There is strength in numbers

     There is strength in numbers.  There are more people who are opposed to open-carry, than people openly carrying their weapons.  There are more people who want reasonable gun control laws than people who want no restrictions on gun ownership.  There are more people who are not members of the National Rifle Association than people who are members.  There are even more members of the National Rifle Association who support gun control than members opposed to gun control.  There are more people who support the Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as ObamaCare, than people who do not support universal health care for all people.  There are more people who support social service programs that aid those most in need than people who do not support those programs.  And 98% of the population is a greater amount than 2% of the population.
     So why, if there is strength in numbers, are we still unable to even have a serious dialogue about the need for reasonable gun control laws?  Why are we still fighting about healthcare?  Why are social service programs that benefit the elderly, veterans and the poor, still the first to be slashed in budget talks?  Perhaps because the real strength in those numbers can only come when we stand together, speak together and vote together.  That is something we do not always do.  The question is, why haven't we?
     Well, the Koch brothers have invested so much money in advertising and sponsoring tea party candidates.  Okay, fair enough answer.  But the Koch brothers have only one vote each and there are, after all, only two of them.  Well, there are more wealthy people involved than just those two.  Yes, and still they are a small percentage of the voting public.  But we seem to have convinced ourselves that we just can't do anything about them.  We have bought in to the whole idea that money buys elections and there's nothing we can do.  We have forgotten that there is strength in numbers and we clearly outnumber them!
     What about the gerrymandering?  What about those protected districts?  Yes, what about that?  Gerrymandering is almost as old as the Constitution.  Based on the census, the redrawing of districts is done by the State legislatures and the party in power draws districts favorable to them.  Certainly gerrymandering has become a more critical issue as of late, but still not an impossible situation because there is still strength in numbers.
     The current makeup of the Congress, with the number of tea party members should serve as a prime example of strength in numbers.  The people who elected those men and women made sure they voted.  Conservatives, such as the Koch brothers and Ruprt Murdoch, count on the fact that there is a solid block of conservatives who vote in every election.  So they utilize  Fox News, right wing politicians, right wing talk show personalities and right wing ministers to keep the voting base ever ready and ever energized to do battle against the liberals who threaten their civil liberties and basic rights.  They misinform, either deliberately or because they themselves just do not know the facts, the truth or the fundamentals of early American history.  More important is that they count on the real majority simply choosing not to get out and vote in numbers that could and would make a difference.
     Why does that happen?  Why do we not use our strength in our numbers to make the changes we need to make?  Unfortunately, for many reasons.  Some people really don't think their vote matters.  Others think nothing will change even if they do vote because one party's just as bad as the other.  Whatever the reasons, when people choose not to vote, they, too, are demonstrating just how powerful strength in numbers is.  Their votes might have made a difference, might have helped to elect a candidate for change rather than a candidate wanting to turn back the hands of time.
     As always, our history is filled with those who wanted to be obstacles to change, who refused to grant equality to all, who stood in the way of progress and forward movement.  Still we have made the changes, taken steps, small sometimes, toward ensuring equality, and continue moving forward and making progress, even if it can barely be noticed at times.  How have we done this?  By people standing up, standing together and speaking out with their voices and their votes because they know there is strength in numbers.