The following letter was sent to Sen. Thomas Carper, Sen. Christopher Coons and Congressmen John Carney, with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
We as a nation are now faced with two presidential candidates, both of whom are the most disliked, mistrusted and unpopular candidates in the history of our republic.
The rise of alternative candidates in this election is the direct result of the electorate's dissatisfaction with the conditions that exist in our nation today.
Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, et al, are the direct result of the massive loss of confidence that the electorate has in our political system which has been corrupted with unprecedented amounts of corporate money and influence.
Who is to blame for this? All of us are, elected officials and apathetic citizens alike. However, you, our elected representatives, deserve most of the blame because you have become part of a system that has been compromised.
You, who are in a position to correct the problems that our country faces, are doing the least to affect change.
Some issues: money in politics, campaign finance reform, no congressional term limits, Citizens United, the military industrial complex, global trade agreements, unemployment, excessive corporate incentives, Social Security and Medicare, education, politicization of the Supreme Court, health and social welfare programs, poverty, Affordable Care Act, Electoral College, global warming, chemical and environmental poisoning of our food, water and air, pay-to-play, etc. Your inaction and that of your congressional colleagues, has provided the environment which allows discontent to fester.
When people reach out in desperation for relief and change, at any cost, there is a very real danger that they may be blinded to a candidate's failings.
If you remember your history, this is how the fascist European governments came to power in the 1930s. Interestingly, these dictators seldom came to power by force. They came to power legitimately.
They were elected, but once in power, kept power by force. Media and citizens alike were afraid to speak out against government abuses.
This election should be a warning to you and all of us. To think that what happened in Europe in the 1930s can't happen here is naive. Writer, philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) warned that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Author Sinclair Lewis wrote about this in his book, "It Can't Happen Here" in 1935.
If you, our elected representatives, do not institute change, you acquiesce to what exists. If significant change is not made to remove the corruption from our political system, then it is only a matter of time before change is demanded.
When that happens, that change may not be under your control as evidenced by the current presidential candidates neither of whom have a real grasp of the daily problems faced by the average citizen.
Change is inevitable. You and all elected officials must choose to either be an instrument of that change or be an obstructer to that change. You can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. It is your choice, for now.
The fact that you are not up for re-election this year does not exempt any of you from responsibility.
Whomever wins this election will not have a mandate but rather only a reprieve unless significant changes are made. The American electorate is fed up with a system that has turned into an oligarchy and no longer works for them.
Recent studies from Princeton and Northwestern universities have confirmed that America is now an oligarchy.
Again, the choice is yours. Either be initiators of the change that is coming and is inevitable or be responsible to history for jeopardizing our democracy.
"Come senators and congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall. For the times they are a changin'." – Bob Dylan, 1964.
Thomas J. DiOrio
Milton
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