Forum Post: The First Step is to Address the Corruption and Legalized Bribery!!!!
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 26, 2011, 10:55 p.m. EST by LSN45
(535)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
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!!!
one way to do it:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/occupied-amendment-spread-the-word/
The government is a business just like any corporation. Companies are in business for the money first and foremost. Those within government are likewise in it for the money. And people will ALWAYS come second to profits or monetary gain in general. That's why "good business" generally translates into "bad humanitarianism". Where profit is the motive, ethics takes a back seat. Companies like to make people think they care.. it makes them look good. But really they just want your money. Politicians will also tell you they care. They will tell you whatever they think you want to hear not because they care, but because they want your vote. They have no problem with promising the people one thing, while being bribed by a corporation to do something contrary.
The only reason this is possible is because money is the only way to obtain the things we need and desire.. whether it's status or material gain. It's the only incentive, it's the only motivator, and it feeds our propensity for greed. In fact, it feeds every negative trait we have and practically ignores all the positive ones. But people insist that money is necessary, and are happy to slave away 8 to 10 hrs a day to make money because they honestly believe there is and can be no other way. But there is...
http://www.unitinghumans.com/2011/11/global-world-unity-working-together-to.html#.TtGZFwElbPc.facebook
the FIRST step is to get lucid on the wiki.
http://occupythiswiki.org/wiki/Ego_Centered_Front_Burnerism-_Whats_wrong_with_putting_your_pet_issue_to_the_front_of_the_priority_list.
End the Fed ends all corruption. Thats where you start. Its the core problem in our worlds society. Start at the core and work your way out. If you start on the outside it allows the bankers to corrupt what you put in place. You got to end there rule or you will never win.
no.. end the Fed and some other entity will only take it's place. Think about ending the use of money itself and then you'd be on to something.
That would be nice but what would take its place. Going back to the good old trading days is not likely in America. Some sort of monetary system would need to be in place. Put the monetary system back in the people's hands would be a start imo. Just not sure if you could ever get a world using no currency. If we would eliminate it in the USA well the rest of the world would have too. We still need imports for certain items and those foreign countries may not accept what we would offer as fair value through a trade.
no, we could switch to a resource based economy instead. No more need for barter and trade. And yes, it would need the cooperation of the whole world. Or if one country turned into a moneyless society, it could use technology to make itself self-sustaining. Eventually the rest of the world would get on board. I really do think it would be that much better. But an idea like this needs lots of people working on it. And I'm no expert on anything.
Check out The Venus Project, they give a good example of how it could work.
Actually I have seen and read a few things on that method. it would be a very nice to achieve that. It may be possible one day but highly unlikely in our lifetime. Not trying to be a party pooper but we are not close yet on even ending the fed. We are getting there though.
The more it is discussed, the more people know about it and realize the system COULD be changed, the closer we will come to realizing it. Did you know it took almost 200 years before the ideas to reform the Catholic Church came to realization with Martin Luther? That's because it took so long for the initial ideas to be circulated and discussed by the population in depth. By the time Martin Luther came along, he had the aid of the printing press, and next thing you know there is Protestantism. Well, we have the internet so that gives us some hope :D