There's a lot of talk lately about the health of our neighborhoods, and the well being of our children. The schools in Marion, Ohio built on a toxic landfill, the poisonous clouds of Beryllium Dust billowing throughout Ottawa County, and citizens are responsible for all the messes business creates for us. Wait a minute? What did I just say? Citizens are responsible for their health being bought and sold like a penny stock on Wall Street? Don't I know that I the incorrigible FAT CATS in the business world just don't care about us little people who have to live with the after-effects of their decisions? No I don't!

I don't know any such thing! Who gave these FAT CATS the power that they wield over us all? Who turned their collective backs on the welfare of our environment and the health of our children? Citizens did it themselves. Every child poisoned by the after effects of industrial waste casts her blood upon our hands. Every father made infirm and unable to provide for his family by the unreported hazards of his workplace is a stain upon the souls of normal citizens. Our Collective apathy has allowed us to progress down the road of indifference and malaise. The people, who allowed our citizens to be harmed, got their power from our elected officials, the very ones that we put into office in the first place. We gave that power to them and now the only way to protect ourselves from them is to take that power from them again.

Take that power back if we dare. If we can find an instant to move off of our collective backsides and act in unison, then we can indeed protect ourselves again. Oh, I'm sorry am I offending someone here? Would you rather not hear about the difficulties of your neighbors and friends? I'm not talking about taking up arms against the business world. I'm talking about Civil Disobedience. I'm suggesting that we vote out the business friendly politicians who act without remorse to pad their pockets at the public's expense. </P>

Business friendly politicians... who would they be? You don't think that the Republican Party is being mentioned here do you? All the faithful Rush Limbaugh fans out there who continue to assert that smoking isn't bad for your health, and the ozone layer isn't really crumbling about us, and that global warming is just a myth. These people are incapable of acting to preserve humanity unless they can somehow profit from it. These people won't give their own workers an equal stake in how the business runs, and from where the business profits. They fear science and discovery. They fear regulation and ethics. They fear knowledge and understanding, because it might cost them money.

Money... That's really the heart of it isn't it? Businesses and Republicans are afraid of anything that might cost them money. That's why Mr. Bush (the incompetent) wants so badly to give tax breaks to big business. Keep the good shareholders happy, and he might just get re-elected. Divert attention from the suffering of those whose health and well being is his responsibility. Keep us from thinking about what is truly important, and he might get a little more money. That my friends is the true heart of a conservative. If you can call it a heart.

What then do I suggest that we do? It's awfully easy to sit on the side and snipe at the establishment isn't it? Is there a solution at the end of this letter? Yes! In fact, I do offer a solution. Learning is the only solution if it's followed up by honest effort. Pass on what knowledge you have so that others may benefit from it. Post letters on your favorite discussion boards. Join a worthy group like Citizen Action. Turn off The Springer Show, and get outside where you can make a difference. We can each volunteer an hour to help clean a designated brown space in our state. We can each decide to act in a responsible manner when we could be doing meaningless things. Kill your television, it's killing you. Get informed and make a difference, or resign yourself to being a lemming forever.