So what do we mean by "take $$$out of politics"??? We have a $15 trillion economy and a $3 trillion government. Our government is 20% of our economy, $3 trillion is a LOT of money and there are lot of people who work for our government. Our elected government officials and our hired government employees are charged with the task of handling $3 trillion of our tax money. That's a lot of responsibility, and humans are only humans. How can we "take $$$out of politics" when there is $3 trillion "on the table"?
I think we all agree, we don't want our politicians and government to be bought by the highest bidder. We don't want our legislation to favor special interests at a cost to "We the People" or to society as a whole. Retired Senator and NBA star Bill Bradley said "taking money out of politics would be as difficult as taking jumping out of basketball", and I think he'd add that it would change the game completely. It's time to change the game of our government system(s), for the betterment of "We the People", and take $$$out of politics.
We need a change to all pieces of the system - a car with 3 flat tires does not run much better when you repair only 1 tire. From the election process thru the design and operation of our government, it's time for a 21st century system of government that is efficient, effective and FOR "We the People".
I'm not a big fan for creating laws and penalties in an attempt to take $$$out of politics. This just creates a bigger bureaucracy and is only a band-aid on the symptoms rather than a cure for the disease. To get at the core of the problem one must understand the MECHANISM(s) that occur to take one from point A to point B.
Two MECHANISMS that DO NOT WORK:
1) "...if only we vote in the "right" politician(s)...all will be well...maybe as soon as the next election...". This is the "power of the vote", which is powerless today. If you believe in the "power of the vote", then ask yourself, "are we really that bad at finding and electing the "right" politicians?". If it's the Presidency, then do note we do NOT give our Presidents the power to do what we think we've elected them to do, then we get upset when they don't do what we've elected them to do.
2) "...our voices must be heard...", which is the protest mechanism. I reply "our government is broken, not deaf". Think about it...do you really expect people, our elected politicians who run our government, to change the way they do business just because you shout at them?
LEASHES OF DEMOCRACY attached to a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC
FIRST please understand that the new system of government you see on this website today is just a foundation, a rough draft or simply an example. Before JeffBlock2012 goes to a vote before the voters it will be morphed and modified, designed in detail by 25 to 50 refounders including Constititutional scholars, history professors, organizational behaviorists, philosophers, psychologists, engineers, game theorists, economists, politicians, business leaders, community leaders, etc.
THE MOST IMPORTANT "takeaway" is I will explain to you here, how the redesign of the election/government systems results in taking $$$out of politics.
Here is a LEASH OF DEMOCRACY I haven't necessarily considered including on the platform, yet it is powerful, VERY powerful:
The citizens of Iceland wrote their Constitution this year. This news was largely ignored by the USA and the world. Iceland faced the similar circumstances of the rest of the world - several "runaway" banks and a political system which favored business and burdened the citizens with the resulting national debt. The citizens revolted. Here's an article from their new Constitution:
Article 65. Right of referral to the nation
"Ten percent of voters may demand a national referendum on laws passed by Althingi [Parliament]. The demand shall be presented within three months from the passage of the law. The law is void if voters reject it, otherwise it retains its validity. Althingi [Parliament] may void the law before the referendum taks place. The referendum shall take place within a year from the time the demand of voters was presented."
WOW !!! We and/or I really do not want a pure Democracy here in the USA, where citizens vote on each and every issue - it's burdensome. We really do want a Representative Republic where our representatives truly represent "We the People". Nobody in Iceland, or here, really ever wants to trigger a national referendum, but having it in the Constitution, in their case triggered by a mere 10% of the voters, keeps the lawmakers "in line" with laws that are FOR "We the People". How does this take $$$out of politics? Let the lobbyists and/or special interests spend $$$to get legislation favoring them, and then "We the People" through a national referendum void the legislation. Do this a few times and lobbyists and/or special interests learn the ineffectiveness of their money, see their money go down the drain, and "We the People" have just cured the disease rather than just putting a band-aid on the symptoms!
JEFFBLOCK2012: taking $$$out of politics/government and maybe even attracting a "different type" of person to SERVE as leaders.
(PAGE INCOMPLETE - I WILL BE WRITING MORE ABOUT HOW FREE AND OPEN ELECTIONS AND TERM LIMITS HELP TAKE $$$OUT OF POLITICS...)