A friend of mine is still pretty upset about the election. I think he’s
missing the big picture.

Not that elections aren’t big. They are. Especially this last one. It’s just
that elections are not an end in themselves. They are part of a political
process.

And that process goes on. And on and on. Not only will there be a new
election in 2008, there will be a lot of issues decided between now and
then. Issues that even little folks like you and I can have some impact
upon.

Voting is just one part of the process. In fact, if your only part in the
political process is going to vote every two years, right now, with the
election over, you can actually make a far greater difference in protecting
and restoring citizen control of government.

What am I talking about? As Henry David Thoreau put it, “Cast your whole
vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence.�

How to have more influence? Speak out. Organize. Take part. Join.

One new group I’ve just joined is The Sam Adams Alliance at
SamAdamsAlliance.org . I really like that they’re the new sponsor of this
Common Sense program. Thanks Sam!

And I like that their goal is to network with local citizens who want to
blow the whistle on taxpayer rip-offs and fight against the anti-democratic
antics of special interests.

This is what we need.

This is Common Sense. At ThisisCommonSense.com. Oh, and I’m still Paul
Jacob.