This is how we save America.
Politicians are supposed to represent us. But most Americans have a near-zero impact on public policy.
America's corrupt political system is a complex problem. The American Anti-Corruption Act is a comprehensive solution.
The American Anti-Corruption Act sets a standard for city, state, and federal laws that break big money's grip on politics. It will:
Stop political bribery by making it illegal for lobbyists to lobby a politician and donate to their campaign. You can lobby, or you can donate, but you can't do both.
End secret money so Americans know who is buying political power.
Fix our broken elections so the people, not the political establishment, are the ones in control.
Bring conservatives and progressives together to pass Anti-Corruption laws in cities and states across America.
In communities across America, RepresentUs members – conservatives, progressives, and everyone in between – are working together to pass local Anti-Corruption Acts. Member-led RepresentUs chapters are leading the fight to protect our communities from the corruption that plagues Congress. Every town, city, state, and county has a unique political makeup, so every Anti-Corruption Act is uniquely tailored to the needs of each community.
In 2018, RepresentUs members helped to pass 23 anti-corruption reforms across the nation—that's more than at any other time in history.
By 2022, we'll pass dozens more, in pursuit of a tipping point where 'a rush of state activity leads to a change in federal law.'
STUDY: Passing state laws leads to federal reform.
The biggest changes in America almost always start in the states. From Women's Suffrage to Interracial Marriage, states led the way to federal reform. And it still works today.
Every municipal and state Anti-Corruption Act creates common-sense ethics, conflict-of-interest, transparency, and campaign finance laws. State Acts create the opportunity for federal candidates from that state to campaign on the anti-corruption platform – accountable to their constituents, not special interests.
Candidates who win election on this platform have a built-in incentive to champion Anti-Corruption laws in Washington, D.C. (because that's what got them elected). Every state we win gets us one crucial step closer to passing the American Anti-Corruption Act in the federal government.
The Strategy To End Corruption In Congress
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
This is how we save America.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
I read their proposal.
https://represent.us/anticorruption-...ource=homepage
Term limits are a great idea, the rest of what they propose is either ineffective, or unrelated to corruption in office by officials.
Ranked voting: How's that working out for NYC? It's a shitty idea at best.
Gerrymandering: Right now the biggest problem isn't gerrymandering but both parties setting districts friendly to them, and then there's "minority" majority districts to consider. Arizona already has an independent districting commission and all of the above still happens. The proposed solution won't work base on actual attempts to use it.
Open primaries: Why not 2 round voting instead? The first round eliminates all but the top 2 or 3 for an office with the largest 2 parties having a candidate included. Then there's a second round of voting for a winner. No primaries necessary.
Vote by mail and automatic voter registration: These do nothing to stop corruption or collusion in office by politicians
Public funding of elections: Highly unpopular and usually struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme court.
As for lobbying and such:
If you make it illegal for lobbyists to donate they will just work in parallel with organizations that can donate. The donations might get laundered through several hands to ensure there's no provable link between lobbyist efforts and the money but the end result will be the same as it is now.
As for politicians getting cushy jobs post office, that too is virtually unenforceable.
Instead, severely limit terms in office. Give little or no perks or benefits when the individual ends their term of service. No retirement, no other benefits. They have to get a job like the rest of us, thank you for your service. This is the best way to ensure minimal corruption. Politicians simply don't have the time to get corrupt in office and even if they do the damage is limited because they're soon gone by term limits.
Hello T. A. Gardner,
Thanks for reading it. You are very well read, and often cause me to learn more.
I have not been following the NYC race. Ranked voting is already in use all over the world. It is logical. Not using it causes people to vote against candidates instead of for candidates; and thus we don't find out who they really want. Ranked voting allows us to discover who is really preferred, while still allowing people to not feel like they are throwing away their vote if they vote for their true best choice. Why is it suddenly unworkable because NYC adopted it?
Do you think Arizona would be 5-4 Democrats/Republicans in the House if it was gerrymandered?
Closed primaries discourage voting.
Vote by mail is already used 100% in several states with no problems. It allows more people to vote, which fortifies and preserves our democracy. We need to open it up.
