our path lead to peace and prosperity.

~ Suzzanna Tanner

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