Karen Ramsburg of Mercersburg is a self-described “mother, nurse and activist,” who is hoping to give incumbent Congressman Bill Shuster a run for his money in the upcoming November election.

The burden to make the ballot as an independent is so high, that she would accept the nomination of the Democratic party. She has a chance to win the primary as a Democrat.

Ramsburg first became involved in politics while trying to save the Justice William Smith House, a historical site in Mercersburg which marks the location of center of activity surrounding the “Black Boys Rebellion” or the “Smith Rebellion of 1765,” a nine-month rebellion spearheaded by James Smith and the “Black Boys” in 1765.  This rebellion was the first significant uprising of American settlers against British and Provincial rule prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution.

After becoming involved in efforts to conserve the Smith house, Ramsburg began reading up on American history and began to draw parallels between what she refers to as “Two American Histories:” the history of one percent taxation and ninety-nine percent property ownership and right to citizenship.  She compared the wealthy Philadelphia merchants who illegally sold to Native Americans on the frontier (which were used to attack Irish settlers) to the “scam” of global free trade which is “destroying people’s lives.”

She has even written a book, Smith’s Rebellion 1765 Gives Rise to Modern Politics, an account discussing the historical uprising on the Pennsylvania frontier and its relationship to today’s political environment.

“I decided I am tired of watching our rights being taken away if we don’t stand up for ourselves,” she declared.  “We should all have a say in the decisions that affect our lives.”

Ramsburg, a self-proclaimed Independent, has decided to run for office because of her belief that “neither party is working for all Americans.”  Right now, her main priority is gaining ballot access – a goal which she decided would be easier to attain by seeking the Democratic nomination rather than attempt to collect the 8,000 signatures necessary to run as an Independent.

“Independents have been taken to court by incumbents and bankrupted,” she said.  “I think Shuster would do anything to in his power to keep me off the ballot.  I think I could win if my name went down as an Independent, but I don’t trust the system.”

Ramsburg identified economic issues, job creation, healthcare, education reform and a move away from fossil fuels as issues she thinks are vital for Pennsylvania’s lawmakers to focus on.  As for her personal views on other issues, she is pro-life and also supports the right to bear arms.

“I think we need to move away from fossil fuels and as far as the economy goes we need to raise taxes on the rich and use that money to repair infrastructure and create jobs,” she stated.  “The technology is already there for sustainable energy – we could create millions of jobs by moving away from fossil fuels but we can’t afford it.  If there’s a way we can put money back into our hands we could save our planet.”

This past Wednesday, Ramsburg participated in a rally at Shippensburg University in support of education.  She attended a Somerset Democrat Club banquet Thursday and has plans to speak at a Tea Party event in the near future.

“I love reaching out to all people,” Ramsburg said.  “We need to forget about party stuff and see that we are all in the same sinking boat; and if we don’t start to unite we’re all going to go down with the ship.”