Campaign Finance Reform

Over the years voters have asked for political campaign finance reform. Politicos have claimed cleanup efforts have been made, but it never quite happens. Certainly not effectively. Compromises make it seem something was done, but each attempt lacked teeth. No enforcement; or weak enforcement. Court cases have been filed but little happens.

And I believe this is how the politicians want it. Certainly the political parties want it this way. Money, after all, is the largest indicator of power in America. It is the score keeper. But more than that, money is the enabler of agreement, of votes, of policy decisions, of influence, of corruption.

I know this in my bones. So do you. I’m not stating anything new here. So why the bother?

Simple. Corruption destroys the fabric of our society. Trust. Honesty. Logical thinking. Sensible action. What’s right is right. Do the right thing. Add your own cliché here.

Gone. All gone. Wiped out by dishonesty, greed, corruption. And sanctioned by the Supreme Court. But then, that’s what the politicos wanted, right? They kept inching their way toward corporate reality of personhood. A person has rights! A corporation is a person. A corporation has rights of a person. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion(?)! Freedom to donate funds to politicians. Campaigns. Freedom to buy decisions from politicians. Freedom to buy policy. Freedom to own the country.

They don’t vote. We do. So they are not persons. But they have more money than we do. So they are more real to the politicians than we are. It’s that simple.

If we don’t like this status quo, what do we do? Here are some actions we can take:

1. Vote only for a candidate who takes donations of $10 or less
2. Vote only for a candidate who takes no PAC money (Political Action Committee)
3. Ask all elected officials to make laws that restrict political donations; make them accountable for their action on this issue.
4. Move the country to publically funded campaigns. That means taxpayer dollars are provided to get candidate messages to the electorate. No other funding is allowed. The process must be based solely on positions on issues or statements of convictions/ideology/beliefs; whatever else informs voters on how this candidate intends to perform in the name of the public. That’s it. If a candidate wishes to distinguish himself/herself from other candidates, it must be based on facts/logic/personality. No spin. Purely transparent.
5. Corporations are not allowed to fund campaigns.
6. No PAC’s are allowed to fund campaigns or publish ads/films/documentaries/etc. in support of a candidate, party or lobbying client. No dollars. Period.
7. Clear the airwaves for what matters. Clear the palms of money and greed.

Congress is comprised of more than 50% of ‘one percenters’. They make laws and processes which reward wealth and power centers. That includes themselves. If they enter congress poor, they exit it rich. The story is familiar because it is repeated generation after generation. It needs to stop.

Our nation has problems. They can be fixed. But the biggest problem is the people who inhabit positions of trust. They must be removed so good people can replace them.

I am not jaded or cynical. I am a realist. I ask only that we band together as citizens to fix our common problems. We cannot continue as we are. We must change. We must try to do this. It is our future and our kids’ future and our grandchildren’s future.

It is time. It won’t happen if you won’t do anything about it.

January 16, 2012