Imagine This:

A family lives in a nice house.  Then they hear about a crime.  So the head of the family uses some of their money and gets a gun to be safe.  Seems reasonable.

But that’s not enough.  The next paycheck comes, and they have to skimp on food, because the gun they own isn’t big enough and they had to buy another. 

The next paycheck comes.  Now there isn’t enough money for food, or clothes, because they had to buy better bullets.  And they took out a loan to begin building a barbed wire fence around the house. 

The next paycheck comes.  Now there isn’t enough money for food, clothing, or medicine. They need a database so they could study who in the neighborhood might try to steal from them.  The database was expensive, so they took out another loan. 

And on it goes.  The house starts to fall apart.  The family doesn’t make repairs.  And they sell off what they own, so that people won’t come in and steal from them.  And the family slides ever deeper into debt.

Does this sound familiar?

One of the things President Bush said after September 11, 2001 is that if we allow our economy to be destroyed, the terrorists will win.

How then is our economy?

Ø      In some counties, one in seven people is on food stamps

Ø      Jobs, when they can be found, pay less

Ø      Roads and Bridges are Collapsing

Ø      Locally our Ferries are falling apart and there aren’t replacements

Ø      Millions of homes are being foreclosed

Ø      More than forty million people are without health insurance

Ø      A medical crisis can wipe out most of those who do have insurance

Ø      Looming in the background is the fact that we are running out of oil

Ø      Looming in the background is the fact that the world is running out of drinkable water

Ø      And as for the economy, we’re trillions of dollars in debt

Taking President George W. Bush at his word, the country is being destroyed.

Taking President George W. Bush at his word, the Terrorists are Winning.

We can’t have more of the same old, same old, or we won’t survive.

While Congressman Norm Dicks has given a lot to this region, he’s not challenged the underlying causes of our problems.  And when you look at his contributors they include many who’ve profited this point, so it’s hard to believe that he would change this.

We need a new voice.

Paul Richmond has always asked those hard questions.  On September 11, 2001, he wrote and electronically published an article warning that we could lose our liberties in this country as a result of what had just occurred.  Few would dare to be so bold.

Paul Richmond has also gotten results. He’s helped end a pilot program that had the National Guard accompanying police on minor drug busts. He’s helped keep the University of Washington Police from getting M-16 Rifles. And he’s helped get a police precinct that had one of the highest per capita kill rates in the country redistricted.

Paul’s solution is simultaneously simple and far-reaching. Our economy has been based on the military since the days of World War II. It's time to take the same energy and intensity we used transforming our whole economy around that war and shift to an economy supporting real needs -- most importantly, one that prioritizes sustainable energy sources, sustainable jobs, health care and rebuilding our infrastructure.  We need to rebuild our safety net.  Have Affordable housing, sustainable jobs, quality education and health care. 

With your help, we can start to take our government back. This should be a government by, for and of the people.  Not the lobbyists.  Not the professional politicians.  Not special interests.

We Can Do Better.