Forum Post: Politicians Bought Like A Beer In A Bar
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 12, 2011, 7:51 p.m. EST by dealdoctor
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Politicians Bought Like a Beer In A Bar
Bingo! You hit the heart of the problem. While occupying a dock or a foreclosure makes for more dramatic TV, it only reinforces the establishments attempt to frame the protests as something destructive. I wish this movement would wake up to the root cause. Here's my 2 cents:
There are a lot of improvements that need to be made. The list reforms people Americans want to see is long and varied depending on who you talk to. That said, I believe there is one reform that would provide the American people the best chances of seeing other meaningful reforms actually happen - that is REAL, loop-hope free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM! I have seen others on this site calling this the "fulcrum" or pivotal issue. Right now the current legalized bribery, pay-to-play system of campaign donations and paid lobbyists has disenfranchised the American voter. Until this is fixed, any other reform the politicians may try to placate us with (be it a change to healthcare, clamping down predatory school loans, new financial regulations, etc.) will be about as effective as a farmer putting a new roof on his CHICKEN COOP, but still letting the FOX guard it.
We need to go back to the original political currency. Instead of the current system of who can collect the most money from corporations and special interests it should be who has the BEST IDEAS to EFFECTIVELY RUN THE COUNTRY (we don't need "Wealth Redistribution," what we need is "Political Influence Redistribution")!
For the sake our our children and future generations of Americans, we need to take back our democracy from the rich and powerful who are using their vast sums of money to "speak" as if they represent millions of Americans. This "Corporate Personhood" that has crept into our laws is allowing them to manipulating our policies in their favor at the expense of the average American (the recent "Citizens United" Supreme Court ruling is a miscarriage of justice and must be reversed. The $50 or $100 a normal American may give to a political campaign becomes meaningless when corporations or other special interests are handing our millions to buy political access to the decision making process.
For decades now the corporations and special interests have had our "representatives" bought and paid for (both on the right and the left). Concentrating our efforts on getting the money out of our politics is the best way we can create an environment in which further reforms can be realized. Until we end the current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbying our politicians will continue to be the LAP DOGS of the corporations and special interests. What we need first and foremost is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!! If the corruption is not dealt with first, the chance of any other meaningful reforms becoming a reality is almost zero - the special interests will just use their money to buy votes and put forward bills that create loop-holes or otherwise twist the law in their favor. If we want our children to live in a country where there vote matters, we need to get the money out of our politics, otherwise they will increasingly become the 21st century version of the "landless peasant." Spread the word - End the LEGALIZED BRIBERY!!! CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM needs to be THE main goal of the protests!!!
Yep, see my new post here " Strike at the one root of all our democracy's problems"
Most politicians that run for office, either have a lot of money, or they become millionaires by being in office. The majority of these crooks become career politicians and they only goal is to make money off the backs of the American Taxpayer and then work as Lobbyists for Corporations they were supposed to be regulating and then as heads of these same corporations! It is nothing more than greed and corruption and it needs to stop. The American voters did not elect these greedy corrupt crooks to enrich themselves at the expense of the voters! We will prevail in the elections of 2012 and kick out all these greedy politicians who work for Wall Street, the Banks and the Corporations! They are supposed to be representing US, not them!!!
Amen! We need to reform our election laws to get the bribery out!
I share your sentiments but how do you figure 2012? That isn't to say the National General Assembly won't put RepubliCrats between a rock and a hard place, it will. Either the government does OUR bidding or they blow the last chance we gave them. At least we'll have the absolute justification we need to persuade Americans that the third party is the only answer. Patience friend.
2012 is when the elections occur in November, it is the date that all Americans who can vote, a chance to kick out all the greedy and corrupt politicians out of Washington. It gives OWS a chance to start a dialogue with politicians to twist their arms that in voting to get them re-elected, they must either promise or put down in writing that they will work to change goverment and end greed and corruption. Third parties only take away votes from candidates who have a chance of winning, third parties have never and will never garner enough votes to win a Presidential Election. What we need to do is pressure the Democrats to support the changes that the OWS movement wants, the Republican and Tea Party are nothing but pawns of the rich,special-interests and corporations. We must begin to pressure the Democrats, frankly, because we have no other choice!
Sorry, 'will never' and 'no other choice' aren't in my vocabulary. And I'm done with Republi/Crats promises too.