And we need to have automatic voter registration upon achieving voting age. Every American needs their chance to have a say in who runs our government.
Don't say rules and laws can't be created to address the revolving door of Congress and Lobbying until we actually try. Unless, of course, you LIKE having big money have such an influence on Congress.
Agreed on term limits, but retiring legislators should be properly compensated so they are less likely to accept post government big money offers.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
You're welcome.
An irrelevant appeal to popularity. Just because it is used doesn't mean it's useful or a good way to do things. I see it as a disaster for numerous reasons. Better two round voting.I have not been following the NYC race. Ranked voting is already in use all over the world. It is logical. Not using it causes people to vote against candidates instead of for candidates; and thus we don't find out who they really want. Ranked voting allows us to discover who is really preferred, while still allowing people to not feel like they are throwing away their vote if they vote for their true best choice. Why is it suddenly unworkable because NYC adopted it?
It'd be more like 7-2 Republicans to Democrats if it was Gerrymandered.Do you think Arizona would be 5-4 Democrats/Republicans in the House if it was gerrymandered?
Closed primaries are about the voters in a particular party selecting their candidate to run on the election ticket. Again, that's why 2 round voting works better.Closed primaries discourage voting.
Vote by mail is rife with potential for fraud. Again, an appeal to popularity doesn't mean we should.Vote by mail is already used 100% in several states with no problems. It allows more people to vote, which fortifies and preserves our democracy. We need to open it up.
Registering to vote is the same as choosing to vote. Each person should be able to choose, not be forced to.And we need to have automatic voter registration upon achieving voting age. Every American needs their chance to have a say in who runs our government.
I gave an example of how lobbyists would get around what was proposed. The lobbyists go to their congress critter and tell them what they want. Then an "independent" / "non-profit" group hands the congress critter a pile of money. Everybody involved knows what the score there is. It just changes the rules of the game.Don't say rules and laws can't be created to address the revolving door of Congress and Lobbying until we actually try. Unless, of course, you LIKE having big money have such an influence on Congress.
Better that ALL donations have to be made publicly and no group can shield donors. That is everything is out in the open. The only other rule is that groups with involuntary membership by employment or other reason (like union membership) must by law first get the permission of the members as public record, for each donation they want to make. Groups with voluntary membership don't have to do that since the members joined on their own volition.
That means a big corporation wants to donate a pile of money to congress critter X then they have to get the shareholders to vote to do that since they are the ones that are really making that donation being the owners of the company.
Term limits limit corruption to that term of service, can't go wrong with that.Agreed on term limits, but retiring legislators should be properly compensated so they are less likely to accept post government big money offers.
Hermes Thoth (07-04-2021)
https://www.researchgate.net/publica...onal_electionsExplaining the unpopularity of public funding for congressional elections
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poste...in-free-money/
https://promarket.org/2020/04/27/how...unding-system/How Barack Obama Spurred the End of America’s Public Presidential Election Funding System
Yep, Barack Obama was the first presidential candidate since public funding for Presidential elections was put in place to opt out of using it, it was so popular...
Hey, I offered evidence. You offer ad hominem.
But, if you want more of a drubbing
Communications Workers of America v. Beck
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supre...t/487/735.html
Brnovich v. DNC
https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/07/...tion-measures/
Supreme Court curbs Arizona public funding in elections
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...609-story.html
Supreme Court Strikes Down Limits On Campaign Spending
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/a...aign-spending/
Corruption is what goody-two-shoes Pollyannas talk about.
It's not good, we agree. We can do what we can---NEVER including term limits. That's what elections are for.
We can better regulate the lobbyists.
But compared to bad policy, it's barely a paper cut. Less than that.
Corruption costs us millions.
Bad policy costs us billions.
A sticky-fingered politician who votes correctly on the floor of congress
is worth ten times more than an honest idiot who votes incorrectly in terms of policy.
It should be obvious, but few people see it.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Samuel Johnson, 1775
Religion....is the opiate of the people. Karl Marx, 1848
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Kris Kristofferson, 1969
Best Strategy- VOTE DEMOCRAT!
But, that's always the best strategy for everything!
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