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Comment by none2585 | Hacker News Reader

Then donate millions in campaign contributions to ensure they actually care at all what you think!

Coordinated opposition campaigns against misinformed and dangerous legislation has been effective in stopping bad laws [1]. After a website blackout, including a Wikipedia shutdown, lawmakers in Washington decided not to proceed with the Stop Online Privacy Act in 2012.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

From your linked Wikipedia articles many corporations including Google were part of that opposite campaign. Exactly the type of people donating untold millions to our legislatures. Had nothing to do with any kind of grassroots pressure.

Woohoo, what about this great success (checks notes) 14 years ago?! You think political counterparties don't adapt and refine their tactics?

Money is a poor substitute for people who care.

The only people who think otherwise are terminally online losers who have never organized anything larger than a birthday party.

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/money-power-...

seems like a lot more people believe that than the population you are describing

This changes substantially when you ask people about their _own_ representatives:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/how-american...

Are you talking from experience? What legislation have you organised?

I got new bike lanes installed around the neogboirhood after I wrote to the local city representative about it, then went to a city where I did a PowerPoint presentation of all the places that you could get killed if the driver wasn't paying attention.

It took a month from first letter to new bikelanes.

The speed of turn-around sounds impossible. That you are asking for bike lanes - which is already part of most local agendas - is more believable. I daresay if someone asked for the lanes to be removed, they would not get any traction.

This sounds like exactly the gumption we need to finally get the federal government to represent the common man.

Two people were killed in the next city within six months because no one bothered to fix their paths. One was a child.

If someone had bothered to write to that council they'd be alive.

But by all means, keep winning online arguments and doing nothing.

No I'm with you, I'm inspired. Let's fight them!

> terminally online losers

Maybe in your country but not in the hellhole that is the US.

An excuse to do nothing.

The local dog catcher had more impact on your daily life than the president.

I'll join your revolution! Let's go bud!!!!

Espiallat ($9.5 million) vs Darializa (350k)

Money matters but a popular movement is more powerful still in some places look up DSA

Unfortunately "some places" does not include the US federal government.

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