How To Fix Our Government (Corrupt At It Is)

What we need to



Let's do this. It has to come from us.

Links:   So, you want to fix corruption?

The American Anti-Corruption Act | Criminalize Corruption

Sick of money corrupting politics? Here are 3 ways to fight

To the new, incoming Congress

A Timely Question for Our Representatives in Congress

What we could do instead of campaign contributions

Even Republicans are getting the message

Hell must be freezing over or something.  From Bill Moyers today:

Republicans — Yes, Republicans — Are Joining the Battle Against Big Money Politics

 

A bit from the article:

Last week, Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) introduced a bill called the Citizens Involvement in Campaigns, or CIVIC Act, with the hope of spurring more small-dollar donations to political campaigns by reviving a pair of tax incentives. Petri’s bill would offer small donors two options. They could receive a tax credit of up to $200 (or up to $400 on a joint tax return) for donations made to a campaign or national political party. Or that same donor could claim a tax deduction of up to $600 (up to $1,200 for a joint return) for political donations. The intent is obvious: entice many more small donations to candidates.

When he unveiled his bill, Petri lamented both the cost of running for federal office and the growing clout of very wealthy donors in the political process. “Campaigns are becoming more and more expensive with no signs of slowing down,” he said. “And most would agree that the ideal way to finance a campaign is through a broad base of donors. Unfortunately, most Americans aren’t in the position to donate hundreds or thousands of dollars — but they want to get involved. We should be encouraging political participation.”

So it's great that someone from the Republican Party is seeing where this is taking and has taken us and is putting forth some action but unfortunately, instead of proposing getting the money OUT of our election system and so, our government, he proposed getting STILL MORE money in the system, this time from small donors.

What we need to do is get the money out, once and for all, at long last. We have to end having our politicians--at both the state and federal levels--from being bought.

It's doable.  We can do this.

But we have to demand it. It has to come from us. We have to fight for it.

Until we end campaign contributions, our elections and so, our government will continue to be bought and sold for the wealthy and corporations first, and the people and nation second, if even then.

Let's get started.

Link:  http://robinhoodtax.org/


 

Yet more reasons we need to end campaign contributions

As though there aren't already enough reasons to end the obscenity that is the campaign contributions of our election and government system--a lot I've written of here--yet more:

Leftover Loot: More Leave Congress With Lots of Campaign Cash

Members of Congress spend much of their careers chasing campaign cash and struggling to boost their war chests to fight off the next rival. When their careers are over, and there are no more rivals, many quickly dispose of what little cash is left by donating it to charity, returning it to donors or transferring it to party committees.
 

But not all. An increasing number find themselves sitting on flush bank accounts. 

 

A Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows that the number of former members of Congress who have campaign committees holding more than $100,000 has dramatically increased. In the 1998 election cycle, there were just 18 former members with war chests of that size. The number rose and fell slightly over the years until 2010, when there were 21. By 2012 there were 37. Now, the campaign accounts of 52 ex-lawmakers hold more than $100,000 in cash -- and eight have more than $1,000,000.

 

For some, this creates an opportunity to continue to play a role in politics or to support politicians they like. But several told OpenSecrets.org that with so many charities and politicians asking for a cut of the action, having a lot of leftover campaign cash becomes something of a burden.

__________________________

 

We need to stop this nonsense.

 

We need to demand an end to campaign contributions in our elections so we can get our government back.

 

For the people.

 

 

 

Money in government

Work to end campaign contributions, folks.

Work to get the big, ugly money of the wealthy and corporations out of our election system and so, our government.

Until we do that, nothing will change.

And it can and will only come from us, from the people.

Quote of the day

"Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth." --Lucy Parsons

Brits run far better elections than the US

There are two very simple things Britain does in their elections that we in the US don't do but that we should. The first is that they don't allow "mis-statements" in campaigns. They are outlawed, formally. If, after the fact, a person is in office and is found to have done such a thing, they must forfeit their office. So simple, so smart. The second thing the Brits do that we need so horribly here in the States is--and I've said this before--we need to make our campaigns for election a certain length of time. Three or six months seems about right. In this way, we wouldn't have to keep hearing from these people but far more importantly, once in office, they could merely legislate instead of virtually constantly campaigning and raising money for those campaigns, as they must now. (Then, if we put this with true, stringent, touch, accountable and prosecutable campaign finance reform, we could get the "big money" from the wealthy and corporations of these campaigns out of our election system and government). We can always hope. That said, we must work for these changes.

As feared, the American public was just further screwed

The Supreme Court just did what was feared they would and that is, they just did away with campaign contribution limits for corporations.

If you don't think your governmental representatives were for sale before, they surely are now.

And if, like me, you saw how our representatives have been "bought" in the past, with campaign contributions, well, ladies and gentlemen, it just got one hell of a whole lot worse.

Here's what just happened:

"The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns."

"By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to pay for their own campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states."

Then, to make matters worse (read: get more corporate money into campaigns):

"The justices also struck down part of the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that barred union- and corporate-paid issue ads in the closing days of election campaigns."

And, additionally, "The case also does not affect political action committees... Corporations, unions and others may create PACs to contribute directly to candidates, but they must be funded with voluntary contributions from employees, members and other individuals, not by corporate or union treasuries."

Katy bar the door. You watch, next election millions and billions more dollars are going to flood into elections and corporations will be buying legislators and legislation like they haven't been able to nearly forever. At least, not for the last 2 decades and likely not since the beginning of the previous century.

The corporations just got the okay to purchase the best government they want, in their own best interest, that their money can buy.

American public--and common sense--be damned.

Molly Ivins is most surely spinning in her grave.