2016 showed that America's politics are a corrupt game for the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and powerless. In my view, that proven fact takes immediate precedence over any other issue, including endless debate about the possibility of foreign hacking in our undemocratic non-elections. Seriously, domestic con artists get legal contributions and assistance from other countries already- so who really cares which pulled back our sponsored media curtain of propaganda? It only hurt the duplicitous agents of manipulation by empowering hidden truth; thus, any supposed hackers in question inherently have more honor and patriotism than our own complaining "leaders".

While everyone's so caught up in blaming the messenger, America has no functioning democracy, no representative government, and is in the process of empowering a fascist bigot millionaire without any experience (except sensationalized unethical business scams) to take over as a nuclear-device-controlling Commander in Chief. I do not accept the false dichotomy of choosing between two equally disgustingly wealthy ruling families that both equally lack the integrity and perspective to genuinely represent We the People. This isn't a left vs. right, Republican vs. Democrat, city folk vs. rural community disagreement- that's just how it is being framed, in typical fashion, to keep us ineffective and divided.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties are entirely controlled and run by the wealthy. Both are minority parties, keeping in power only by leveraging each against the other, and thwarting populace options. Superficial identity politic issues are waved like team flags, positioning those with only minute differences to be enemies, while elitist agendas of power and profit are consistently achieved at the cost of our collective present and futures. Surely even the loudest, most normalized voices should still get called out when threatening our nation's peace, unity, and the very citizenry that embodies it? I believe we win only by all standing together, united for the acknowledged greater public good.

With all due respect, it's my carefully considered, serious view that we've now exhausted the standard legal means by which America's noble goal of Democratic representation might be achieved. We've reached the end of trite, willful ignorance, and the whack-a-mole style of bad politics which is no less rigged than any carnival game. With a now routine system of governmental scandal and corruption, there is no longer any incentive toward honesty or protecting the right of genuine accountability. Skewed, for-profit and demographic-biased pseudo-journalism media has parceled the populace up into manageable echo-chambers of desperate, distrustful, easily led smaller groups.

The solution to this is the same as any divide-and-conquer tactic; if we refuse to be divided- dare I quote the increasingly empty words, 'indivisible, with liberty and justice for all'- if we recognize the sheer suicidal folly of allowing our own religious, sexual, or even physical differences to render us each less empowered- if we unite together as our founding fathers once successfully did, to refuse unfair rule and subjugation by the greedy few- then and only then will America have any hope of finding itself, of finding peace, of finding a way to coexist together for everyone's benefit, without resorting to buying into hateful demagoguery and glorified oligarchy over our own fellow neighbors.

It starts right now, with you and me. It starts with us choosing better than what we're used to, better than lowest common denominators or non-thinking labels of false separation. Whether you are rich, or poor, are military, or pacifist, are working in a field, or a factory, are a defender of farms, or a proud city dweller, the simple truth is that we all have more in common with each other than those who have contrived to place themselves into positions of power over us. That fact isn't leftist, far right, or any other position- it's just plain truth. Which is what We the People need now more than any fake-news-scare 'Ministry of Truth' substitute to justify further editorial control by this government.

Whistle-blowers are persecuted, not praised. Corruption exposed causes false nationalist cries of supposed victimization, confusing and distracting the masses into accepting the unacceptable. This is the new American norm; simultaneous mass childhood poverty, while profitably arming both sides of killing fields overseas. Such a complete cogitative dissonance is only possible by keeping media and political conversation perpetually divided, rehashing petty old feuds, threatening past progress to prevent any forward motion. I watch the callously immoral continually receive personal gain, while those they claim to 'serve and protect' get used as convenient canon fodder.

Change is scary. Change is hard. Change without any guarantee of success should always give cause for hesitation, and a healthy dose of skepticism. But refusing to change, staying firmly bound to the self-destructive ignorant apathy which keeps us all playing the fools to now-empty party titles and their divisive rhetoric, will be our undoing. We the People must organize and unite as human beings, demanding our right to freedom, to be fairly represented, to continue in refining our government and legislation for the benefit of the many, not the few. While our eyes have been trained to watch for foreign enemies, domestic ones have already been installing themselves.

There are not enough law enforcement officials to make everyone keep this system together, especially when public opinion is not on their side- Standing Rock showed that. We can either let Trump's cabinet of anti-science, bigotry and fascism take over America and its future... or we can finally say Enough Is Enough, and refuse to just allow in what so many of our family, ancestors and countrymen died defending this country from. The progress of equality is not a partisan issue. The recognition of meritorious scientific fact is not some left-wing conspiracy. Successfully exploiting a failing society does not in any way translate to competency or trust in governing it.

How you get involved is up to you, but if you feel frustrated about not having any say, do it. If you're sick of the rules only applying to those who aren't a CEO or political millionaire, find or start a local protest. If you are watching the income inequality reach historical 'Gilded Age' levels again while not having enough for groceries, I say make your voice finally heard. If you're seeing a future of zero savings but increasing debts, where your kids have no chance for success yet record levels of stress and depression, rise up. This is our civic duty as the fourth branch of government- to act whenever the other three have become utterly hijacked by deceit and corruption.

One promise I make you is that you will not be alone. I have been lucky to meet many of the most insightful, courageous, thoughtful Americans in the fight for Everyone. Issues that rank higher than an indoctrinated dislike for skin color or theology have already united many of us. We The People span every walk of life, every point of view, and that's exactly what America's true superpower is- finding overall common ground and strength through our diversity. But as basic and obvious as this seems, it is being effectively undermined to prop up the selfish aspirations of a handful of terrorists, who feel entitled having convinced the people that real terrorists look different.

The original dictionary definition of 'terrorism' was 'rule by threat or intimidation'. This election year, the overwhelming majority did not vote, while every national poll showed both minority-yet-controlling party-selected candidates had record setting levels of dislike and distrust. This isn't rocket science, it's reality; those in power in our country have neither the support of the people, nor do they in any tangible way represent them. We are a commodity, a resource, an ignorant-by-design mass of encouraged anti-intellectuals, plotting against each other under colors and flags that serve our masters. This is not any form of democracy. This is not a defensible union.

As a country, we have done a lot of things very, very wrong. In our eagerness for 'progress', we nearly wiped out an entire race here in North America. And we enslaved another race of people. We have been interfering with other countries, hypocritically criticizing any who do not subscribe to 'democracy', and using our ever-growing military power in ever-offensive ways. The first step in any change is to admit wrongdoing, and cease any such action from happening again. If being a proud American is ever to be a legitimate, ethical feeling, we must first try actually adhering to the example we claim to be, and remembering the lessons we have already learned in our past.

The very first one was "No taxation without representation." In our modern society, such a cry would be met with financial penalties, the seizure of our assets and homes, and eventual homeless poverty or incarceration. But that's actually already happening to a growing percentage of us anyway. What it all really comes down to is that those with something to lose are too scared of losing it to act, while those who already lost everything have had their representative voices stolen. This normalized atrocity will continue as long as we all let it, because to those at the top, it is a profitable system which hasn't been able to stop their insatiable greed- even when it is killing us.