The following essay was written in September of 2007. It seems strangely prescient today.
Raison D’etre
The number of people disillusioned with our political system has risen to historic heights. The proof of this can be heard on talk radio or by viewing any political blog site. In our estimation, the reason for it is simple:
We are no longer being represented by those we’ve elected to represent us.
There is, perhaps, no better example of this truism than the recent effort by Congress and the President to tread on the will of the American people by attempting to force through an “amnesty for illegals” bill that they delicately dubbed “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” This bill, if signed into law, would have immediately made legal an estimated twelve million immigrants who sneaked over our borders to take advantage of our wealth and generosity. Their legality as immigrants would be immediate; a fence to keep further intruders out was promised for the future. Like so many promises made by our government, the American people didn’t believe this one would ever see the light of day. Polls showed that 78% of citizens — people of all political stripes — opposed this so-called “reform” bill. Despite this fact, the majority of Congress, led by the President, worked feverishly to shove this bill down our collective throats. Citizens in general, and Conservatives in particular were outraged. Where did this kind of arrogance on the part of our Representatives come from? What could possibly be their motive for trying to force it through? And most importantly, Citizens everywhere were asking aloud, “What can we do about it?”
The Citizenry figured out what they could do about it. Through the efforts of conservative talk radio and grassroots organizations, individuals were motivated and mobilized enough to speak so loudly that they literally shut down many Congressional switchboards, e-mail servers and fax machine lines. Despite this outcry, the bill still appeared to have life until it was voted down in the 11th hour when Representatives, fearing a major backlash from constituents, decided it was best to table the bill and regroup. Senate majority leader Harry Reid promised the bill was not yet dead. We would, he said, see it again during this 110th Congress.
True Conservatives, including the founders of CitizensNotSubjects.com, seem to have taken some lessons from this experience.
Number One: Neither of the two ruling parties is acting in our best interest. The only interest they appear to have is protecting their own power and authority. This is why the bill ultimately died — not because it was the right thing to do, but because they finally feared that they would be voted out of office if they passed it.
Number Two: Believing that the Republican Party represented them, Conservatives, for years, have kept quiet about those issues in which they believe. They know now that if they want things done in government, they can no longer expect it to happen while they sit back and tend to their own small corner of the world. They need to raise their voices — and apparently, any changes have to happen outside of the conduit of Republicanism.
Number Three: If this recent victory is not to be found pyrrhic in retrospect, the Citizenry needs to change the way its government operates. Specifically, this means: Planning to mount a formidable challenge to the existing system wherein two parties rule the process; forcing a major shift toward decentralization of the government, reestablishing the 10th Amendment principle of “States Rights” and limited Federal power, the way the founders envisioned it; and no longer quietly accepting the behavior of those elected when their policies and actions make it abundantly clear that they view themselves as a ruling class and view we, the people, as the peasantry over whom they rule.
It is for each of these reasons that we created CitizensNotSubjects.com.
If we ever doubted that our numbers joined together in a loud voice could make a difference, we cannot doubt it now. We have seen the effect of an outraged Citizenry. We here at CitizensNotSubjects.com will not let that outrage die until we have changed the course of this abusive bureaucracy we call Federal Government. It is time to remind that body with one loud voice who it is they were elected to SERVE.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Our goal is make a national impact throughout the popular media. We envision t.v. commercials, newspaper articles, radio ads and talk radio interviews to advance the conversation of constitutional ideas that aide in the reestablishment of our Representative Republic. As the need arises, particularly when leading up to national elections and when bills with significant consequences are coming up for vote, we will run targeted issue ads to make sure the conservative voice of the people is heard loud and clear. Our dream is to grow large enough in our membership, donations and reputational influence as to change the debate on a national level. In this way, we could affect the outcome of policy without having to establish yet another ineffective third party. In effect, we want to make the voice of the people be that formidable, third-party threat that currently doesn’t exist.
So browse our pages and decide if you’re one of us.
Who are we?
We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats. We are a group of Conservative Citizens who were looking for honesty in our Representatives and in finding there was little to none left, decided it was time to make our voices be heard. Join our ranks and we can change the way government works.
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These are different times than the times we grew up in. If we want to preserve the American Way of Life for our children, we have to ACT, not merely wish the difficulties away. We sum up this imperative with the credo “Citizens, Not Subjects.” We encourage you to take on this mantle as well.
D. Michael Lovic
Co-Founder of CitizensNotSubjects.com
