Strauss Not Running For Congress
Congress is not healthy for children and other living things…or compassionate candidates.
By Peter Strauss
Unbeknownst to most people I recently made a decision not to run for Congress representing our 24th District. I was approached in June and met in Washington with Democratic Party officials and White House political directors. Apparently they saw me as a worthy candidate who might have unseated the 22-year incumbent who is our Congressman.
The decision not to run, reached after days, weeks, and months of deliberation, has left me ill at ease. The problems ahead-health care reform, war, environment, immigration, the deficit and jobs among many others-did not deter me. We are, after all, a country of problem solvers. Nor was I dissuaded by the angry voices of extremists.
I felt secure I have political skills and the passion to devote myself to an idealistic and rational, compassionate philosophy. I was eager to hear and represent the voices of our district. I was ready to make a commitment that would have asked profound sacrifice on the part of my wife and family and to have terminated my career as an actor.
So why did I chose not to run?
Upon closer examination the landscape that lay before me was dour indeed. In fact it appeared completely compromised. What first sobered me was the amount of money I would have to raise to run a Congressional campaign for District 24. Early estimates were 2.6 to 3 million dollars! And therein was a dilemma: how does one accumulate that much money and not owe someone… somewhere…. something? Isn’t that the fundamental conflict of democratic principals?
But it was the perception of powerlessness that really alarmed me, as if Congress is oblivious, blind. I don’t only mean to the poor or those trapped in misfortune.
I mean… all of us!
The greatest crises confronting this country…as insidious an enemy as terrorism…but from within… are the growing power exerted by major corporations to affect any and all governmental decision making… and the devaluation of public education.
Congress has become an entrepreneurial venture.
There cannot be genuine health care reform when almost every politician who casts votes has accepted massive amounts of money from the very industry they are being asked to reform; there cannot be crucial Wall Street reform when Congressional members have accepted millions, yes millions of dollars, from the very industry they are being asked to reform. There cannot be any real reform when all members of Congress stand to enrich themselves and not the people they are pledged to serve; the system that funnels money into their “reelection campaigns” is vote buying. Period.
Are we to let Citi, Bear Stearns, Chrysler, and Blue Cross become the decisive factor in our children’s future??
But we, the people, would seem powerless to change that. Because there is an inherent problem when we turn to government to solve problems when they are responsible for the problems. It’s their game; the anemic compromises they unctuously announce are really “smoke and mirrors.” Fat on bailouts and bonuses corporations become even more brazen as they attempt to sway voters with massive capital investment in campaigns themselves. We are marketed, manipulated, and misinformed… but not fooled. We know this is not the essence of good government we ever subscribed to. Yet our representatives will point to their flag lapel buttons and assure us they are the true patriots. The defenders of capitalism. But when capitalism overrules the people America is not democratic.
Visit the website www.opensecrets.org and there revealed is Congress…in all its ugliness and corruption. Herein lies the real “stimulus” that motivates all Representatives and Senators to make choices regardless of the voices of the voters.
And what of education…that made America great? The dumbing down of America, the tone of coarseness that envelops us from media to sports to government coupled with reduced education funding would suggest a horror film plot of a growing menace. And yet…why do we allow government to feed itself while starving education? In our district students applied to CSU campuses in record numbers this year. Applications are up by 53 percent over last year, but the system is raising fees by 32 percent while cutting enrollment and classes. State funding is down by 7 billion!
This is as obscene as Wall Street bailouts and bonuses.
Under-funding education is shooting ourselves in the foot. It is education that enables us to compete globally. From it emanates the innovation that leads to technologies that foster industries like green and biotech technologies that produce…yup, jobs! That is the road to economic recovery!
Those denied education-especially those from minorities or poverty who need education as stepping-stones are particularly vulnerable and dependent on government protection. Left in limbo they are abandoned-as if unseen-on a precarious landscape that accentuates disparity. And it becomes dangerous. Look at the current divisive and angry tone.
If it is hunger, lack of opportunity, and the absence of education that produces growth in crime … then it facilitates the extremist’s sly demand for tough “law and order.” Unemployment of significant numbers and duration provides fertile ground for those fanning and focusing the fires of hatred-their sights set on immigrants, the poor, and social justice advocates. Add to that none-too-subtle racism and we are divided and conflicted as to the true identity of our American character, especially when we vilify those struggling to transition into their American dream.
