For many years I have held the belief that there is absolutely no difference between a Republican and a Democrat when it comes to taxing and spending. At this point in time they have upped the ante and lost sight of reality — and it is up to all of us to correct the situation.
Let’s start a third party: the Realist Party. The basic plank of our party will be common sense. I have read Thomas Paine’s booklet Common Sense many times. In just 48 pages, Paine ignited the passion of the colonists to overthrow their king and create a federal government — and the United States of America was born.
Years ago I sat in a sales class put on by the 3M Co. titled “The Old is Forever New.” The concept being presented was that we can look back into history and with small modifications, can improve our sales techniques. I used “the old is forever new” technique for decades to improve sales at our company. With that in mind, let’s begin to build the Realist Party into a force to be reckoned with.
The American Revolution is the model that I suggest we use to form our party. First, we must create a board of directors that performs the same functions that the Sons of Liberty did in August 1765. The board will craft the mission statement and recruit 435 “truth tellers” — one for each congressional district — to ignite the passions of our constituency.
The truth tellers’ mission will be to recruit and motivate small groups of seven individuals who will man the barricades. Why seven? Because that’s the optimal size of a group to get things done, according to Marcia W. Blanko, Michael C. Markus and Paul Rodgers of the Harvard Business Review.
History has demonstrated that when people get too much power, things go to hell. Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Great Purge and the Roman Empire illustrate this point. With this in mind, the Realist Party must break new ground when it comes to political parties. Yes, I realize that I am not following the “old is forever new” principal in totality. but in times of crisis, new ideas must be tried.
The Realist Party will term-limit everyone from the board of directors to the truth tellers. There will be no paid staff, but we will recognize those who have done an exceptional job. Since we are a grassroots movement, we do not need to advertise. We will hand out fliers to use as a prop to start a conversation with our fellow citizens and use the Internet to publish documents that our party members create that are similar to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
The Sons of Liberty used the British-imposed Stamp Act of 1765 to rally the troops. The Stamp Act of 1765 was originated to pay for a British failed war. It demanded that the colonists pay a tax on every piece of paper that they used. The underlying actuality was taxation without representation. Obviously this technique works and we need to do the same and come up with a similar campaign.
There are so many affronts to human dignity presently that there must be one cause out there that will work. Here’s where I need help. I implore you to email me your ideas on how to proceed in figuring out what’s a great slogan and/or cause. It’s got to be tied to a basic need of citizens that is not being met now. For instance, are we being taxed too heavily or are we losing our individual freedom.
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Robert Pembroke is chairman of Pembroke’s Inc. and characterizes himself as being on a permanent sabbatical. He can be reached at pembroke894@gmail.com.