Today Al Franken’s office sent out a note that started:

If there were an easy way to fix everything that’s wrong with Washington, I’d be emailing you about that.

But there’s no easy way. Only a hard way. The hard way involves organizing. It involves patiently building a grassroots coalition capable of taking on powerful special interests. It involves making just a little bit of progress every day until we get the country we want.

And it involves fundraising.

It doesn’t matter whether there’s an easy way or not.  Al, like almost all of us, has already decided that politics is hard.  If an easy way presents itself, he’ll argue with it.

And so do most of you.  You make politics hard.  You and you and you and you.  I used to, too.  But I’ve given it up.  I’ve joined PeopleCount.org in the solution.

People argue with me all the time.  About 95% of the people I talk to, instead of listening, insist on saying why no solution will work, why politicians will never be accountable to the people.  Many feel sure that politicians are corrupt, or that we’ll never agree on things, there’ll always be a stalemate, we’ll always run a deficit and never retire the debt.  People feel that changing the constitution is impossible, whether to limit campaign contributions, impose term limits, clarify gun rights or change from plurality voting to approval voting.

Someone just yesterday argued that almost all members of Congress and the Senate are in it for the “fat paychecks” rather than to be of service.  And those who are already rich or made more money in the private sector are in it for the power, the control.

Then I asked, “Do they really want to control things, or just avoid the control of others?”  That made him stop and think.

Above, I said “many feel…” and “people feel…”  We’re emotion-based creatures.  While we can reason, mostly our brains manufacture reasons that support our feelings.  We “feel certain”, we “feel a position is correct.”  When someone arguing with us makes us feel that perhaps there’s a possibility that an opposing view is correct, our brains usually go into overdrive until they create some arguments that can get us back onto our familiar track of feeling we’re right.

People argue with me.  Within about 15 minutes most run out of steam and start listening.  Within about 20 they see not possibility, workability and promise.

Al Franken can’t find an easy way to change government because he isn’t looking. His thoughts insist it’s impossible.  Most others in Congress and most Americans, agree with him without even giving it serious thought.

At PeopleCount.org we offer an easy way to get government on track.  Support us by registering, and especially filling out the Demographics profile, telling your friends about us and asking them to sign up, and donating at least the cost of a lunch.

In my view, we’re the only organization providing a clear path to political transformation, to all Americans communicating effectively to design the future we want and empower government to lead us to build it.  We’re the only organization with no enemies.  Our challenges are resignation and lazy thinking.

Do you want the America of your complaints, or the America of your dreams?  Join us.