The extremists do not reflect the America I love. America is not a “them” versus “us.” It is a “we.” And it is education that has always served to equalize us.
We, the people, must regain control of our government and away from corporate interference; we need to reclaim the fundamental principles of good governance. When we promote well-being for all, inclusion rather than exclusion, when we end inequities that cause suffering… that is the real American character.
So, problem solvers…how do we do that?
Ojai resident Peter Strauss is an actor and citrus grower. He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ojai City Council.
I hate to break it to everyone it is not the right against the left. They are only there to divde us and keep us disracted. Do you not remember history as to who our ememie was 200 yrs ago? “The King of England”
Who do you suppose is behind the take over of America? We have never been free. We have been given liberty not freedom. Please read these links and watch the video. You need to educate yourself and truly understand what is going on. It will be hard for most to accept this but please try to.
30 Little Known Facts about America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klwWcp9eiPw&feature=player_embedded
http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2009/11nov/RIR-091120.php
Truth please
24 Nov 09 at 7:47 pm
If not you Peter, then who? If you, with all that you have accomplished and are blessed to be, cannot find it within you to run, what are we left with? What we have had for over thirty years. And that surely is not the answer. So if you, with the recognizable name and career are unwilling to take a run for office on… how would any other individual.
Sandra
24 Nov 09 at 8:50 pm
Mr. Strauss;
A good place to start would be to talk with your buddies in the culture-distortion industry an hour south of Ojai.
Tell them to stop lying about what America’s roots are in their films.
Tell them to stop injecting liberal propaganda into their “art” and falsifying history.
Tell them to stop putting degeneracy on a pedestal and pedalling illusion to our young people, indoctrinating them in a set of false expectations and it’s inevitable outcome.
If you could get them “entertainment industry” to stop creating and broadcasting lies, you wouldn’t even need to hold public office. Without the constant stream of culture distortion emanating from that hell-hole, society might have enough breathing space to right itself.
And, regarding the comment of “Truth please” … yes. The outmoded dialectic of right vs left, conservative vs liberal and all that stuff are nothing but distractions. The real conflict lies on altogether different axes.
White Tribe Activist
24 Nov 09 at 9:10 pm
I would have donated money to Peter’s campaign.
Anonymous
24 Nov 09 at 11:26 pm
Peter,
Are you disillusioned? Do you feel disenfranchised? Left out? Do you feel hopeless because you only see problems, but never see solutions? I have a solution for you. It is called the Truth Coalition. Our mantra is “Identify the problem and create a solution in sixty seconds or less.”
While it is apparent that you will not pass the minimum i.q. test, Anon.5 has convinced me to waive that requirement to make room for a former actor. He is sure that we could find some nominal role for you, a cameo if you will, unless the $25 a month membership fee dissuades you from joining. Please, though, avoid any fundraising to pay for your membership. Doing so may cause other high-minded elitists to conclude that you have sold out to your sponsors.
Your article is lengthy, vague, and haphazardly attempts to make the following points: 1) All politicians (including Obama who raised more money than anyone before him) who raise campaign money are corrupt; 2) There are a lot of problems facing this country; 3) You are really not sure why you chose not to run; 4) Pointing the finger creates division, a bad thing, but it is o.k. to point the finger if you are the one doing the finger pointing; and 5)You are not a problem solver.
When you have finished emoting your vague rants and our interested in problem solving, send in your membership application to the Truth Coalition. I am sure that we can help you from submitting such drivel in the future.
Ret. Lieut. John Doe
Truth Coalition
John Doe
25 Nov 09 at 12:44 am
The American Republic was bound…to follow…the same course to destruction as did Rome. But our real ground of complaint is that we have been pushed down the demagogic road to disaster by conspiratorial hands, far sooner and far faster than would have been the results of natural political evolution…We are being insidiously, conspiratorially, and treasonously led by deception, by bribery, by coercion, and by fear, to destroy a republic that was the envy and model for all of the civilized world – Robert Welch (John Birch Society)
The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of “Liberalism” they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation without knowing how it happened – Norman Thomas
Truth please
25 Nov 09 at 8:41 am
Glen Beck bobbel-heads…
Violet Dudley
25 Nov 09 at 8:58 am
Violet,
Did you get that line from the Rachel Maddow show? Name-calling easy; it requires no thought. I dare you to try to write something of substance.
