The Opening Salvo
When I ran for public office, even though my campaign was cut short, below was the main purpose for me running. While my campaign won’t be rebooted in the foreseeable future, I figured I could share the purpose here. My platform consisted of electoral reform, ending veteran homelessness, and municipal consolidation; if you want to see my platform or any other information, you can find it at https://mgugs4nj.wixsite.com/mgugs4nj. If you like this article or any other article I have written, please follow and share. I thank you for your time.
“Everyday, we toil and labor in the mire created by our political establishment. Instead of everyday Americans living the American Dream promised to us by the Founding Fathers, we dredge through the marshes and swamps created from the corruption of the ruling class. How did this come to be? How was this corruption allowed to grow like a weed? Simply, those who rule no longer care for what we want, instead they cater to their own pockets and to grow their own power. They no longer fear the people due to the two-party system. In order to return to our former glory, we must end the two-party system and return the power back to the people.
In this endeavor, I am proposing electoral reform that will fix the failures of our current institutions and the systemic problems that those institutions create. These failures include a lack of accountability, a lack of proportionality, and the willful ignorance of our political elite, that pushes aside the People’s wishes in direct contradiction of our founding principles set forth within our Constitution, within our Social Contract.
For our current system to function, politicians need to be held accountable for their actions. This means that elections have consequences. When we vote in primaries and in general elections, the people must be able to send a message, our message. If our officials in Trenton pass laws and legislation that have clear, vocal opposition from their constituents, then the People must have a method to remove those officials and replace them with someone who will follow our wishes. For example, the gas tax. The People greatly disapproved this tax increase and we let our elected officials know that we objected to the measure. The gas tax passed anyways. They raised the gas tax over our objections. Despite them ignoring us, how any incumbents lost in that primary cycle? Out of 107 incumbents that ran in our State’s legislature, 0 lost. There were no repercussions. And, for our general elections, the district maps were so gerrymandered, manipulated in the pursuit of power, that the Will of the People is subverted by the Will of the Elite.
In the 2013 state elections, there were 40 seats up for grab in the Senate and 80 seats in the Assembly. In this election, Republicans won a majority of the vote in each house. Yet, Republicans only won 40% of the seats. Two years later, we again voted for the Assembly. This time the Republicans received 46% of the vote… and 35% of the seats. This pattern of one party having an electoral advantage due to a biased map challenges reason itself. If an electoral system defies the natural law of mathematics, then that same electoral system also defies common sense. In fact, out of the 40 districts in New Jersey, only 2 were consistently competitive over this time period. Not only does this not hold politicians accountable for their actions, but, members of one party were underrepresented in Trenton. The underrepresentation of any Peoples for any reason is wrong and is against the fundamental principles of our Founding Fathers when they created our nation.
When our nation was created, there was a fundamental understanding between the people and the government. While the government needs powers in order to create “A more perfect Union”, the Founding Fathers realized that power was derived from the people. In order to preserve the sanctity of this Social Contract, our Founders created the Constitution where the People will have the power. In fact, if the people do not have power, then the rights of the people and the success of our nation would be threatened. The right to representation is our inalienable right that protects our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Our republican values ensures our freedoms, as it is the greatest check that we have on the government’s power. If we lose our voice, then we will lose our freedoms, and then we will lose our rights. This would dissolve the Social Contract our Founding Fathers bestowed upon us. The only path forward for our great nation to again be the envy of the world is to restore the Will of the People. If we restore the greatest of all American traditions, it will again be “morning in America” and we will be that “Shining City upon the Hill”, (Reagan), that is a beacon for liberty for all of mankind to see.
If we are successful, we will implement a system that will recognize our voice, recognize our power, and recognize the values our nation was built upon. If you have any questions, want to look up our policies or want to see how to support our cause, please go to mgugs4nj.com.
Join our campaign today in order to take back our government, to take back our country and return it to the Will of the People.”
