5 DEC 2009

Good afternoon,

I would like to begin by thanking you all for coming out and joining us here at this beautiful site along the White River in Batesville. Thanks to those who traveled to get here, particularly the members of the Green Party Executive Committee, and Senate candidate John Gray.   And special thanks to Pipe Major Jimmy Bell of the Lyon College Pipe Band for providing a little gathering music.

In 2008, over 125 million Americans voted in the presidential election. It was the largest voter turn-out in 40 years. Major issues included the war in Iraq, a failing economy, the need for healthcare reform, and a general feeling of disapproval for the outgoing administration. The American people expressed a desire for change, and change was what was promised. With the Democratic Party regaining both the White House and Congress, we the people believed that promised change would become a reality.

Well, here it is a year later, and we’ve mostly gotten spare change. Although the war in Iraq is being slowly wound down, a war in Afghanistan is being rapidly escalated. The economy is still in major disarray, and the mega corporations that caused many of the problems have been handed taxpayer money to prop them up and keep them going business as usual. Remember the government bailout of the banks and corporations not so long ago?  The CEO’s got their big bonuses while thousands of American workers will face this holiday season unemployed or underemployed.  Our economic recovery is far from a reality.  In addition, we have on-going, major disagreement and continuous rhetoric between the Democrats and the Republicans revolving around how to address much-needed healthcare reform, and how to provide adequate, affordable coverage that includes all Americans. What is so difficult? ALL Americans have a guaranteed right to well-being.

BUT WHERE IS THE CHANGE? It appears that all the major issues have simply been traded out for another set of issues. The political infighting continues, and the average American still bears the load. And so it has gone. And so it will continue to go as long as America is locked into the current political system, and voters continue to elect representatives who cater to big businesses, and major party politics rather than the interests of their constituents at home.

Right now American politics is controlled by what is primarily a two-party system. One party is supposedly a more right-leaning, small-central-government party, whose battle cry is fiscal conservatism, self-proclaimed family values, and who appear to be on friendly terms with the barons of big business, and the wealthy. The other party is portrayed as a more liberal group interested in social programs, more government involvement in the regulation of business, and tolerance, but who raise taxes to pay for their agenda.

On closer examination however, it seems as though there is little difference in how the two major parties in America operate. Both spend millions and millions of dollars to ensure the election of their candidates. Both support an imperialistic foreign policy agenda that keeps this country in a continuous cycle of war. Both continue to allow lobbyists hired by large corporate interests to significantly influence the decisions being made on every issue. Both manipulate the tax system to the advantage of their own interests. And both spend the majority of their time arguing back and forth, trying to make the other look foolish, in order to keep themselves in office, and continue the endless spin.

Nothing is going to change until the American people take it upon themselves to MAKE IT CHANGE. And that process begins by breaking the death-spiral, electing people who think outside the box and are not beholden to corporate interests, and who are not just looking for ways to get themselves re-elected year after year after year. It’s time for America to toss out a system that represents two sides of the same dirty, beat-up old coin. It has to start with grass roots democracy. Arkansas is fertile ground, and the Green Party of Arkansas offers viable alternatives.

Arkansas is seen nationally as a conservative state, and the majority has been voting Republican in the last three presidential elections. Although we currently have a Democratic governor, and Democratic senators and representatives in Congress, many Arkansans tend to forget that historically the Democratic Party was the conservative party in the state. Democratic governor Orval Faubus was the man who took an extreme right-wing stand against integration at a time when the national Democratic party was moving toward civil rights. Even today, so-called "Blue Dog Democrats" are seen as conservatives, and for all practical purposes they would be Republicans in many other states. Where is the difference? The Green Party of Arkansas is the ONLY progressive political party in the state of Arkansas, focused on populist ideals that serve the interests of the citizens.

It is with that in mind that I have made the decision to represent the Green Party of Arkansas in a bid for the District One congressional seat currently held by Marion Berry. It is time for Americans of good conscience to step up and CREATE the kind of change that we really want and need. I am not a professional politician. I am middle class worker, a musician, a writer, and an artist. I do not owe anything to large corporations, and do not expect them to back my campaign. I do not expect to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from outside the district, and I will owe nothing to anyone except to the people I am elected to represent. I am an intelligent individual who cares about my state, and my country, and I see a need for people like me to step up and take action instead of hoping someone will come along and take care of the problems for me.

For starters, I want to see real healthcare reform, and not just some re-arranging of what will benefit the large insurance companies. The Green Party supports a not-for-profit, single-payer approach. Hundreds of Arkansans, and thousands of Americans die needlessly every year for lack of insurance coverage, and adequate healthcare. I would personally like to see a program in place along the lines of Medicare, but serving any citizen who needs or wants it. The infrastructure is in place, and we need only extend the benefits to all Americans. I would also work toward reform in the area of litigation, and lowering the costs of malpractice insurance for doctors. Simply doing away with the tons of paperwork surrounding lawsuits, and insurance claims as they are currently processed would streamline the system and save billions that could be applied to programs for those who do not currently have healthcare options.

