Selling U.S. Out is a new book written by author J.R. Martin. The book spends a great deal of time examining U.S. trade and economic policies that brought about our current economic crisis. It is an informative book that discusses, in depth, our international trade relations and their impact on the U.S. economy.

Martin also discusses another important issue facing the United States — political corruption. In chapter nine of his book, Selling U.S. Out, Martin states that political scandal and corruption are not new. They’ve always existed. Indeed, all one has to do is read the news to discover the corruption and greed taking place between the big players of our government—Republicans and Democrats.

Amidst such a divided government, it is easy to forget how our founding fathers meant for our political system to operate.

According to J.R. Martin, “our constitution provides us with a government that is based upon the rule of law—not man. However, our laws are created and enforced by men.” Our federal government is supposed to act as like this: Congress creates and abolishes laws, the judiciary branch interprets and enforces those laws, while the executive branch proposes and vetoes laws. The only branch that can create and abolish laws is our bicameral Congress that is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Over the past forty years, power, money and greed have corrupted our elected government officials at every level. What’s most alarming is that the blatant corruption running rampant in Washington is actually being tolerated and accepted by the American people. Unfortunately, members of both parties act as if their jobs are nothing more than a big political game. They’re so focused on insulting the other side and getting their own agendas passed that they forget who they’re supposed to be working for: the United States public.

J.R. Martin got it right when he stated in chapter nine of his book that “neither party represents the interests of the American people since both are controlled by foreign and domestic corporations and special interest groups that provide the majority of their funding [...] [B]oth parties practice dishonest, divisive politics aimed at dividing and manipulating public opinion instead of seeking to build an honest national consensus on important issues confronting our nation.”

Both parties are destroying America with their constant finger pointing and blame-the-other-party-for-America’s-trouble. Every decision, proposal and argument is nothing more than an attempt to see which side can rack up the most votes. Little care and attention is being granted to what is in the best interest of the American people. Democrats and Republicans alike have forgotten that they are supposed to be serving the people of the United States of America.

Now is the time for the public–the average American citizen–to stand up and protest the rampant corruption destroying everything that made our country great. As James Garfield, our 20th President, once said, “[T]he people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature…”

We need a federal government that will place the interests of the public before petty disagreements and personal agendas. We must hold our elected officials accountable for the deteriorating state of our country. Spread the word amongst your friends! Contact your congressmen and ask them what they’re doing to end the divisive politics corrupting our government.

U.S. citizens shouldn’t have to question whether or not the food they buy from their local grocery store is safe to eat. But that is the current state of things. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 48 million people suffer from food-borne illnesses each year in the United States.