[Pages 321-325]
Two major
political parties, 535 members of Congress and 311+ million citizens and no one
it seems can come up with a viable way to fix the bribery, corruption and
ownership of our government by special interests and the mega-rich? Our
campaign finance system will never be perfect, but with the present system — nothing
even resembling a “democracy” exists. The background and rationale were clearly
laid out in Part I to justify six straightforward steps that will greatly help
to return rule of America to “the people” as it was envisioned
by our founding fathers. These straightforward steps are as follows:
1)
Overturn
the Citizens United versus the Federal
Election Commission Supreme Court “SCOTUS” ruling that gave corporations, labor
unions and other organizations the right to spend money from their general
treasury to back or oppose specific candidates running for office. That will
still leave the door almost wide open for “electioneering” type spending that
does not name specific candidates. Going forward however, any and all money
behind any effort with implications upon the function of our government or the
election of officials must disclose the individual donors behind the effort . .
. no more secret funding from anonymous donors manipulating our political
system for their own agenda or financial gain.
2)
Create a campaign contribution ceiling of $10 K max
per calendar year across all avenues, parties, committees, and candidates. That
would be a total ceiling of $10 K per year across local, state and federal
elections. Amounts for “electioneering” [non candidate specific spending] would
remain as is, but with the strict stipulation that all contributions must have
full and complete transparency, with individual identities and contribution
amounts for the American people to audit, see and document via complete
sunlight and regulation.
3) No more
PAC spending whatsoever on specific candidate campaigns either for or against.
PACs should be strictly limited to “electioneering” spending only. Although not
perfect, at present, bundling money into PAC contributions for specific
candidates is nothing more than clear and undeniable vote buying that must end
completely! It’s blatant bribery to procure a pre-paid vote card to use to push
for or block legislation.
4) No more
“bundling” whereby rich fat cats solicit political contributions to be
earmarked under their name for the purpose of buying political favors,
government and White House appointments and government loans for “green
industry” scams upon U.S.
taxpayers. All political contributions must become individual contributions
only!
5) Abolish
and eliminate all 527 groups and entities, be they headed or sponsored by a
member of Congress to bribe their fellow members of Congress, or more germane
electioneering 527 groups engaged in electioneering activities. Both are a tool
that introduces even more millions of dollars into the political system to buy
votes on legislation in Congress. Buying votes is illegal at polling stations
and it therefore must become illegal within the halls of Congress.
6) Full
transparency and financial disclosure of every single dollar, over $5000 per
year contributed to any 501(c)(4) entity. The names and contributed amounts
must be accessible via every single 501(c)(4) website and if no site exists,
available via e-mail request. No more billionaires operating behind the scenes
to fund 501(c)(4) publications, articles, websites, mailings, etc. to bend the
feeble minds of Americans to work against their own economic self interest via
floods of propaganda. At a minimum, Americans should clearly be able to “follow
the money” to see who is behind the curtain, pulling the strings so citizens
can make up their own minds in an atmosphere of complete sunlight and
transparency.
Voila it’s
done, campaign finance reform delivered, problem largely solved. No debates, no
posturing, no lobbying, no 24/7 smoke and mirror media manipulation . . . just
one clean sweep, write it up and we’re done . . . move on to the next
challenge. The resulting political environment will still of course be far from
perfect, but the six simple straightforward measures above would do more to
return rule of our nation back to “the people,” via the vote, than any reforms
in perhaps 50 years, if not longer.
Yes, we
would still have the corrupting roaches on K Street, a.k.a. lobbyists, but they would
now have to “lobby” instead of buying Congressional votes outright via bundling
their massive wealth into PAC donations. Millions and millions of dollars would
be removed from the vote buying game by slashing the total amount of individual
contributions to specific candidates to a maximum of $10 K per year. By banning
the money and ability of 527s to buy off members of Congress and exert party
and senior member control of junior Congressional members — we would remove
even more of the mega-millions lottery that presently makes the individual vote
of a common citizen virtually worthless. Most important of all, at present, by
overturning the Citizens United versus
the Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling, the most egregious
blow to democracy in our lifetime, millions more dollars would be removed from
what now amounts to a political sledge hammer of political corruption and
manipulation that favors corporations and the mega-rich alone. Finally, by
legislating identity and contributions disclosure for all 501(c)(4)
organizations and groups, Americans would at least know who is doing the
funding.
The
pay-to-play political corruption and bastardization of our American political
system and democracy has gone on for far too long, as the American people’s legislative
needs interests have been trampled by the greed of our aristocracy. With the
Obama 2012 campaign expected to raise and spend a billion dollars and the Party
A candidate expected to try and follow suit — plus the millions upon millions
that will be spent in Congressional races, state legislatures and local
elections . . . the poisonous, radioactive waters of political corruption and
vote buying have finally come over the dam. Enough! The American people of all political
persuasions must now step up to demand an end to the outlandish political
spending, along with full and complete disclosure of all players manipulating
the political deck of cards.
