Gary Mittleman Chooses a New Path to Implement Change

When I began Plug Power (a high-tech eco-friendly alternative energy venture), much of the fervor and energy I brought to the new company was based on my underlying desire to make the world a better place. It was this same underlying belief that led me to announce my candidacy for US Congress earlier this year.

I didn’t have to look far in order to become inspired. Just tell me what is wrong with this picture. Oil is over $110 per barrel. The dollar has been devalued nearly 50% versus the euro. Our deficit is at all time highs and growing by another $400 billion this year. The mortgage crisis had to become so bad that it nearly crippled the entire stock market before anyone began to take notice. Since entering Iraq we have put our soldiers in harms way and spent the equivalent of over $100 thousand for every Iraqi household without finding a solution. Global warming is taking measurable tolls. The economy is in a recession. Unemployment is over 5%. With all these critical issues facing us, Congress is spending millions of dollars interrogating Roger Clemens as to whether he lied about taking steroids. Well, he did sign autographs...

The quality of decisions coming out of Washington is driving our country into turmoil. The career politicians are either puppets to the lobbyists that enable their campaign funds or they are so out of touch with real world circumstances -- and how to fix them -- that they fail to get the job done. Either way, this is cause for concern.

Let me cite some recent examples. We are receiving $152 billion of checks in the mail to stimulate our economy and create jobs. The checks will do neither. Instead, they will further increase our enormous debt burden which is the cause of our ills in the first place. The pentagon is awarding $35 billion of contracts to foreign companies without regard to the American jobs and technologies lost overseas. After ten years of discussions, federal and local officials are now only proposing to do something about the Watervliet arsenal for business start-ups. Congressional members are proposing silly placebo fixes to counter the high price of gasoline by depleting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We are enabling Pakistan with nuclear grade material. And, with regard to nearly everything else, it seems we hear lots of talk and see little action.

My campaign has taught me a lot about our political system. It's no wonder that our representatives are so unproductive. They spend most of their time raising money by twisting arms. Some remind their constituents of the favors they have provided in the past. The $18.3 billion of our taxes which were spent on earmarks and pork barrel grants go a long way toward financing a campaign. Others stress the power they have to make good things happen (or not) for business owners. There are sophisticated consultants, hired by our lawmakers to help collect campaign contributions. These consultants use formulas to calculate whether the allocation of government contracts has been matched by corresponding political contributions. Is it surprising that our representatives fail to address our problems? They spend so little time thinking about them.

The magnitude of manipulation and waste in our political system is the biggest surprise I have confronted since I announced my candidacy. The average congressional contender in New York this year will spend close to $1.4 million. While I have welcomed financial support from those who believe that I would be an effective congressman, I do not have the expertise nor the interest in horse-trading my way into office.

It is no longer clear that my campaign and election to Congress is the best way to address and fix these problems. First, I am concerned that if elected I will have a futile experience implementing ideas with a political machine that is so entrenched and financially motivated to prevent them. Second, I believe that there may be a better way to promote my ideas. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of my money on campaigns, I am now choosing to take this same money and start a foundation aimed at making this world a better place and getting our government to move on ideas that will help our lives.

Soon, I will provide you with more information about my new foundation, One Dream One Earth. In the mean time I thank you for your support and I welcome any suggestions you may have. For those of you who offered early support in the form of a financial contribution to my campaign, I will be returning all contributions made in full. I am grateful for the faith you have shown in me, and since I have decided to withdraw from the race as a Democratic contestant and pursue another direction in my service to society it's only appropriate that your campaign donation should be refunded. I truly appreciate your support.

- Gary Mittleman