Forum Post: ONE DEMAND 180,000 agree on so far
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 12, 2011, 4:53 a.m. EST by RobEliakimJanos
(15)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
We seem to be coming to a consensus, slowly. One of the singular demands rising up is "Get the money out." A simple slogan working towards a true democracy, where votes count, not money. There is a petition on http://www.getmoneyout.com/ as of right now it is just shy of 180,000 signatures.
This is one important step towards accomplishing our goals.
If we are going to take back our democracy as the representatives of the 99%, we need to focus on our votes mattering more than the money of the 1%.
It has also been suggested by numerous people that we work towards a direct democracy, where we vote not only on candidates, but on issues. This could be facilitated VIA internet, or by our representatives taking consensus of Thier constituents before voting on or suggesting bills.
These are coming to a point, but it is not yet a fully adopted ONE DEMAND. Discuss, please.
Personally, I agree that restoring, if not for the first time having, a true democracy, is the one solution for all of the corruption we have seen. This is one of many ongoing attempts to focus not on the effects of corruption, or its causes, but at its ability to control our government.
I would say check out this petition, and please see if we can agree with, or atleast discuss, the possibility of true democracy being what we can focus on as a singular demand. Count votes, not money. And then, vote on issues, not just elected officials.
Thank you all for your time.
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.
Signed.
Oh and I also bookmarked it and will be passing it along. Doubt it will make it, but hey have to start somewhere.
This is a good start, but sooner than later we must start demanding something bigger and more sustainable. I propose a discussion on our ultimate demand being enacting the Venus Project or a variation thereof.
http://youtu.be/DqplP-E8Dvw Jacque Fresco is an amazing man that dedicated his entire life to this vision and he is truly inspiring.
playing Devil's Advocate, I disagree. You're still playing a system that can be gamed. It still limits us to the 2 party system. Also, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-look-of-a-winner our politicians are frequently elected by their looks, not by their stances. This doesn't address that and without ads we will have less access to learning about their platforms.
I think that getting money out of the election process is a good initial step. I also think it's important to somehow restore the media to a fact-based entity that serves the people not the government. This may help to clarify some of the issues so that we may find the best solutions for the problems: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRVRbpJMP0
Written statement (haven't watched video yet) agreed on. One thing this movement has done wonderfully is create a global network of citizen based networking of news and needs real time. We are the media. If we maintain organization, we may see the politicians asking for interviews from us, especially if we boycott the "mainstream" entertainment media.