O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members pressed forward, making plans, recruting new candidates, and preparing for new national elections which were now less than five months away. Some American 'greats' were now heavily involved in this revolutionary group of rebels. Colin Powell, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, and Ross Perot were among the most notable among leaders. But the true heroes were those millions of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members who had thrown themselves into a tireless, endless circle of work. As every new member joined, they were asked to participate, and - almost unanimously - they agreed. For most people, they'd spent their lifetimes watching the American two-party system corrode into a cesspool of corruption.
The so-called leaders of the great United States of America had degenerated into a band of drunken, arrogant, worthless sleazebags looking out for their interests and persuing their own pleasures at a terrible cost to taxpayers. Extemporaneous exaltations of right to vote rang hollow as most voters recognized they were only choosing between the lesser of two evils. Politicians didn't see the lack of voter turn-out as a critique of their crookedness; they attributed low voter turn-out as a sign of apathy, and - secretly - appreciated such apathy, knowing that the more people that voted, the better chance they might not see re-election. Voters, on the other hand, viewed it differently. Why make a statement and vote for Republican against Democrat? Not voting at all made a much more profound statement: "I don't like either candidate!" Of course, the holier-than-thou voters always said, "If you don't vote, don't bitch." The non-voter had the right to bitch about anyone who was elected, because that's why (s)he didn't vote: neither candidate was a viable option.
'Republicrats' had melded themselves into one political party. There was no difference. Once elected, a politician spent most of his time raising money to get re-elected. Once entrenched in the ways of government, a politician was honor-bound to become a part of the "let's make a deal" mentality that pervaded inside the beltway. Service to the American people was out of the question; generating campaign money was of prime importance.
One O.U.T.R.A.G.E. panel was charged with writing legislation for a voters' holiday, wherein all registered voters would be given a day off with pay if they voted. By submitting a ballot 'receipt' to their employer to prove they had voted, they would be paid for that day. As an adendum to this legislation, the committee was also a 'think tank' trying to develop ways to fund election campaigns that would be fair and equitable for all candidates. Should campaigns be funded with taxpayer money? Should contributions be limited to individuals? Should there by a maximum contribution of - say - a hundred dollars? Might all campaign contributions be put into a pool that would then be equally divided among all candidates? Should free air time be given to each candidate so that (s)he could reach large audiences of potential voters?
The right to vote was one of America's basic freedoms; still, it had been one that was largely ignored by the preponderance of eligible citizens. Other issues were at hand: if an 18-year-old can join the military and serve the country, why can't that 18-year-old be allowed to vote? If special interest groups were not allowed to support specific candidates, would that then exclude the voices of some members within those groups (union members, for example)? Voters had become a runagate to the voting process, and inadvertently, therefore, allowed the sleazy politicians to twist things into a conundrum of red tape, idiotic regulations and stupid election laws. The whole process needed to be streamlined and simplified. That was all part of the legislation being proposed for a referendum on the November ballot: Article VI was the non-binding resolution that had been introduced on January 28, 2008. It would now become a cornerstone of the new America.