Time to vote – Listen to George Washington

In September 1796, a beloved George Washington said good bye to a nation he had served all his life by sending an open letter to the American people. We know this open letter as his Farewell Address. In his Farewell Address he warned us against the problems associated with political parties.

Washington said, “[Political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which lifted them to unjust dominion.”

We are now in the predicament that Washington warned us against. Major political parties have taken control of our state and federal governments. Our economy continues to slog along in a malaise and special interest money fuels the party’s appetite for power, at our expense. Our elected officials no longer answer to us; instead they take their marching orders from their party leaders, who take their directions from special interest groups.

Government will eventually swing back toward the people; however, this will take a long time unless we decide to accelerate the process next Tuesday. In California we have one party rule and it is not working. It has not worked for at least 16 years and we need to vote for a change. We have eight statewide offices and there are viable challengers in all eight races.

Take a few minutes to read your voter guides and cast your votes for the challengers. I can hear you saying the governor, who currently leads by 30 points in most polls, is too far ahead to unseat. While he has made it clear that he expects to win in a landslide, if he wins by less than 10 points, he will hear the voters, move toward moderate policies and we will finally start go forward. It is possible to unseat two or three incumbents.

It’s time to listen to George Washington and say no to one-party rule in California. Vote for the challengers on your ballot next Tuesday; your family’s future depends on it.

Lynn McGinnis
Glendale