Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Election Reform in our Future?

CLICK TO READ: A Growing Wariness About Money in Politics by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, Washington Post

"For several years now, corporations and other wealthy interests have made ever-larger campaign contributions, gifts and sponsored trips part of the culture of Capitol Hill. But now, with fresh guilty pleas by a lawmaker and a public relations executive, federal prosecutors -- and perhaps average voters -- may be concluding that the commingling of money and politics has gone too far.

After years in which big-dollar dealings have come to dominate the interaction between lobbyists and lawmakers, both sides are now facing what could be a wave of prosecutions in the courts and an uprising at the ballot box. Extreme examples of the new business-as-usual are no longer tolerated."
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I sincerely wish that this latest round of corruption would have an impact on election reform and get ALL the money out of elections. But it'll never happen. Just think how easy it would be to make democracy work in America.

The Unknown Candidate's New Rules:
RULE #1: No private or corporate or non-profit political donations allowed.
RULE #2: No candidate can use his own money or any other donated, loaned or gifted money.
RULE #3: All candidates will be given the exact same amount of money to be determined by the Government and are forbidden by law from using a penny more.
RULE #4: All TV Networks will donate equal and free time (amount & times to be determined) to each candidate to discuss his/her views on the issues.
RULE #5: Truth in Advertising Laws will from this point forward apply to all Political Advertising in all mediums in the same way they apply to other advertisers.

5 New Rules are a start. They alone would open the political arena to EVERY American who wants to run for office instead of just the wealthy few who can afford to run. They alone would focus the contest on "issues" instead of who has the deepest pockets.

Face it. It doesn't take brain surgery to fix our election system. So why doesn't Congress fix it? You tell me.

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