Necessary political reforms to root out much corruption

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I recently discovered these good ideas on the internet. Do you have some of your own to supplement these?

1.100%, yes 100%, public financing of ALL election. With each candidate allotted a relatively-small amount of money for the campaign.

2. ALL election campaigns of limited duration, with those running for the House of Representatives permitted to have the briefest amount of time.

3. Sufficient free media for each candidate shall be provided for a set period. [Airwaves belong to the people.]

4. Lobbying should involve input of ideas and/or proposed clauses only; NOT money.

5. ONLY members of the species Homo Sapiens are persons. Free speech is free speech; money is NOT. We urgently need some legislation to nullify the recent, quite absurd Supreme Court decision that asserts that a corporation is a "person."

We need the above five structural reforms but it takes good persons to demand them and to implement them. Do you personally want to aim for the good as an end (as well as the means used to get there)?

Good Political Philosophy will analyze these terms and show their relevance to the field of study. It will spell out, for example, the relationship of ends to means. See the attached treatise for details. Click on the link.

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@deepthot,

I'd add a clause requiring that a winning candidate receive over 50% of the votes, otherwise there must be a runoff; that's the only possible way a third political party could succeed. Oh, and don't forget the electoral college problems, such as some states casting votes based on percentages and others "winner take all". Is it not clear that a national mandatory percentage-based electoral college vote is the fairer way? Besides, why do we even need an electoral college at all, since these days we vote directly for our candidate of choice, not the "best man to decide for us"?

All a moot point, though. These (or any other significant positive reforms) could come about exactly how? Congress would have to pass the legislation. President Obama's opinions concerning Congressional legislation (or anything else) apparently mean little to nothing. In fact, the opposite seems the case -- the president who campaigned on "change" seems to be rubber stamping the same old corrupt legislation, and god knows who's writing executive orders for him. Has an originally sincere Obama found himself paralyzed? (If so, by what?) Or was he a "media designed puppet" all along? Does it really matter which?

Don't forget that after Diebold electronic screen voting machine software was proven corrupt, the only state to outlaw Diebold voting machines was California. ONE state. Our state (a big fat red state) uses electronic screen voting machines from another company, but we still have no "recount" trail. Like many other places, whatever the "company computer" reports IS "our official vote count", whether or not that figure represents the buttons we pushed in the booth.
Quoting Josef Stalin: "You know, comrades, that I think in regard to this: I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this - who will count the votes, and how."

I honestly cannot imagine how or even if the status quo can be changed. My husband and I have advised our own grown children to check into emigration while it is still an option.

Anyone have any optimistic, realistic ideas? I'd surely like to hear some.

rebecca

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@deepthot,

Rebecca

Thanks for your thoughful reply.

People can still mobilize and pressure for a goal, such as Public Financing of Campaigns. We can ask every candidate who runs for Congress or the Senate if he or she supports Public Financing and imply that our vote (for the person) depends upon their adopting this policcy [and introducing a bill, and seeking co-sponsorship for it] once elected.

We can pressure members of the State legislature to adopt such a policy for the State of which we are citizens. We can give good reasons why it is in everyone's interest.

Eventually, if there is enough of a groundswell, these legislative bodies may be responsive. It is working well in Maine and in Arizona now. Why not in every state?

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@deepthot,

I think one of the biggest problems of politics today is that people look at it as a career. Politicians are there to serve the people, and when the thought of re-election comes up, there's no way politicians can make unbiased resolutions to anything. I think there needs to be a one term maximum in each position in government to keep ideas cycling and fresh. The other biggest problem is that the country looks at itself as a nation divided into states. The problem with this is that when the economy hits low points like it is experiencing now, representatives rarely look at the broad picture. Take NASA for example. O'bama wants to scrap the Constellation program because there is just not enough money to fund a large scale production effort such as this. In it's place he's suggesting that NASA forms a branch that will regulate space travel standards much like the FDA regulates standards. When this is put into place, NASA will hand production and development efforts over to private companies. This will not only save jobs that would be lost if NASA were to attempt to continue the constellation program without necessary funding, but it will also spur a revolutionary branch of industry in the world. We would be the only country encouraging private corporations to create space travel vehicles and would pioneer commercial space crafts. The problem is that the representatives from states such as Utah, Alabama, Florida and Texas that have a hand in the constellation program are violently opposed to it. They state it's because it will hurt their economy. These representatives should be representing the NATIONS best interest, not the interest of their state. All states are intertwined and our government should be making more decisions based on what's best for each individual industry rather than what's best for each individual state.

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@deepthot,

I belive it's very hard to whipe corruption as of such, where there is great power to exact and gain, the human factor is frail and victim for temptation.

If a ambicious politically interested person wants to gain power, it would be immensly difficult to break through and make a name for youself, that anyone should take serously.

If a major company has 200 billion $ in capital, floating around in the bank, it would be irrational if that company should heed all them tree hugging activists, not to pollute, not to do this, not to do that, it would only be logically that the company would "contribute" such abicous politician to queslh the negative voices, and further not make legislations that contradics the company's will.

I can't remember the name of those cases, but there are some. :Not-Impressed:

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@HexHammer,

HexHammer;140270 wrote:

I belive it's very hard to whipe corruption as of such, where there is great power to exact and gain, the human factor is frail and victim for temptation.

