Feel politicians are shackled to special interests? Do something!
Ever feel helpless in the realm of politics and government? If you do, it's understandable. Currently, billionaires and corporations throw in massive sums of money to help the elect candidates of their choice. George Soros (liberal) and the Koch Brothers (conservative) have attained notoriety for their prodigious donations to organizations and candidates. Just how much money is involved in campaigns today? In 2008, Barack Obama hauled in an all-time record $745 million for his victorious effort. To make matters worse, corporate and union influence has been unchecked since the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission made it the right of such conglomerates to make unlimited contributions to PACs (Political Action Committees).Other than casting one vote per election, how can an ordinary citizen make his or her voice known and respected in a political environment flooded with special interest cash? Although this seems a daunting task, there are plenty of resources that allow anyone to get involved in activism and reform. One that I recently discovered is Change.org. The website has easy-to-use tools for creating petitions and a large community dedicated to effecting positive societal change around the world. Change.org has an impressive record of success. For instance, after 143,442 users (including me) signed a petition calling for the release of imprisoned Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei, the Chinese government yielded to international pressure and freed him after two months in a detention center. Following a petition earlier this month that had 39,216 signatures (including mine), the US committed $450 million to fund vaccines for children in impoverished countries. Petitions on the website have also led five MLB teams to produce "It Gets Better" videos. Although Obama for America has an active account on the site, the vast majority of user-generated petitions are nonpartisan. I recommend getting an account and signing or creating petitions. It's a great and effective way to take action on the issues you care about. Embedded in the sidebar to your right is a petition that I created to demonstrate how Change.org works.