The 0.05% Rule: How Our System Was Rigged Long Before Trump (And How We Fix It)

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Links:

1. RepresentUs

You know that feeling? The one where it seems like no matter how loud we shout, politicians just... don’t listen? Where big problems get ignored while our leaders chase donors? It’s not just you. It’s not just this administration. The system itself is broken by design. And a video from six years ago featuring Jennifer Lawrence and RepresentUs laid it bare with chilling clarity. Forget red vs. blue for a minute. This is about who really pulls the strings.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Our Voices Don't Matter (According to the Data)

Remember that frustration with big resistance orgs moving slowly? This is the why baked into the core of American politics:

1. Researchers analyzed 1,800 polls over 20 years. The result? Public support has a "near-zero" impact on whether a law passes. Whether 0% or 100% of Americans want something, the chance Congress passes it remains stuck around 30%. Let that sink in. Our opinions, our needs? Statistically irrelevant to the outcomes.

2. Why the disconnect? Politicians spend up to 70% of their time fundraising. Winning a Senate seat can mean raising $45,000 every single day for six years. Who has that kind of money? Not us.

3. Only 0.05% of Americans donate more than $10,000 to politics. That’s who politicians answer to. Billionaires. Special interests. Not the 99.95%. They own the policy. They own the politicians. It's the business model.

4. Politicians draw their own districts into bizarre shapes to guarantee wins. Result? Only 14% of House races are competitive. 86% are basically predetermined. Why listen to voters when you can't lose?

This corruption bleeds into every crisis we face:

• Trillions wasted on fraud and abuse.

• 1 in 5 children in poverty.

• The world's most expensive healthcare.

• Mass incarceration (worse than Russia or China).

• Jobs shipped overseas.

• Our air and water poisoned.

• Families destroyed by predatory laws (like non-violent marijuana offenses feeding for-profit prisons).

This is the "societal facade" crumbling. The problems Jennifer Lawrence highlighted six years ago haven't been solved; they've exploded under an fascist regime thriving on the chaos this rigged system enables.

So, How Do We Actually Unrig It? (Hint: Not Waiting for DC)

RepresentUs proposes the Anti-Corruption Act – a package of reforms to stop political bribery and fix elections. 87% of Americans support it (91% Dems, 83% GOP!). But asking Congress to fix the system that got them rich? "It's like asking the fox to put a lock on the hen house."

The Solution:

1. The Constitution gives states control over elections (even federal ones). We pass strong anti-corruption laws city by city, state by state.

2. History shows state-level action forces federal change. Look at the charts for women's suffrage and interracial marriage: a few pioneering states lead, momentum builds, then federal law follows. State action triggers federal revolution.

3. Build the BIG Movement: This requires all of us – left, right, center – united against corruption. It’s the "issue behind the issues." Fix this, and we regain the power to fix everything else.

This is Where Our Ground-Up Resistance Meets the Fight

This isn't just about voting reform in my mind. It's the core philosophy of everything we're building:

• Parallel Structures? We need honest systems now because the corrupt ones are failing.

• People's Union? This is the kind of systemic change it must fight for.

• Local Action? This is the local action. Starting in our towns, our counties, pressuring our state reps and bypassing the broken federal machine.

• Autonomy & Agency? Taking power back starts with dismantling the 0.05%'s control, right here, where we live.

Yes, it's hard. Especially in rigged red states like my Missouri, where the people's will via ballot initiatives gets gutted by bought politicians. The blueprint is clear, and the need is desperate.

Your voice does matter, but only if we use it together, strategically, locally, relentlessly.

Don't know where to start?

1. Watch the RepresentUs Video above. See the charts. Feel the outrage. Get informed.

2. Research Anti-Corruption Efforts Near You. Who's already fighting this fight locally? Join them.

3. Talk. To your neighbors. To local groups. To me. We brainstorm, we connect, we find your leverage point.

We don’t beg the 0.05% for change. We build the power to force it, from the ground up. Let’s get to work.