PBS Wisconsin Public Affairs

Hi, I'm Dr. Ken Yorgan, and I'm running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District. The district runs pretty much from the very southeast corner of the state in Kenosha County, north to include Oak Creek, then west to take in Janesville. Most recently, the Congressman from this district has been Paul Ryan. As I move about the district, introducing myself to people, the conversation often goes something like this. "Hi, I'm Dr. Yorgan. "I'm running for Congress in this district. Here's some information about me and my campaign." As I hand them some literature, the first question that usually comes out of their mouth is, "Are you a Democrat or a Republican?" When I tell them, "Neither, I'm an independent," they typically smile, extend their hand to shake mine and say "Great!" or "Thank you, we need more independents." This may be surprising for some of you to hear, but when asked about their political identity, somewhere between 40% and 49% of Americans identify themselves as "Independent." Less than 30% will say Democrat or Republican. This is why, when people ask me, "Do you expect to 'steal' more votes from Democrats or Republicans?" My answer is, "They don't own our votes. "There are more of us than either of them and my job is to stop them from stealing from us." Now that you know the truth, I want you to join in the effort to end this thievery. Embarrassingly, American elections are typically determined by who spends the most money. And the money is flowing in this election. Before it's over on November 6, millions will have been spent. The vast majority of it will come from special interests, outside of our district, and outside of our state. And it won't be spent by me, nor will it be coming from independents. So I'd like to take a moment here to thank my friends in the parties, for the millions of dollars that they are bringing into the district from the people who own their campaigns. Unfortunately those dollars will be spent mostly on TV ads and annoying literature in our mailboxes that will only become more frequent as the election draws near. Mostly, they're going to be warning us about each other, and they're both right. I confess, I have literature too. Primarily in the form of a campaign tabloid which looks kind of like one of those shoppers that you pick up as you're entering or leaving a restaurant. It's titled "Independent Voice" and you might find one in your driveway during the campaign. We've gotten good feedback from people who have read this journal. If we get enough financial support, we just might come out with a second edition before this ends. Inside of it, you will find my thoughts and positions on a whole list of subjects that are important to people in the 1st District. Everything from Social Security to immigration to endless wars to the wealth imbalance and, of course, health care financing. As someone who has been a chiropractor for nearly 40 years, I have a lot of experience with and understanding of what needs to be done with health care financing. You can also find the entire publication

on the website

yorganforcongress.com. You'll also find information there about just who I am. After all, it's probably not the best idea to vote for a complete stranger. Please keep on the lookout for the "Independent Voice" and look through it. I'm running as an independent at the urging of friends and acquaintances who have voted for Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens and everything else. And they're now working on this campaign. If you're also independent and tired of the two parties who have been making and breaking promises for as long as I can remember, you now have a different choice. Remember, we are the largest block of voters, and we ought to make our voice heard. Don't listen to that phony claim that third candidates can't be elected and they'll only spoil the election for the Republicans or the Democrats. I intend to spoil it for both of them. Spread the word and let's see if we can move our country in a better direction. Thank you to public television for this opportunity to talk to you, and thank you for watching. I hope we get a chance to meet before the election.