If a ambicious politically interested person wants to gain power, it would be immensly difficult to break through and make a name for youself, that anyone should take serously.

If a major company has 200 billion $ in capital, floating around in the bank, it would be irrational if that company should heed all them tree hugging activists, not to pollute, not to do this, not to do that, it would only be logically that the company would "contribute" such abicous politician to queslh the negative voices, and further not make legislations that contradics the company's will.

I can't remember the name of those cases, but there are some. :Not-Impressed:

Actually what happens here. Most large corporations actually like when congress passes bills to prevent future pollution for a particular industry. What they do is not an all out ban on the industry, they just make it so any new company to come along needs to pay a premium to insure it will follow the new regulated guidelines. What ultimately happens is that it becomes too expensive for new competitors to enter into that market thus allowing the corporation already there the free reign on how it wants to conduct business without worry of new competition.

Nothing ever gets better, because big corporation and big government are in bed together.

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@Krumple,

Krumple;140275 wrote:

Actually what happens here. Most large corporations actually like when congress passes bills to prevent future pollution for a particular industry. What they do is not an all out ban on the industry, they just make it so any new company to come along needs to pay a premium to insure it will follow the new regulated guidelines. What ultimately happens is that it becomes too expensive for new competitors to enter into that market thus allowing the corporation already there the free reign on how it wants to conduct business without worry of new competition.

Nothing ever gets better, because big corporation and big government are in bed together.

I'v worked in a company where the CEO was amongst the 30 ritches people in Denmark. He was consumed fully by greed, yet he was a polite man so all them naive group think people would never accuse him for anything.

He did many bad things, like exploiting trainees for the 11 h rule (they must not work without an 11 h break), why would such a ritch man with an immensly ritch comany do that? Why would he make chat rooms for 10-13 y, with nothing but pedos, the list goes on ..it makes me too sick to my stomach to say more about it.

But I'v seen senseless greed and evil, in big companies. Ofcause not saying there aren't good companies which are big, nor that minor companies aren't corrupted or clean.

Just trying to say, keep an eye open.

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@HexHammer,

HexHammer;140280 wrote:

I'v worked in a company where the CEO was amongst the 30 ritches people in Denmark. He was consumed fully by greed, yet he was a polite man so all them naive group think people would never accuse him for anything.

He did many bad things, like exploiting trainees for the 11 h rule (they must not work without an 11 h break), why would such a ritch man with an immensly ritch comany do that? Why would he make chat rooms for 10-13 y, with nothing but pedos, the list goes on ..it makes me too sick to my stomach to say more about it.

But I'v seen senseless greed and evil, in big companies. Ofcause not saying there aren't good companies which are big, nor that minor companies aren't corrupted or clean.

Just trying to say, keep an eye open.

The greed and corruption you (and Krumple, and all of us) have seen has soured you and made you cynical and very disillusioned, HexHammer. Yet we must avoid pessimism. It is a sickness. It builds nothing constructive. It throws cold water on creativity.

I would recommend optimism as a lifestyle. Try it. We will all feel better as a result, and we will all be in a position to be more effective in changing this world for the better.

Every realist is also an optimist, else he would lack the vision to be realistic. To imagine 'the best' is to have vision.

To be realistic is to hope for the best, to expect the worst, and to work to make the best come to pass, and to avoid the worst.

Think about it.

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@deepthot,

deepthot;140413 wrote:

The greed and corruption you (and Krumple, and all of us) have seen has soured you and made you cynical and very disillusioned, HexHammer. Yet we must avoid pessimism. It is a sickness. It builds nothing constructive. It throws cold water on creativity.

I would recommend optimism as a lifestyle. Try it. We will all feel better as a result, and we will all be in a position to be more effective in changing this world for the better.

Every realist is also an optimist, else he would lack the vision to be realistic. To imagine 'the best' is to have vision.

To be realistic is to hope for the best, to expect the worst, and to work to make the best come to pass, and to avoid the worst.

Think about it.

Yes this does seem to be coming from the wise! How did you get to be so wise? It must come with practice and age! Smile

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@deepthot,

deepthot;140413 wrote:

The greed and corruption you (and Krumple, and all of us) have seen has soured you and made you cynical and very disillusioned, HexHammer. Yet we must avoid pessimism. It is a sickness. It builds nothing constructive. It throws cold water on creativity.

I would recommend optimism as a lifestyle. Try it. We will all feel better as a result, and we will all be in a position to be more effective in changing this world for the better.

Every realist is also an optimist, else he would lack the vision to be realistic. To imagine 'the best' is to have vision.

To be realistic is to hope for the best, to expect the worst, and to work to make the best come to pass, and to avoid the worst.

Think about it.

:whoa-dude: I think you over analyze my statement, it's not that I say there are ONLY corruption, I just say there are some.

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@deepthot,

When I first heard about those ideas for campaign reform I was all for it, but now I'm not so sure.
Isn't the ability to raise more money one of those leadership qualities we admire?
I realise it's not that simple when it comes to where that money comes from but it's a question I gotta ask myself.
These pols tell us whatever they think we wanta hear anyway.
I would like to think that anyone running for office loves america more than money and power but I wonder, with this global economy thing going on it's hard to tell.
I don't mind a vicious dog if he's on my side of the fence.
Are they thinkin it'll be the United states of Earth?
What if it ends up the peoples republic of earth?

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Necessary political reforms to root out much corruption

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