🔌 POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Giving Regular People Lobbyist-Level Access
“Of the People. By the People. For the People.”
THE PROBLEM
| What Lobbyists Have | What Regular People Have |
|---|---|
| $300M+ annual budget | Individual voices, easily ignored |
| Professional proposal writers | No access to legislative process |
| Direct access to Congress | Form letters that get filed away |
| Vote tracking & accountability | No idea how their rep actually voted |
| Coordinated campaigns | Scattered, ineffective outreach |
The system is designed for those who can pay. Power to the People changes that.
THE SOLUTION
Pool small contributions. Fund professional advocacy. Track every vote. Report back to members.
What We Fund
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| 📝 Proposal Writing | Professional briefs submitted to Congress on member-priority issues |
| 🎤 Congressional Testimony | Expert witnesses testifying at hearings |
| 📊 Vote Tracking | Public dashboard showing how every representative voted |
| 📋 Report Cards | “Your rep voted YES/NO on this issue X times” |
| ✉️ Coordinated Campaigns | Organized outreach to representatives |
| 🗳️ Ballot Initiatives | Getting issues ON the ballot at state level |
HOW IT WORKS
MEMBERS VOTE ON PRIORITIES
↓
"We want affordable insulin legislation"
↓
PROPOSALS ARE WRITTEN
↓
Professional brief submitted to Congress
↓
TESTIMONY IS FUNDED
↓
Experts speak at committee hearings
↓
VOTES ARE TRACKED
↓
Every rep's vote recorded publicly
↓
RESULTS REPORTED BACK
↓
"Your rep voted NO. Here's their contact info."
↓
ACCOUNTABILITY
↓
Next election, voters know the record
THE ECONOMICS
| Pharma Lobby | Power to the People |
|---|---|
| $300,000,000/year | 1,000,000 members × $1 = $1,000,000 |
| Operates in shadows | Everything public |
| Serves shareholders | Serves members |
| Buys access | Earns access through numbers |
We can’t outspend them. We can out-organize them.
EXAMPLE CAMPAIGNS
| Issue | Action | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable insulin | Write bill, fund testimony, track votes | ~$50,000 |
| Medical research funding | Proposal to NIH budget committee | ~$25,000 |
| Drug price transparency | Draft legislation, coordinate campaign | ~$30,000 |
| Generic drug fast-track | Expert witnesses, legal brief | ~$40,000 |
| Healthcare access | Multi-pronged advocacy campaign | ~$75,000 |
Compare: Pharma spends $300M/year. We do it for 0.01% of that.
THE SYMBOL: 🔌
An electric plug.
Why?
- Power flows through connection
- Regular people plugging INTO the system
- Energy from the collective
- “Plug in and power up”
The plug represents access — the thing regular people don’t have, and lobbyists do.
NON-PARTISAN BY DESIGN
Power to the People tracks issues, not parties.
| We Track | We Don’t Track |
|---|---|
| How reps voted on specific bills | Party affiliation |
| Consistency with stated positions | Campaign donations |
| Responsiveness to constituents | Personal scandals |
| Attendance and participation | Partisan rhetoric |
The goal is accountability, not partisanship.
Members decide priorities. We track results. Voters decide what to do with that information.
THE VISION
Imagine a world where:
- A working mom in Ohio has the same voice as a pharmaceutical CEO
- Every vote is tracked and reported in plain language
- Representatives know their constituents are watching
- “The people’s lobbyist” is a real thing
- Democracy works the way it’s supposed to
That’s Power to the People.
JOIN THE INITIATIVE
$5/year membership includes:
- Vote on advocacy priorities
- Receive vote tracking reports
- Access to representative report cards
- Participation in coordinated campaigns
Additional contributions fund specific proposals and campaigns.
THE CONNECTION
Power to the People works alongside:
| Initiative | Connection |
|---|---|
| Lifeline Medications | Advocate for drug pricing reform |
| MSA | Advocate for healthcare access |
| Rally Group | Crisis response legislation |
| Academic/Learning | Education funding advocacy |
All initiatives benefit from a more responsive government.
🔑 GOLDEN KEY: POWER-001
You found the key!
This key unlocks: The Citizen’s Brief Archive
To claim your reward, answer this question:
“What symbol represents Power to the People?”
Enter your answer at: lianabanyan.com/keys/POWER-001
Hint: You plug it in to get power.
“We can’t outspend them. We can out-organize them.”
“Of the People. By the People. For the People.”
🔌 POWER TO THE PEOPLE ⚡
🏰 FOR THE KEEP! ⚔️