TEN EVERYDAY THINGS YOU CAN DO TO FIX YOUR COUNTRY

by Alicia Elliott

1. Broadcast your opinion. Talk about it, wear a button or bumper sticker, write a letter, make a phone call. The success of this democracy is based on the people's ability and freedom to express themselves.
2. Network your opinion locally. Talk to people and find out just how many there are out there who share your opinion and are working towards common goals. Abundance flows more readily when people are linked.
3. Network world-wide. Find some penpals abroad on the net and tell them how you feel. We can change the world opinion about Americans.
4. The power of clear, concise visualization is great. Once or twice a day take a minute or two to create a strong picture in your mind. It is an image of George Bush and his cronies having to step down and out of office for shameless and illegal acts of deception. You might imagine a headline or a TV report about it. The clearer the visualization is, the more effective it will be.
5. Whenever an issue needs addressing, or you see the necessity for a change in your local or national government, contact the appropriate public servant by phone repeatedly and encourage friends and contacts to do the same. Repeated phone calls get noticed, especially when twenty or more citizens are calling in about the same issue.
6. Make your community a strong and happening place by supporting local business whenever you have the chance. When communities are connected and self-reliant, the people in them are able to act together from a position of strength, in times of need.
7. Read the writings of our founding fathers and mothers. Sarah Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams all wrote of their fervent dreams of being in a land not choked by tyranny. America was originally meant to be a country that would never allow domination by any one group or person. Let's remember that our job as patriots to this democracy is to keep the government in line!
8. Consider voting to be as crucial and necessary as making your house payment. When you don't vote, you are essentially telling the people in power that you don't care what they do. Take some time to learn how the system works, or is supposed to work, and what issues are being put to a vote. Your vote is absolutely crucial now!
9. When you do have to buy something that wasn't produced locally, shop for US union-made, or fairly traded goods instead of products that were made by impoverished workers, far across the ocean, for rich tycoons in this country.
10. Have faith that we are making a change. Don't give up hope and get discouraged, that only adds a burden to the effort. Strong faith and optimism ensure the perpetuity of positive and effective actions for generations to come.