Can’t you see what’s happening to your country? Your rights, your property, are being stolen from you in broad daylight.

The Web site, www.billionairesforbushorgore.com (well worth checking out), is having fun with this presidential election. But it also reveals a shocking truth.

We’re being taken.

It’s happened before in this country. And Iowans can fight back today like our great grandparents did before us. We can recapture our democracy for the people.

After the Civil War the Democratic Party came to be controlled by big business and the wealthy. It did little to help poor farmers.

Disenchanted Democrats organized a People’s Party. It advocated regulation of banks and railroads, a progressive income tax, eight-hour workday, cooperatives, bigger education budgets, direct popular election of U.S. senators and the popular referendum.

By 1892 Iowa’s James B. Weaver was the party’s nominee for president.

In 1911 the Wisconsin branch created a workers’ compensation program, workplace safety legislation, maximum hours for women and children, a state income tax, and state life-insurance fund.

By 1912 many Republicans were disgusted with big business control of their party.

Those Republican dissidents formed the Progressive Party. It advocated abolition of child labor, women’s vote, primary elections, national social insurance, and restrictions on injunctions in labor disputes. In 1924 it advocated the right to collective bargaining.

Wisconsin’s efforts with public works and unemployment compensation in 1931 became a model for much of President Roosevelt’s legislation – as were many of the Socialist Party’s proposals.

Read the history of the Greenback-Labor Party, Grange, Farmers’ Alliances, People’s Party, Progressives, Populists and Socialists. It turns out that most of the major innovations in our nation’s law and policy have come from third parties. Major parties, bankrolled by big business, back change only when it’s necessary to win.

Billionaires for Bush or Gore lists 66 corporations that have given over $50,000 to both candidates. And why not? The Web page also provides real examples of the formula at work. A million dollars in “soft money” can produce billions in defense contracts, subsidies, price supports, licenses, tax breaks, use of public lands or anti-trust exemptions.

And you pay for it all.

As New York’s William “Boss” Tweed used to say, “I don’t care who does the electing as long as I get to do the nominating.” Today’s corporate political bosses agree. They don’t care which of their identically-dressed nominees wins.

A spokesperson put it very candidly to a TV reporter during the Democrats’ convention. Asked about the corporate entertainment and massive funding, he replied, “Shut up and listen. We have to win.”

That’s what politics is about. Winning. Whatever it takes. Negative ads? Multi-million-dollar special interest contributions? Stretching the truth? We have to win.

Our great grandparents supported James Weaver. Today’s disenchanted Democrats and Republicans are supporting the Green Party and its presidential candidate, Ralph Nader. No one’s more independent of special interest money.

The phony Debate Commission, controlled by the two parties and funded by their corporate friends, not only excluded Nader from the debates, their security thugs wouldn’t even let him in the hall with his ticket. As a result, the most important issues in this campaign weren't even asked about, let alone addressed.

The Yugoslavs have taken their government back from Slobodan Milosevic. It’s time we recaptured ours from the corporate-controlled puppets of big business called Republicans and Democrats.

Support Iowa’s proud third party tradition. Check out www.votenader.org.

Wake up! Vote. And vote Nader.

Nicholas Johnson, who has held three presidential appointments in Democratic administrations and run for Congress as a Democrat, now wants to help his party recapture its soul. www.nicholasjohnson.org