Another major concern is in the area of large corporations controlling the economic landscape. And I would ask, "What does America PRODUCE any more?" We used to build railroads, make textiles, and mill steel. We were leaders in the creation of new technologies. We were innovators. Now, the big corporations move their production overseas where they can take advantage of lower costs in labor and resources, and strictly in the interest of making more, and more money for the handful of people at the top of the corporate ladder. They leave behind empty factory buildings, and communities ravaged by unemployment, and we the consumers buy our necessities from China, India, and Central America.

I have no objection to someone working hard, making money, and growing their business. That is the American way. But nowadays making money isn’t enough. It always has to be MORE than it was last quarter. Obscene profits are not enough. They have to eclipse the last round of obscene profits, and always at the level of upper management, not of the rank and file workers. We need to start producing again, reel in the greed, and distribute the proceeds more equitably.

Corporations are NOT individuals, and should not be given the rights of persons. Corporations need to be subject to controls and oversight by persons with no inherent interests in them, and not allowed to run roughshod over us. Theodore Roosevelt recognized that one hundred years ago, and it’s a lesson we need to be reminded of. We the people should control the huge corporations, and not be at their mercy. Of that, WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH.

As a congressman I would stand up for the Green Party position of a return to strong local-based economies. Produce things locally that can be used locally, or benefit the local residents in a significant way. Right over my shoulder is a perfect example of how local production can work successfully. Batesville built a series of three wonderful hydro-electric generating plants, and they make electricity all day long. Net profits from the sale of that electricity go back to the city, and other local interests. And then the river goes right on about its business. Not only is it a profitable enterprise, but it is a renewable resource as long as the river runs. Towns, counties, regions, and the state need to look toward their local resources, and industries, and consider how those can be managed and used for the common good.

And looking just a bit further down the river, is the Delta. Agriculture is a major interest in District One. Our region is home to some of the largest rice production in the world, as well as cotton, soy beans, and other crops. Although now a major corporation themselves, Riceland began as a co-op for farmers and has become one of the most powerful producers and marketers of agriculture anywhere. The family farm is the backbone of this country, and should remain so. By forming co-operatives, and banding together they can still operate independently, but have the power of a bigger business. Food should be produced and sold locally, then distributed to where it is needed. There is no reason that other Arkansas resources and industries shouldn’t use Riceland as a model, remembering that the resulting wealth should be shared among all the founders and not concentrated only at the top levels.

And we need to encourage our agricultural leaders to start thinking more about ways to be stewards of the environment that they especially depend on. The emergence of the need for alternative energy sources presents a number of ways that crops can be used for things other than food only. Instead of burning off the un-needed by-products of the rice harvest, we should be looking for ways to convert them into ethanol. Alternative industrial crops should also be considered, and grown where their benefits could be felt.

What about erecting wind generators in open areas to produce needed electricity? Dwindling water resources need to be carefully monitored and replenished. We also need to pay close attention to the burgeoning natural gas industry in our area. Although it is a cleaner burning fuel, and a tremendous source of potential jobs and income, we want to make sure that the acquisition of those resources isn’t harmful to our environment. Ways to make optimum use of the land, while finding methods to recover and sustain it need to be a major priority of your congressional representative, working together with the farmers and industrialists.

And finally, I will be a voice in Congress toward re-focusing the interests of the United States abroad. We have spent billions of dollars fighting wars that have no clear objectives, and no end in sight. It is time for this great nation to re-think the paradigm, concentrate on finding peaceful means of settling our international differences, and reel in our imperialist agenda. I served in the United States Navy, and understand the need for a strong defense. But if we focus on fixing the problems we have at home, and get out of the business of telling other countries how to mind their affairs, we will have fewer enemies abroad, and a stronger defensive position. We should go when we are invited, help when we are asked, and leave when the task is accomplished. American lives will be spared, and resources can be re-assigned to deal with the things that need to be addressed at home.

I do not have all the answers to our problems. No one person does. But I can see that the current system is not working. Too much of our national infrastructure is failing, too many communities are falling into decay, too many Americans are dying needlessly overseas, and too many people at home are struggling not only to make ends meet, but to survive. Our Constitution says, "WE THE PEOPLE", and ensures common welfare for the citizens of our country. The Declaration of Independence states that the people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is up to the people to see that these documents live, and are not just empty words on dried parchment. I am one of the people, and hope to represent like-minded people. I am Ken Adler, and I am running for Congress. Ken in ’10.

Thank you.