DON’T FORGET! ELECTIONS NOVEMBER 8, 2011!
Greetings!
We’ve done quite a bit of material on the Occupy movement. It’s a critical issue for our Democracy, and whether it eventually succeeds or fails I think people should know what the protesters are saying. I fully support the goals of the movement, but we face a huge challenge to make change in an environment with corporations as people, money as speech and campaign finance corruption in play. It’s not a lack of singular messaging that challenges the Occupiers; it’s that no real change can happen while our governmental and legal framework is owned by the power of wealth
I pride myself as a logical person, and a logical order of operations is critical to any successful activity. We all see problems with our democracy, the function of government, our social contracts, education, healthcare, job opportunity, legal systems and more. We see these dysfunctions and inequities and want change, but where do we start? The Occupy movement is driving home the message that we are on an unsustainable path, and the majority needs to take a stand against the increasing trickle-down erosion. Awareness is the best starting point, because without knowing and accepting a problem a solution can never be formulated. Getting the majority aware and motivated is the best start but what’s next? In my humble opinion the first on the list of needed corrections has to be CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!
Campaign finance reform must be one of the first steps in the complicated order of operations to restore a society that promotes the general welfare for the 99%. Campaign finance is not the only solution but it must be one of the first; there is no mechanism to fix things as long as our election system remains broken. With election fraud and voter suppression as increasingly key weapons being used against the majority we may soon have no hope to peacefully restore the aspiration of the “American Dream” and the reality of a healthy and sustainable society.
Our nation was founded to “promote the general welfare”. Government was to be a servant to the people’s will as expressed through elections, but our “representatives” no longer represent us. Instead, they represent omnipotent and unaccountable wealth that floods the system and strangles government. We no longer have a limited representational democracy but are spiraling to kleptocracy or Corporatocracy.
With our current system, no matter how “good” a candidate is, they face a constant treadmill of fundraising for re-election as soon as they are in office. Placed in this position it is natural for candidates to represent those who fund them over those they are intended to represent. One answer to the problem is to publicly finance campaign funds. The bipartisan 2002 Campaign Finance Reform Act (aka the “McCain-Feingold” Act) and the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act (moving through Congress) advocate this approach. A different solution is to require public funding for all federal elections. The cost could be covered by a mere $3-$5 check-off on one’s annual income tax (equaling about .0002% of the pretax income for an individual making $30,000). For the general election, the party nominee is eligible for a public grant of $20 million if they limit spending to that amount and refuse private contributions. Candidates would be allowed to spend up to $50,000 of their own money 
without it counting against the spending limit.
As long as elections are broken, corporations are people and money equals speech in America wealth will continue to rule the majority. I would gladly give more than .00002% of my income to restore real representational democracy!
Make a great day,
Tom