Clearly,
there is no other issue more important to America, than massive and comprehensive
campaign finance reform! Without it, the mega-rich alone own and control America, our government and our future. If
allowed, they will do nothing more than continue to march middle-class
Americans into a sea of poverty by off shore job outsourcing, massive numbers
of new immigrants and budget balancing on the backs of those who can least
afford it. At a time when America is on the brink of financial
disaster, everyday citizens are literally starving, losing their homes to
foreclosure and their jobs. For either party, or candidates of either party, to
spend billions on political campaigns in this economic environment is repulsive
and sickening beyond comprehension! How many people could those billions feed, how
many budgets could be brought closer into balance and how many people could be re-employed
— with money that is currently spread like manure upon the American people with
gotcha politics and negative political advertising to support a status quo
political system that has to date failed the American people economically?
The time
has come for the political establishment to understand that “we the people”
demand performance! We’re done with the two-party only BS and their games at
the expense of “the people.” The days of kissing babies, bus tours, lavish conventions
a.k.a. multi-day drunk-fests wearing stupid hats are over! Hollow speeches that
promise “change we can believe in” via some ideological head in the clouds
social liberal manure doesn’t feed people or put a roof over people’s heads.
From here on out it’s all about bread and butter, wealth disparity, jobs and a
strong U.S. economy! “We the people” are no
longer buying the smoke and mirrors manure being spread! We now know who owns
and runs America and we demand that control be
returned to “the people” via cancellation of pay-to-play business as usual and
complete political reform!
Americans,
via the Internet, now have alternative sources of political information at
their fingertips. In the 2008 election cycle, 24 percent of Americans got most
of their political news and information from the Internet.1 As a
whole, 73 percent of all Internet users, a number representing 54 percent of
all U.S. adults, went online for political information.2 While not
everyone has access to the Internet, the vast majority of Americans do and that
number will only continue to grow. Just like any other communication medium,
the Internet has its share of misinformation and political propaganda, but
compared to corporate owned news sources and TV based political ads, the
Internet is far superior! At least if Americans deploy their brains and engage
in critical thinking, they can find accurate news and political information on
the Internet. With TV ads and corporate owned media outlets, Americans get only
sound bites, gotcha politics, hysteria, hyperbole, manipulation, talking points
and only perspectives from the two major political parties. Such limited
vehicles only serve to perpetuate ignorance and ensure Americans stay with a
failed two-party only system of government. By removing the billions of dollars
now in our political system, both candidates and voters will be forced somewhat
to rely less on mindless TV ads that are now obsolete and only for the
gullible. Instead of relying on the staid “good guys versus the bad guys” game
and culture wars, candidates will be forced to take clear legislative
positions, state what they will vote for and why in the event they are elected.
Presently, candidate websites are only red, white and blue donkey or elephant
games with as few actual position details as possible. It’s total crap! It’s
“vote and hope” that always delivers the same result . . . the mega-rich
becoming richer and average Americans getting screwed.
The time is
long past for American voters, who are supposed to be adults, to rely only on
little animal characters to decide the future of our nation. Our lives are not
a cartoon and the political games being played ceased being funny a long time
ago! At present, as far as examining the issues, being informed and engaging
politically, Americans are woefully negligent and we’re now living a hellish
economic existence as a result. We’re taken in and played like suckers at a
political carnival whereby the big money wins and those without it lose. At
present it’s all about marketing, advertising, flag waving, image making and
massive money based propaganda machines run by an elephant or a donkey. As long
as billions of dollars are allowed into the system, it will continue to be a
pay-to-play carnival game with the mega-rich owing the entire game. Presently,
the aristocracy has their system fine tuned with money to function exactly the
way they molded it over the course of decades. Their goal is to keep the masses
ignorant and uninformed so they will continue buying into the propaganda that
furthers to divide “the people” and keep them conquered . . . while they
continue to exploit it all to their economic advantage and laugh all the way to
the bank.
Breakout Resource(s):
The Internet and
Campaign 2010
Once
reformed, those that violate the forthcoming campaign finance reforms, go to
jail without possibility of parole, period! No slaps on the wrist, no
commutation of sentences, no looking the other way. Otherwise they’ll work the
system and walk the streets until a new administration is voted in and ask for
a commutation of their sentence. As a great barometer for just how corrupt our
political system really is and politicians really are, consider the attitude of
our former House Minority leader. In 2010, upon conviction on charges of
illegally funneling money to influence elections in Texas, former U.S. House Minority Leader
Tom DeLay said, “This criminalization of politics is very dangerous. It’s
dangerous to our system.” No! Mr. DeLay, what’s dangerous to our system and
American at large, is the pay-to-play political corruption that exists and goes
on every single day in Washington, D.C. and every state legislature in America. Just the legalized corruption
alone, via our campaign finance system, is horrible enough, but if the truth
were known, if the focus and resources were available to pursue it . . . the
illegal cash money, political favors and backroom deal making that transpires —
would set Washington, D.C. and state capitols literally ablaze if it were to
all be uncovered and exposed to the American people.
When the
political class and the mega-rich rule our nation with money, walk on every
criminal and civil charge, skirt all the laws via high powered attorneys, but a
kid in the inner city does massive jail time for a small rock of crack cocaine
. . . we have no America any longer! We now exist in an oligarchy and a banana
republic where the middle-class is shrinking ever smaller by the day, millions
of children starve and the greedy become even richer as they gain even more
control of our government, our economy and continue to hammer a death nail into
the American Dream. The day for a complete reform of our campaign finance
system is now at hand and it must be at the top of the list of political
objectives pursued by the American people going forward.
