Forum Post: When there is no accountability.
Posted 13 years ago on Dec. 20, 2011, 10:01 p.m. EST by DKAtoday
(33802)
from Coon Rapids, MN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
We have the chaos and corruption we have today.
also a thank you from Sen. Bernie Sanders ( please share )
Dear Friend,
Thank you for signing the petition supporting The Saving American Democracy Amendment. The outpouring of support from you and tens of thousands of others sends a loud and clear message that the American people want to undo the disastrous 5-4 Citizens United Supreme Court decision. We must stop corporations from spending unlimited sums of money, without disclosure, to influence Americans elections. American democracy is not for sale.
Reverse the Citizens United decision.The Constitution is an extraordinary document. It has served our country well for more than two centuries. In my view, however, this is one of those rare times when a constitutional amendment is the only way to save the democracy that our founders created.
Passing a constitutional amendment will not be easy and it will not happen tomorrow. It is a long and difficult process and there will be many bumps along the road. Like other great struggles in our modern history – women's rights, civil rights, environmental protection, etc. – we will need to bring millions of Americans together to demand that Congress and state legislatures represent the needs of ordinary Americans, and not just the wealthy and powerful.
The promise of democracy -- the essential democracy this amendment is directed at protecting – is that the ultimate power in our nation rests with its people, and not with corporations or even elected officials. Our joint effort to defend this nation's democratic electoral process is something that speaks to what being an American is about, and something we should be very proud of.
I hope you ask your friends to sign the petition. And if you aren't already a subscriber to The Bernie Buzz, we'll sign you up for the electronic newsletter to keep you posted on what's happening to the amendment and other news in Washington. (If you do not wish to receive the Bernie Buzz, you may unsubscribe below.)
Sincerely, Bernie U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
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right on
That's just a sad fact of life. What I'm curious about is what you think would be the best path to reining in the corruption and holding both public and private sectors of the economy accountable to the American people.
Start with the Justice Department filing charges of fraud to WallStreet, if nothing else. This would begin the opening of the cesspool. I mean seriously give a derivative a AAA rating just before it tanks? Or Banks making mortgages that are guaranteed to fail? Start getting some serious prosecution going and see who starts hollering to make a deal and turn states witness.
I figured as much; it's why I put my name on pretty much every petition sent my way to support our (NY's) attorney general in calling for actual hard investigations of banks and financial institutions involved in derivative and CDO markets, as well as any and all institutions and persons reasonably suspected to have been involved in fraud.
Well it is a start on a proper process, the hard part is getting others to participate. To also circulate the petitions that come their way once they have signed them or just to keep them circulating if they think that they have merit but are afraid to sign. Get them out into the public to be noticed and considered.
Actually we do have accountability but the American people are too ingrained into the two party system to exercise it by voting based on quality rather than mindless horse race party voting.
Here is an opportunity for exercising some accountability, let's kick out of Congress all of the current members who, in 1999, voted to repeal Glass-Steagall. A link to a compilation of them is at this thread:
Purge Congress in 2012 --- Plan Now! (Action Plan Proposal) http://occupywallst.org/forum/purge-congress-in-2012-plan-now-action-plan-propos/
OK. That is a reasonable and practical approach to begin a house cleaning in government. But we also need to do something about the Judicial system, the Justice Department not filing charges against the economic criminals of WallStreet. Because that could also lead to a house cleaning of another sort in government of non-elected officials.
I agree.
And I think that seeing the politicians get purged would inspire the careerists in the Justice Department to act more responsibly before a new crop of more responsible Congress critters start oversight hearings into Justice failure to investigate the Wall Street predators.
Now is the time to start talking, preparing and pushing.
As you can see this post is not very popular here. It's been posted since 12/20/2011. Your the 4th to venture a comment and one of the other three does not count.
Actions v. Words
I would love to see the forum broken in two ways. 1. States. And within the states 2. Actions versus words. Lots more people on these forums want just to type words and they are not really helping the few who would like to discuss actual tactics and actions.
Start with a strong war of petitions demanding change, demanding charges, demanding recalls of elected officials.
I am trying to get these petition processes started. But either people are afraid to sign or they don't feel it is worth their time.
Petitions can be a strong starting point. They just need creation, participation and advertising.
Petitions are particularly strong when done within a legislative district. When a member of a legislature sees a mass of their own voters being assertive enough to sign their real names to petitions they take serious notice.
And it doesn't take lots of people either.
The average member of Congress is elected with no more than 1-200,000 votes. Often less. They look at hard mail letters to them as being representative. If one person is willing to write there could be a hundred or a thousand who feel the same way but don't have the assertiveness to write. Petitions really scare them. If they consider each signature as being representative of a thousand like-minded people and there are one hundred signatures they are looking at the potential of losing an election if they don't agree with and respond to that petition.
I have gotten U.S. senators to support controversial things I requested of them by my simply writing to them and Faxing it to them. They see such immediate aggressive acts as meaning there could be a significant body of support for that issue. Add a couple of dozen signatures of like-minded friends to that letter and you scare the hell out of them.
By the way. this is not simply my personal theory. I had a state legislative aid explain it to me some fifteen years ago. It has worked for me ever since.
Thanks for the support.
People please consider aahpat's reply on the power of petitions.
If it is done correctly it can be powerful.
I believe that Petitions on a national level that address our Federal Government and various Agency's could also be powerful. Let those in power/office know that these are not isolated concerns or issues.
Stand-up and sound-off. Let your voice be heard.
I Agree with that.
But Doom Mongering is fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFtpXbWp9Cc
that fucking repelican party is
You can monger doom somewhere else.
Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4hVZYHW2So
Here is a place where you can directly address change. Take part, it does not hurt and may very well heal/help. Forward the cause of reform and rebirth.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Ag8nw/zL2Q/B18Bb
Popular petition:
http://sanders.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=clickthru&gpiv=2100081904.557411.411&gen=1&mailing_linkid=34578
Stop in for an education and some humor.
Sen. Bernie Sanders : http://sanders.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=2100082114.557454.368&gen=1
No-one cares about accountability? As in lack thereof?
For those of you just checking in.
Don't forget to petition the Justice Department to start prosecuting the economic criminals. There has to be accountability.
This is why we are here this is why you are needed.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/inside-job-documentary/
Share, circulate, educate, inspire.
See also people from all walks of life, from all over the political map "not" supporting a party or leader or group of leaders but "supporting an Ideal".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Bgqt1YYko
For those of you just checking in.
Don't forget to petition the Justice Department to start prosecuting the economic criminals. There has to be accountability.
This is why we are here this is why you are needed.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/inside-job-documentary/
Share, circulate, educate, inspire.
See also people from all walks of life, from all over the political map "not" supporting a party or leader or group of leaders but "supporting an Ideal".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Bgqt1YYko
This is why we are here this is why you are needed.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/inside-job-documentary/
Share, circulate, educate, inspire.
Anyone else?
Take action. See samples of how below.
183,361 signatures so far for Bernie Sanders petition as of 10:15am central time 01/15/2012
http://sanders.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=clickthru&gpiv=2100081904.557411.411&gen=1&mailing_linkid=34578
The petition to save abandoned houses has 15 signatures. We picked one up at around 9:50pm 01/13/2012. Were just rolling right along.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Savingpeople-savinghomes-payingdowntheNationaldeficit/
Here is a place where you can directly address change. Take part, it does not hurt and may very well heal/help. Forward the cause of reform and rebirth.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Ag8nw/zL2Q/B18Bb
Sierra Club has some good things to take part in as well. Set-up and ready for you to take part in. http://sierraclub.org/