Democracy.

Democracy is in the eyes of the Beholder.

September 9, 2006.

Ever since the advent of the two-party political system in America, the very nature of this form of government, simply put, requires that each party be in healthy competition with each other - each party offering their own version of government. The more appealing to the majority of the populace being the ones voted in…Great idea.
But what happens when one party over time dominates the political landscape of a principality, a state, or a nation? When they so dominate that government that all necessary competition is not only unwelcome, it is ignored. If it can’t be ignored, it is silenced. I’m speaking of Camden, N.J., where, for many years its citizens have been held in a stranglehold of political corruption.
This administration doesn’t require our votes. So despite extremely low voter turnout over the years, we saw no government voter registration programs. Competition is the one thing they fear and they thrive on voter apathy. They have written-off an entire generation of young men and women, potential voters-- potential enemies. They no longer court the Hispanic vote – afraid to wake the sleeping dragon. But all of us have slept too long, and too soundly. It’s better to wake up at 3:00 AM to fight, than to sleep until all is lost.
The remedy for our social distress may seem elusive, but only because we refuse to face the harsh reality of what confronts us. For those who work in Camden, but do not live here, their daily commute to the city may seem surreal, only intruding upon their consciousness when they are faced by our poverty. Or when touched personally by some social injustice.
Over in Philadelphia, their crime problem differs from ours only in scale. After a heart-wrenching incident where a police officer was fatally gunned down during a robbery, the Philadelphia Police were astounded by the number of guns that were confiscated during the ensuing investigation. Their mayor and police commissioner are now taking bold steps to combat the problem. We wish them well.
But what do our local leaders do in the face of this rapidly escalating issue? What do they do to assist our capable but battle-weary police force? They offer their customary lip-service and knee-jerk reactions after each new incidence of gun-crime. Afraid of facing that formidable issue head-on, they mount their feeble attack against city establishment owners, their gross ineptitude thus creating further victims. They rail against already guilt-laden parents, in an attempt to hide their own impotence.
So we struggle here in Camden, against crime, poverty, corruption, ineffective government, but what should we expect when the same can be said of our national government. Democracy is no longer ‘by the people’ or ‘for the people’ when our elected leaders arrogantly and persistently pursue those issues/ends that are clearly against the will of the majority of the populace.
Today, our local government has embarked on a new mission. They seek to manipulate our local elections and install a candidate of their choosing. We cannot let this happen. A tremendous disservice is being done yet again in our city. Not only to myself and the other candidates who on good faith reached out to the populace for their affirmation, only to have our good efforts high-jacked, before we could even reach the ballot box, but a far greater wrong has again been done to the residents of Camden, N.J., where the only real identity that any of us still possesses is our constitutionally inherent power of one, our vote.
Today, our city is again in the national spotlight. Now we are not only the ‘Nation’s Most Dangerous’, we are also the ’Nation’s Poorest’. It should be obvious now, that State/Federal intervention is needed to root out every trace of the deep-rooted corruption which is draining our city of vital resources. Camden residents, will you join me in this battle against corruption? The date of battle has been set. November 7, 2006.
We must fight back. To do otherwise is to cower in the face of the enemy. I can’t speak for you, but I refuse to let this ‘Democratic Machine’ continue to roll over me.
They believe they hold the winning hand and it is a strong one. Their voting base are the teachers’ and city worker unions. They believe by splitting the remainder of our vote they will win. This is a winning political strategy, tried and tested for so many years in Camden County. This is how they first gained power-this is how they retain it. They feel invincible.
I believe they are wrong. I believe that God is always on the side of the just, on those who would put their trust in Him. My prayer is that each man or woman who enters that voting booth and closes those curtains, will vote his/her conscience. That they will vote that everyone’s life in Camden would improve and not just that of a privileged few.
So consider again your vote and how for most of the year we seldom think of it. But on Election Day it becomes more than just our prerogative, it becomes our duty.



James E. Murrell, Jr.,
718 Ferry Ave.
Camden, N.J. 08104-3420
Home: 856-964-6501
Work: 856-342-8899
Cell# 609-685-2324