Forum Post: Constitutional Amendment
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 14, 2011, 8:20 a.m. EST by MikeHorsley
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This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The root of all the problems that OWS supporters are protesting about is based in CAMPAIGN REFORM. Individuals (not corporations, not PACs) should only be allowed to contribute and that contribution should be max'ed at 1% of the average median income in the US (~$5000). Politicians should no longer be bought by business!!! This national movement should be organizing a constitutional amendment vote by the states - bypassing congress - to enact this reform.
There is a way to do this. Check out "Republic Lost" by Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig. He calls attention to a relatively unknown process by which states can call for a Constitutional Convention. At such a convention, an amendment can be proposed to simply limit campaign contributions to a few hundred dollars per person, and prohibit donations from corporations and big money interests. It's a time-consuming and complicated process, but given the national OWS movement, a focus on this issue may garner a lot of support. Heck, even the Constitution worshiping Tea Party may even join in that effort. If we elect politicians who run campaigns on large numbers of small donations, they are likely to support policies and legislation that may actually benefit the average American. Who knows? A coordinated push for such a Constitutional Convention could be a simple and powerful message that might resonate through the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Perhaps along the lines proposed by Lawrence Lessig (Republic, Lost)?
The 1% Solution