A good friend once told me something akin to: “You can’t look right and left anymore, you gotta look up!”

What does that mean? Please bear with me… I’ll explain.

If you live in the 21st century, and you’re paying attention to the what’s happening in America, you’ve undoubtedly felt betrayed by your elected officials… be it right or left, they ALL have failed us in sundry ways.

Well, that’s why I think this concept is brilliant – the right and left have both become corrupted. Whether you believe it was by the banking cartel that is systematically destroying economies around the world, the big money corporate lobbyists, or greedy politicians who’ll say anything to get elected (promise you the world and all that), either way, I’m sure you’ve felt it.

We, of course want to believe that the people we elect are doing right by us, and maybe we just don’t see the whole picture. Even if their actions stand against the philosophy of the party we endorse (whichever that might be), we have to support the party.

But now, let’s look at that quote again. If both parties have indeed become corrupted, and the ideals of both sides have changed dramatically… where do we look?

On one hand, we have tradition and the overall STATED goals of each party, and on the other we have their PRESENT actions.

And BOTH sides fail to comply or satisfy. Whether it be on the subject of bailouts, personal freedoms, taxes, wars, imminent domain, and the list goes on and on.

Everyone knows you can’t rely on the mainstream media because all they care about is selling scandal, big names, corruption, big money, and a chaotic environment so you keep coming back to them, buying their newspapers, supporting their sponsors… making them money.

So what does “look up” mean?

Some might say, look up to God – and I would say that’s a good start, but remember God made us intelligent, responsible and sovereign beings. Whatever your religious views are, the Supreme Being or Creator gave us self-determinism – the capability to make decisions, think for ourselves. To take control of our lives and do what we think is right. Much like we raise our children in the hopes that they, too, will one day walk on their own two feet, without us. Without our help.

So, then, what else can “look up” mean?

I think it can mean, look up and see the people who are behind the Right and Left – the big banking families, the big money corporations who want you to shop, shop, shop and buy their products and be just a cog in the machine… cold and unfeeling, careless of humanity, reason. The folks who want to control all the bits of green paper called money. And that’s a good start, in my view, but right here and right now, in Texas (and around the world), perhaps it can means something else.

Right now, in Texas, we are gearing up to elect a new Governor. And there’s a fair number of people running for the spot. Historically, only a candidate from the Right or Left has ever won that position. In recent history, most people put forth by both sides, seem to be more interested in the benefit to themselves and their rich friends than in the rest of us who actually put them in place.

So… what if the best candidate ISN’T in the party you normally endorse? What if sacrificing your vote for your regular party could ACTUALLY bring about positive change… NOW!

What to do? Do we tow the party line, regardless of how they’ve cheated us? How they’ve said they stand for such and such ideals (against the war, against taxes, against this, against that) only to deliver us to their friends’ pockets. Only to make decisions that instead of creating news jobs actually lose them? (Be aware that with each government job means the government has to collect more money from us in the private sector, to pay for it)

What does “look up” mean in that case?

How about, let’s look up at the actual people who we’re proposing to elect. What good or bad things have they done. Let’s look past the trained politician smiles and promises, and see what they really stand for. Who do they uphold? Who do they support? Regardless of party affiliation who will actually care for you and me? Who will LISTEN to you and me, REGARDLESS of what other lawmakers or lobbyists are pushing?

What if that person is on the other side? Those colors used to divide us, and make us forgo reason.

A History professor I know told me that in the beginning of this great nation, there was no Right and Left. Candidates were ALL independent. People listened to them on what they SAID and DID. Not just vote blindly because “they’re in the party I endorse.”

So, let’s LOOK UP. Let’s forget Right and Left. Let’s look at the issues. Let’s look at what WE believe in. Let’s look at who’s behind each candidate… who’s paying them money for their campaigns.

Let’s look them in the eye, and see past the charisma and fancy promises, and party colors. Let’s vote for who is ultimately going to ensure that we the people, who make this State what it is, win.

In Portugal, where I’m from, we have so many parties it’s hard for any single party to win an election… so they have to create coalitions. Two or more parties work together — put their votes together, to win elections.

Now, I’m not suggested having 5 parties is a great idea, and Portugal is certainly not in better shape than the US (especially since joining the EU), quite the contrary…

But maybe for this election, we could set the party lines aside… We have a brief breath here, where we can ensure we rip Texas away from the greedy hands that threaten to choke it…

What will we do?

I, will vote for Debra Medina!