Tears came to my eyes last week at Lincoln Field when I heard Bruce sing "My City of Ruin":

Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
...My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins

I've driven around the state a number of times and I can't get that song out of my head. People are weary of meanspirited politics and frustrated with their leadership. Many have lost good jobs and work 2 or 3 lousy ones just to keep their homes and keep their children clothed. The good jobs are gone or going. Many have lost hope. Our young people leave the state because of little opportunity. Many of those who want to go to college can not because of cuts to scholarships fund. Others who want training see no industry waiting to hire them at the other end. A kid works hard to get into college and then is denied a shot at the American Dream because of money. It just isn't right.

NAFTA, GATT, and trade with China has killed the heart and soul of this state. Pennsylvania is a state of makers, and the Free Traders sold us down the river to make a quick buck for their major donors--the large corporations with fat-cat executive pay and lobbyists by the dozens. They gave away our good jobs and competitive advantage in the name of Free Trade and Globalization. They left us with the rusting shells of our factories and plants, while in the distance huge white buildings with WalMart logos on them sit on what used to be farmland, cleared now for huge parking lots and vast warehouses filled with goods from China and Singapore and $6.50/hour jobs and lousy benefits. Then, when these same executives who carelessly play with the remains of our futures run their companies into the ground, they still walk away with a pile of cash and no regrets while the pension fund sits empty, raided.

Our government has failed to stand up and do the right thing, and we are left to the brutal winds of uncaring, senseless change.

We must rise up, take a stand. We must fight for a seat at the table, so hard-working people don't get screwed by the politicians in whom we place our trust and our futures. We must bring labor and small and mid-sized businesses to the table so we have the negotiating strength to create Fair Trade, which will bring those jobs back and return us to prosperity, job security, and strong communities.

I've committed my life to fighting for economic and social justice. I need your help. Together we can save this country from ruin, and as Springsteen says as he ends the song, hinting of redemption, with these hands, I pray for strength. Come on, rise up, rise up.

What are your thoughts?