I believe introductions are in order:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Perhaps one of the most famous opening lines in literary history, centering around the years leading up to The French Revolution, could very well have been written about...today. We live in a time where the great divide between the rich and poor, the haves and the have nots, the working class and upper class, could not have a greater disparity. Throughout history the times are defined by the people's ability to raise their collective voices and turn the tides of injustice. We are reaching this epoch; it is time once again for the people whose backs this country rests upon to tell the status quo that we will no longer sit idly by while the wheels of our government spin in the mud of lethargy.
My name is Chris Gramazio, and I'm a member of your community, a husband and father of two. I'm your neighbor, your co-worker, your citizen. I've lived the life of the working middle-class: I graduated community college in New York, worked as UAW member for General Motors, and left for California with a looming plant closing hanging over my head. Arriving in the City of Angels, I found myself in the manufacturing world, at times working side by side with illegal immigrants, searching for that better way, eventually landing in the entertainment business to ply my crafts and climb the ladder. But still the once heralded American Dream was escaping my grasp. Working day in and day out, bleeding and sweating to find the America I was promised, only to see so many promises come up short. I now find myself in Arizona, in the cradle of the Valley of the Sun, dreams closer at hand, but promises still unfulfilled. I see a growing community, full of diversity and hope, but still without a voice that speaks for their wants, their needs, their dreams.
I have no great diplomas or seals of approval, no laurels to rest upon. I am at the beginning of a new journey, a journey that we can make together. What I can offer you is the courage, the vision and the voice to speak for those so long silenced and disenfranchised with a system that has all but forgotten them. To bring back the voice of America's not so distant past, the voice of those proud individuals who everyday get up to face another dawn with hope in their hearts and belief in their minds. We need the voice of the working and middle class, for in the end, I am you, and we are everyone.
WHAT I HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH:
We are currently coming to the close of eight of the most tumultuous and polarizing years our nation has ever seen. On the tail end of this current administration we see a country searching for direction - with an eye to the future - while trying to recapture all that once made us the most revered and respected nation on the planet. We're faced with a decision: do we continue with "business as usual," or do we break the mold that has paralyzed the world's greatest democracy? We are currently witnessing a groundswell of hope within the Democratic Party, one that promises to deliver the much needed change America longs for. Whether it be Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, the message is clear...it's time to try something new. This message should not be reserved for only the highest seat in the land. This is a doctrine that needs to sweep across all levels of government, for no real change can happen unless the machine, in its entirety, is rebuilt from the ground up.
I am looking to represent this ground floor, and help deliver back to America the pride it once enjoyed. To help move closer to a universal/affordable health care system, and conscientiously end an unjust war. To help bring back economic viability to a nation growing stagnant, and bring back strength and visibility to America's middle class. To protect the rights of all Americans, regardless of race, creed, color, sexual preference or religious denomination. To help ensure quality education for all Americans, no matter their economic standing. To help deliver an environmentally conscious and energy independent nation to future generations. To help restore our standing in the world community. To help the elderly among us live with the dignity and respect they deserve. To help keep America in the forefront of the technological revolution we brought to the world. To help bring a greater understanding to the issues of immigration and remember that lasting credo that once greeted a nation, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." To help a new generation reshape America and the World into a place we're proud to hand over to our children and our children's children.
There's a famous phrase that states, "The right place, the right time." I've always felt that that statement was missing one key ingredient...The right person. It takes the right person to make the right place and the right time come together to transcend the moment. Whether it's the President of the United States or Arizona's Sixth Congressional District, it's time to choose the right person. For District Six, I hope you will choose me.
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