Ret. Lieut. John Doe
Truth Coalition
John Doe
25 Nov 09 at 9:42 am
Truth PLease, John Doe, White Activist…you people are paranoid nutballs…and a YOUTUBE video to prove your point, now seriously! YOU are the dangerous ones.
? What ?
25 Nov 09 at 10:24 am
Peter reach into your pocket and spend the $3 million of your own money and then you will owe no one when you get to Washington. If someone of your wealth and stature can’t do it, then who can?
anonymous
25 Nov 09 at 11:31 am
Ignorance is bliss. Had I known Mr. Joe Hollywood was a contender, I may have had to get in the ring myself. And as much as I agree with his take on public schools, I must say, how would he know anything on this subject being that his own were in private schools. I’d rather vote for Nick Nolte.
new yorker
25 Nov 09 at 12:16 pm
new yorker,
Thank you for your most recent support. You have mine for your last comment.
Ret. Lieut. John Doe
Truth Coalition
John Doe
25 Nov 09 at 12:59 pm
Peter, I totally understand and agree with your decision not to seek the 24th Congressional Seat as a Democrat. Your concerns are my own. The money, the corporate control, it’s all very troubling.
What about running as an independent?
Judging from the general feeling of disenfranchisement in the base of the Democratic Party so soon after the seeming triumph of 2008, the mid-term election looks to be pretty ugly for Democrats. The off year elections earlier this month showed a base that just didn’t show up. This is likely to hold true in 2010 because of the mounting disappointments with the “CHANGE” brand.
With regard to the corporatocracy that runs both “sides” of the political spectrum against the middle, I take a little comfort from this quote From Voltaire’s Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West by John Ralston Saul –
SPK
25 Nov 09 at 1:27 pm
John,
Do be angry with the rest of us because God saddled you with horse-lips, though dental dam (dike) would certainly go a long way in alleviating incessant drool (deleted).
Violet Dudley
25 Nov 09 at 1:44 pm
John doe – so sad that when we speak of fish ladders and public school administrators we must go our separate ways. Peace for now.
new yorker
25 Nov 09 at 3:33 pm
Its a real shame. I guess it will always be us versus them.
John Doe
25 Nov 09 at 6:03 pm
Vote for me. Eat a tamale today and thank the Spanish
Land Grants for bringing civilization. Strauss should
thank me for his wealth and fame.
Presidente Calderon
26 Nov 09 at 11:42 am
Is this the same “Rich Man, Poor Man” Rudy we love you Peter Strauss? I loved you then man, and I love you now. I fully understand your point, but giving up is really giving in today, and if you won’t I’d like to. I’m a liberal at heart and a democrat who left the GOP because the GOP left me. I still love you man!
Thanx
Bob Brill
Ventura
Bob Brill
1 Dec 09 at 5:41 pm
Peter, I have solutions! I’ve just thought of some for you.
(Hmmm, slaves to corporations, the UN, *and* the Pope. Personally I think the Pope ends up running the whole operation.)
But let’s deal with the corporations. The only way to offset their manipulative power is to become one yourself.
Take whatever spare millions you have and start your own BioTech company.
Invest everything you can in the production and research of technology that’s already out there: DNA-based viral computer chips and batteries. That is the very next stage in our evolution of going “Green”.
Sooner than you think you’ll be making profits in the billions.
You will begin to replace fossil fuels with viral batteries and initiate incredible advances in medicine – such as biological microchip cells targeting and destroying cancer cells.
Take those billions and manipulate congress into adopting a health care system similar to if not better than France’s current system.
Then manipulate government into adopting an education system similar to but not as extreme as, the one in Japan. In particular, pay close attention to their style of educational motivation. That is the key.
That’s a pretty good start for major uplifting change. This way, Hollywood can continue generating any propaganda it pleases to….unless….you also want to become a Hollywood producer, and make your own culturally impactful movies to effect change, such as eliminating the perception of “powerlessness”.
Whatever you choose to do, I will vote for you – with my heart.
Deborah Horcoff
Canadian
Obsessive Gardener
Deborah Horcoff, Canadian
5 Jan 10 at 3:19 pm