“Nearly everyone in Sanford agrees on one thing: The death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is a tragedy. But his death has taken on a whole new meaning here, where media outlets from around the world have descended, to figure out just what happened more than a month ago when neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot and killed Martin.” - CNN, 3/29/12

According to the most recent data from RealClearPolitics.com, 81.5 percent of Americans disapprove of the job that Congress is doing. And, this is not to suggest that 18.5 percent of Americans actually approve of Congress. No, that number is just 11.8 percent. That’s right. Barely one out of every 10 Americans approve of the job Congress is doing. 

Americans aren’t happy. In fact, it’s more than just not being happy. They’re angry. Very angry. And, they want change. 

But, there’s a problem.

“I’m really grateful to be part of a generation that wants change, ‘cause we should all want change,” Hofstra University graduate student Jennifer Campbell told the AP. “But I’m not sure what that change is, or if they know what that change is.”

Ah. There’s the rub. It’s impossible to effect change if one is not sure what that change should be. It is much like being lost in the woods without a clear sense of where to go to get out.

To make matters worse, some people, including some of those within the Occupy Movement, are actually against taking any direction at all. 

Spencer, skimmerhat’s Chief Operations Officer, once visited Occupy Atlanta to hand out literature for a candidate with whom he was volunteering at the time. The response he got from those down there was neither positive, nor negative. They weren’t against his candidate, or for the candidate. 

They weren’t with any candidate at all. ‘We don’t support anyone,’ Spencer was told in effect. 

And, that’s the major problem with where our country is. We’re all angry. We all want change. But, many don’t have any idea what that change looks like, and those that do have some idea refuse to take action.

Not taking action is like sitting lost in the woods, hugging a tree, hoping to be rescued. While that may work in survival situations, where trained rescuers are actively searching for you…it doesn’t work that way with politics. 

The Establishment likes an electorate that is confused, frightened, and directionless. It makes it easier to take advantage of them. What they fear is an electorate that is educated, aware, and — worse of all — actively working for change.

Skimmerhat wants to rescue people from the woods. Skimmerhat knows that only by taking an active role in making change will people finally have the government they want. 

That’s why we’re not only providing the tools to make people more educated about candidates, but we’re also providing the tools for people to take that next step — the action step. Donating to candidates is the easiest — and, in a sense — the best way to start taking control of our government.

Skimmerhat will let voters find candidates they want to support. And, it will allow them to do just that. 

We can’t sit back and wait for someone to rescue us from our current problems. That isn’t happening. We must do what’s within our power to save ourselves. 

We have more power than we think. 

— Andrew