Forum Post: All We Are Saying, Is Give Democracy A Chance
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 9, 2011, 11:30 a.m. EST by ILikeDemocracy
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One Common Interest: End Corporate Lobbyists
from there all these other issues can be raised, debated, and voted on based on our representative government weighted one vote per one citizen.
Corporate lobbyists serve the interests of perhaps 1 in 1,000 of us. with those numbers I can imagine an end to the practice. One issue, one focus nearly all of us will agree on that will open the door to all the other issues being negotiated with our common interest in the forefront.
I think the next step in this process is for a single potent idea with broad support to emerge. agree? have another idea you think will do the job?
USA, your comment is totally reasonable, and it is why this is the issue to arise from this discussion.
eliminate corporate lobbyists and all the other issues will have a far fairer chance, one person, one vote.
Let's give democracy a chance!
If you want true equality between cooperate America and the Ninety-niners we should start with having an equal voice. This can only be achieved through passing a lobbing law that will limit any and all total contributions by one person or entity to $5000. This is the only way you can level the playing field. Other than focusing on this one crucial point, your efforts while most admirable will in the end prove to be futile.
This is "a new birth of freedom" and "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
snk2011, so we're agreed,
Let's Give Democracy a Chance!
You tried Democracy like you tried 2,000 years of the Christian religion and that did not work either. Time to make a freedom that is for real free of all the lies if you really want to take back your future.
bangbang, if you have a better idea, please share it. increasing the democracy in our country is the best idea I can think of, ending corporate lobbyists the most potent next step.
Direct democracy is doomed to failure. Even in our representative republic, there are masses of people who vote their interests above the interests of the country in order to secure benefits that they feel entitled to. It becomes mob rule and eventually crumbles. What emerges is usually not a pretty sight.
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy,(which is) always followed by a dictatorship." - Alexander Tyler , 1787
We currently live under the best form of government ever to grace the planet. Is it perfect? No. Is the the best there is? Yes. Could it use a few tweaks? Of course.
schnitzlefritz, we are agreed, let's not have direct democracy, nothing is perfect, but we can make tweaks.
Tweak number one: end corporate lobbyists.
let's Give Democracy a Chance!
Tweak number one: end all corporate lobbyists and non-corporate lobbyists. That is, end all special interest lobbyists.
One way to do that is to fundamentally reform the tax system in such a way that there can be no deductions of tax incentives possible. A tax whereby it doesn't take a tax accountant to figure it out. Wages earned X tax rate = tax owed. Apply this to personal and corporate tax returns.
schnitzlefritz, we have some consensus!
consensus is the key. I think corporate lobbyists represent perhaps 1 in 1,000 Americans. the other 999 of 1,000 of us have a chance to do something.
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing about other lobbyists. I don't think any organizations should be allowed to make a larger campaign contribution than my cell phone bill. and if corporate lobbyists are not allowed to donate money to congress, I don't see why unions should be allowed either.
the point is let's find a singular issue that will generate broad rational support and make a real contribution in delivering a government by the people and for the people.