Donald K. Allen for President

Top of the Week

August 25, 2008

How do we clean up Congress? It’s clearly evident that Americans today do not believe our Congressmen and women are morally and ethically sound (August 2006 Harris poll showed that 77% of Americans have a negative view of Congress and a May 2006 Gallup poll indicated that 83% of Americans consider corruption a serious issue)*. Corruption has become so commonplace in our legislature that you either are dishonest, or you overlook dishonesty of others. You go along to get along and don’t rock the boat.

Will a Democratic President clean up Congress? How about a Republican? Not likely either one will seriously act to investigate and prosecute malfeasance, since there is guilt on both sides of the aisle and plenty to go around. In order to decisively root out this commonplace cancer of ethics in Congress it will take a truly independent President with no political ties or obligations to either party. It will take a President with nothing to lose by exposing and prosecuting those who use their elected positions for gain.

Definitely there are members of Congress who are above suspicion and are good, honest citizens. But so are doctors who refuse to expose their colleagues for malpractice, even when it is egregious. Those who do not sound the fire alarm are facilitating the fire, and are complicit in the act of the arsonist. Members of Congress are entrusted with not only the keys to the country, but the very moral fabric of this Nation, and the trust and hopes of our Founding Fathers. To betray this trust is more than simply dishonest, it is treasonous, for it undermines the foundation of our government.

I decided to enter this race to offer the American people a clear choice of a candidate from outside the Washington beltway, one with no political ties, obligations, corporate debts, or party influence. Not being a professional politician is truly a plus, in that my perspective will be considerate of we the people first, the Nation second, and all else next. Like President Truman, who left office to return to his home in Independence, MO, I will also return to my profession after serving my country, unlike recent Presidents who found a lucrative post-presidency peddling their influence and notoriety.

Talk about this election with friends and acquaintances and you will discover that many Americans believe there will only be two choices this November, the Republican and the Democrat. Many do not understand that they truly have a third choice, primarily due to the national media blackout of all other campaigners, even though most Americans do not care for either of the two leading candidates. It’s true. If there were a box on the ballot titled “None of the above,” it might take the majority.

Continue to inform the people you talk to that there will be a third choice, even though it will be a write-in. Tell them that they need to write in my name, Donald K. Allen, and be sure to check the box next to the write-in line, or it won’t count. Tell them that there is a candidate that puts their needs and concerns above those of the 2 percent in this country that hold most of the wealth and power. Americans and America first. We must correct the mistakes of the past, preserve the Union, and ensure a bright future for those that follow us. The United States of America has yet to see its greatest glories, and with the grace of God, it will continue on the path of freedom and liberty.

http://www.beyonddelay.org/

*http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/19007

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/03/poll.congressimage/

http://www.propublica.org/article/pol-investigation-wrap-up/