I am Deb Shafto and I am running for governor because I believe we are at a critical juncture in our public life. We cannot continue as we have in the past. We must take decisive steps to create a future we want to live in. If we look openly at the problems we face and the opportunities presented, we can make decisions for the welfare of the planet and all its inhabitants. In contrast, if we continue as we have, letting the greedy make critical decisions, we could be facing extinction.

The revolutionary idea written by our founding fathers was that all men (today, read people) are created equal. If we are to hold to that ideal, we must insure that all people have equal access to the necessities of life. The economic crisis brought about by the deliberate dissolution of the regulation of banks has so tilted the playing field that those on the lowest economic scale can no longer afford the most basic necessities. Those at the top of the scale, having taken enormous amounts of Taxpayer money, are now claiming victory in a jobless recovery.

Platitudes will not suffice, the truth must be told: there is no recovery and there will be none as long as those controlling the wealth squeeze ever more profit from those who do the work. Recognizing that they have pushed the working public as far as they can, the ultra wealthy are now attacking any and all programs that benefit the average citizen, including unemployment. I have seen the broadsides they have lobbed at social security in preparation to deprive the elderly of what they have worked for all their lives.

It is imperative that we move now to create jobs while moving forward to creating clean energy, zero waste, and a world with social justice, a world we want to live in.