A MESSAGE FROM MARCUS

I am a 39-year-old veteran, a father of two incredible boys, and I consider myself to be a regular, typical American citizen. I focus on taking care of my family, ensuring the best future for my children, following the law, and respecting all people without exception.

I have spent a significant part of my life serving my country in Iraq and Afghanistan. The experiences I derived from my service are integral to my perspective and attitude toward my country. Most notably, words cannot express the love I have for all my national brothers and sisters, regardless of who they are. That said, I do not consider myself to be a political person by any stretch of the imagination. I have never considered the notion of taking on a political role in our government, nor have I ever desired to be in a position of public recognition, until now. Due to the repeated failures of the officials we continue to elect to office; my conscience and my love for my country have forced me to conclude that, in the absence of true leadership in our government, I must stand up and take on a role myself.

In 1787, the Constitution was created in order to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Today, our Union remains far from perfect, perhaps further than ever. Today, at least half of our country believes that equal justice does not exist. Today, two political factions drive divisions between the unity of our nation that systematically disrupts our national brotherhood and accord. Today, our military is needlessly fighting wars abroad and our police are needlessly repressing the spirit and enthusiasm in our minority communities through of decades of failed policing policies and training. Today, our collective rights are being robbed from us, from free speech banning’s on social media to stock trade banning’s by brokerage companies, uninhibited by those elected to protect these rights. Today, most Americans fear the prospect of their children’s’ futures, rather than relish in them. Today, the Constitution that has allowed the good fortune of America has lost its purpose, and it is incumbent upon us, The People, to both properly regain our Constitutional authority and reimplement its duty into our society.

The necessity for our government to be recaptured by people through elections has never been more dire and is our only recourse. We must remove those who have failed as our leaders and replace them with those who will focus steadfastly on their constituents and no one else. The effort to regain control of our government must include all elected positions, federal, state, and local; and all able-bodied Americans who have contempt for their leaders and genuinely care about the future of themselves and their families must consider what they can do individually to heal this nation and return it to its proper course.

As enthusiasm for defiance grows, shown through the countless movements across the country, so does my desire to assume a leadership position within our government and call on others to do the same. This desire stems exclusively from the fact that no other viable alternatives seem to exist, and in the absence of true leadership, I have no conscience or moral choice to make except assume this role and these responsibilities, and I call on anyone who has the ability within them to join me in regaining control of a government that was created by the People, for the People. Both liberals and conservatives have created a divide in this country so wide that it has left the majority of Americans without actual representation; and it is incumbent upon us, under the Constitution, not just to vote, but to demand leadership that is actually worth voting for and not worth voting against.

I am running for President, not because I want to or because I desire the power, prestige, or position, but because I know I could do better than what we have now, and if no one else is willing to stand up and realize this, then my conscience obligates me to do so. But I am also running because I know that there is a plethora of Americans out there that could do even better than me, and it is my hope that this this leap of faith will inspire many more leaps so that the leadership in this country can be reclaimed by whom it was originally intended, the People. There are over 500,000 elected positions in this country, and those positions are reserved for real, everyday Americans who have the love of their neighbors and communities, the intelligence to make sound decisions, the fear of God that instills integrity, and the patience to honor and respect all people. Instead, they are filled by mostly wealthy, often unintelligent, divisive, trained, career politicians who have largely been compromised monetarily by corporations and other large entities with agendas that are ultimately not in the best interest of the People of America.

Our country is facing many serious challenges that threaten our future prosperity. Government spending has been out of control for two decades consecutively. National debt continues to climb, on pace to be 195% of our GDP by 2050. Americans are struggling to secure a financial foothold in increasing numbers, yet the highest earners in our country are achieving record financial growth to their already astounding collective worth. The longevity of Social Security remains under serious threat without even a remote consensus on the challenges we face with this problem. Our education system has already deteriorated in our urban environments and the effects of this are now impacting primary and secondary education throughout the entire country. College tuition rates are out of control while the quality of education diminishes, the debt incurred by students expands, and the prospect of suitable employment isn’t as promising as the students are led to believe. While progress in this country regarding civil rights has improved remarkably over the years, the residual effects associated with the former repression of minorities in this country remain unaddressed, often leading to situations of continued minority repression. We have troops scattered throughout the world in harms way, too often for reasons that simply do not coincide with the best interest and benefit of the American people. We pride ourselves in medical advancements, yet healthcare costs remain extremely inflated compared to the international community, and universal access to treatment remains a challenge. Furthermore, divisive issues such as race, gender equality, abortion, government overreach and malfeasance, lack of proper financial regulation, LBGT rights, and too many others to name remain as only talking points and used by the political class as a means of establishing divisions in order to secure a base of voters necessary to retain their positions.

As I announce my candidacy, I simultaneously call on all able-bodied Americans to truly contemplate the idea of finding an elected position you can be passionate about and launching a campaign so that the change required for the course of this country to be redirected can actually occur. If we continue electing our leaders the way we traditionally have without ourselves standing up to claim these leadership roles in their stead, the issues we have today will never be resolved and the problems we will have tomorrow will continue to grow to a point our country will never be able to recover from.

Furthermore, I call on all Americans to band together and reestablish the unity of America. From this point forward, in every election, we must all reject politicians who have obstructed progress, accepted corporate donations, incited division, acted as the puppet of lobbyists and large donors, misrepresented their constituents, or acted in any way that was self-serving or not in the best interest of those they have sworn to represent. Again, for this to happen it requires everyday Americans standing up and taking on the challenge of elected office; and everyone else supporting these brave Americans for taking their own leap of faith.

While I am just a man full of mistakes and always focused on what I personally can do better, I am absolutely certain that I possess the intelligence, integrity, determination, patience, dedication, consideration, and tenacity to do a better job of running this country than any president at least in my lifetime. But I am even more certain that an uncountable number of Americans would be even better than me. In the end, my mission is not to become President, it is to ensure the most qualified person available to us, willing to put everything on the line for the sake of their brothers and sisters, is able to grapple the reigns of leadership and guide this country through the colossal shift of power back to the People.

Despite our problems, America remains the greatest country on Earth. As Americans, we should each consider the good fortune of belonging to our national family, understand that we collectively make each other stronger, and commit ourselves to efforts that drive us toward the sentiment of unity and away from the idea of division.