There was once a Massachusetts Yankee named Daniel Shays. Shays was a yeoman farmer, who had fought for the freedom of his country from the court of King George III of England.
After the Revolution, many states instituted taxes that placed a heavy burden on the backs of small farmers, and these taxes effectively dispossessed many common men of their property.
In those days many people could not vote, and among this number were those who owned no property. Shays and the like were dispossessed and disenfranchised in a travesty of justice, but they said no.
Shays and 600 others went to the state capitol where they demanded a lowering of taxes on the poor, and fought with state militia. Shays fled from Massachusetts to avoid being executed.
In the end, Shays was pardoned, and the long process of democratization began. In the years after Shays' rebellion, the states removed property requirements.
Daniel Shays is the archetype of the American patriot, and his anguish at discovering the betrayal of the ideals blood was spilt for rings across the centuries to our own day.
Everyone knows wealthy individuals and corporations have been able to buy influence, and there are very concrete ramifications for people who aren't interested in what happens in Washington.
Imagine working hard to have security in your old age, and then discovering you've been scammed out of your hard-earned money by an elaborated fraud perpetrated by your boss. That's what happened at Enron, and it looks as though this is just the beginning of a series of collapses dealt by accounting tricks.
Enter the Connecticut Yankee, Rep. Christopher Shays, in another George's court. This man is a hero because he, along with other brave and honorable men from the Republican side of the aisle, stood up for what their conscience rather than their campaign told them was right, and they got nailed to a cross for it. This guy's a great American, as is John McCain.
We all know that McCain has been the spokesman for the campaign reform movement, and he's been ostracized from the Republican Party for it. I don't agree with him on many issues, but I respect him, and that's more than I can say for a lot of his party in the House.
Chief among this group is Mike Pence, who's supposed to be representing Ball State and the surrounding communities. I guess he didn't get that memo.
Pence, in his infinite wisdom and ability to see through even the most transparent situations, has concluded that McCain is "in bed" with the Democrats. Pence believes he is the victim of a great conspiracy to remove him from office. Maybe he didn't realize we have elections every two years in this country.
He made some friends like those who don't live in Pence's district, yet saw fit to give him $102,500 as of Feb.16. Pence got to meet some of Bush's friends in the oil industry, who gave him $9,000 in 2001, and taught him about another big conspiracy called global warming.
This is executive lifestyles we're talking about. What could be more important than that? Then there's the National Rifle Association, with its contribution of $2,500. Guns don't kill people, poor people kill people. That's why we should hook their children on poison, and refuse treatment for senior citizens.
Pence has to keep his friends happy and the dough rolling in. That's what America's all about, right? Check out www.herndon1.sdrdc.com for campaign finance records for all candidates running for federal offices.
Daniel Shays had to fight for the right to vote, but you have it for free. Please recognize how precious and rare this is, and do something to stop the corruption of the American dream that occurs when money buys influence.
Write to Courtney at sturgeoncourtney@hotmail.com
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