Focus On the First Step - CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

[fightforus]

It doesn't matter what issue is important to you or what side of the issue you are on.  If you are not part of a big money special interest group, your interests are secondary with your elected legislators as they need big money for election campaigns in our current system.  If candidate "A" won't take the large dollar contributions from the special interest (i.e. financial institutions, health insurers, oil companies, etc.) then the contributions will go to candidate "B" so it is a game that they all have to play in the current system.  Our Supreme Court will now allow international concerns to contribute to this our elected officials.  The result?  Corruption, deep and far reaching.  Com Ed just contributed a large sum of money to all of our state house legislators and a few days later they voted to approve rate increases for a Smart Grid system that should be achievable with current rates.  Coincidence?  I think not!  Our legislators want to become millionaires just like everyone and they have put in place a means to achieve it quickly by being able to offer their services to the highest bidder.  Campaign finance reform is the lowest common denominator needed to clear the minds of our legislators to enact any meaningful changes for most Americans.  Publicly funded campaign opportunities and/or laws need to be the norm in all 50 states and at a federal level.  7 states currently have the option for candidates to run as a fair elections candidate but this movement has the potential to focus on this root problem and allow the People to win back our country.  We need to focus on the lowest common denominator and that is getting the special interest money out of the pockets of our legislators.  Without the first step of campaign finance reform and the availability of fair elections then everything else will fail.  Please let's all focus on this starting point.  Our legislators are all fairly pleased that we haven't focused on them yet but ultimately they are the problem because our system requires that they line their pockets with special interest money to get elected and then they have to follow thorugh with legislation that favors their bosses.  WE CAN HAVE A VOICE AGAIN!

[mcfuzz]

I am 100 percent for deep campaign finance reform, lobbyist reform and and ending the revolving door as the backbone of our democratic transformation, and possibly for campaign finance reform, or public campaign finance, as the principle issue.

 

It is that important. Just like how the banks keep us in debt slavery, monied interests have the politicians in campaign finance slavery, and the process keeps decent candidates out.

Our biggest obstacles will be those who say this is not a worthwhile goal. This is THE single most important thing we can acheive discretely. Global shift in consciousness aside, this is what we need to fight for, seriously.

[jdrtimm]

Is this a proposal? I support the idea of us supporting the Fair Elections Now act, but we need to make that into a proposal and vote on it.