Read Kentucky activist Mark Ritter’s Letter the Editor, published last week in the Frankfort State Journal, inviting people to join the independent movement and come to the national conference of independents.
Dear Editor:
I am responding to the somewhat pessimistic State Journal opinion titled “Political politeness” on January 6, 2013, regarding the state of political discourse. The article was factually accurate but the viewpoint succumbs to defeat. If you want to change partisan politics, then get out of it. Stop being one of the lambs. I am a registered independent voter in Kentucky. Independents are part of a movement to improve the public process in our country and it is becoming more significant every day.
Who are independent voters? We are your neighbors and we come in all ideological persuasions but have fundamental things in common. At some point, we decided to separate ourselves from the mainstream political parties after recognizing the “herd mentality” was not providing effective governing at the state, local, or federal level. We are good citizens; pragmatic, informed, and concerned about our nation. Frankfort has 444 registered independents. There are 42,927 in Kentucky. Across the United States we represent over 40% of the electorate. We vote! We know government can be better. My journey as an Independent started during Ross Perot’s campaign for President in 1990. Although Mr. Perot withdrew from the race, it was clear that political parties had over-extended their control of the electorate. I saw that succumbing to “party dogma” would not achieve productive consensus for governing. It is what separates us from innovative solutions.
Why is this so? Well, we have allowed it to be this way. And, the political media stars encourage partisan politics because it creates a perfect drama to enhance their viability as a celebrity. Yet, you can lessen the “political gangbanging” of partisan politics that serves us all so poorly. There is nothing stated in the United States Constitution that establishes a definitive role for a political party. The increasing numbers of Independents are a force to realign politicians to the tenants of duty, honor, respect, and selfless service for our country. Isn’t it a shame that even those well intentioned office holders seem to go astray in the of swirl political rivalry.
So, what do you do? That is a good topic for a conversation. However, you need to make an immediate impact on the process. Go register as an Independent Voter. These two websites provide more information. They are http://www.independentvoting.org/ and http://independentkentucky.com/. Go to these and other websites, go to the library, and learn how independent voters can realign the decision process for public policy. The first website is a national organization. The second is a Kentucky connection. If you want to experience this affiliation with citizens from across the country attend the bi-ennial conference in New York City. It is scheduled for February 16, 2013. We will talk about these things. Thank you for voting. Thank you for your time.
Mark C. Ritter
Registered Independent Voter
{ 0 comments… add one now }