Series, Part 2: Taking Back Our Government (Part 1)

Okay folks, remember those "insurmountable tasks" I referred to in my introduction to this series? Here's the first, most insurmountable, and yet most absolutely critical task we need to undertake in order to take our country back from those who have usurped it:

1. Abolish ALL private funding of political campaigns, replacing it with limited PUBLIC funding.

Just absorb that for one moment. Read it again, if you need to do so.

I would submit to you that the number one reason we no longer have a government "by the people" is that our politicians are willing to sell their souls to whatever devil has the money in hand to finance their election and re-election campaigns. Neither I nor 90% of the people living in this country have the financial capability to influence a politician's thinking. So, effectively, this country is being run by that 10% (or less) who does. That's not government "by the people..."

And I know what you're thinking "Seriously? You want me to pay MORE in taxes to finance these thugs' election campaigns?" It's a simple choice, my friends. Either you let them keep being bought and sold by special interest groups who NEVER have your best interest at heart, OR, you make them beholden to every single taxpayer in this Country just by upping your taxes a few dollars a year! I'd pay the extra taxes to get my government back, wouldn't you? The key would be to sharply limit how much any politician received. If you're running for a local office, you get XXXX amount of dollars. If you're running for state, you get XXXXX. Federal, XXXXXX. And not a dime nor even a PENNY shall you spend beyond that which you receive from the taxpayer. Not your own money, not anyone's money but what is allotted to you by the public coffers. And, I would further argue that giving them a flat, taxpayer-funded amount would virtually eliminate any and all "thugs" considering a run for public office.

Our current system of campaign finance is nothing short of legalized, thinly-disguised bribery. You know this, I know this, the people doing the bribing know this, and most acrimonious of all...the politicians know this.


And therein lies the rub, doesn't it? We're going to have to find some way, as citizens, to make this become the law of the land. Because we all know there's not a single politician, from the local city board all the way up to the White House, "left" "right" or "in between" that would ever vote "yea" on a bill that would enact this as law. Hell, you'd be hard-pressed to find a politician who would even propose such a bill with a straight face!

I'm not going to tell you I know how to make this happen...because I don't. But for anything else to be accomplished, this must be the first step.

Series, Part 1: The Common Sense, No B.S. Way to Fix This Country

So, I've had some discussions in the recent past about politics, both about specific situations, and things in general. My conclusion is that while we all may have our disagreements on exactly what needs to be done ideologically to get this country back on the right path, we have FAR more common ground as citizens than you would think if you were just to watch the political shenanigans coming out of Washington D.C. ("District of Criminals," as one of my friends so aptly put it the other day...don't even recall who but I thought it was hilarious.)

During one of these conversations we were discussing how real change could be brought about in this country. I think I have some pretty solid ideas on how that can happen. The person I was conversing/debating with made the very apt point that "you're telling all this to someone who absolutely cannot do anything about it." So I'm taking up that challenge. I'm going to write a series of blogs on the steps I feel are necessary to get this country back to where it should be. I will tell you up front that most of these things have nothing to do with being Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican, Christian or Atheist. These are all ideas and ideals that we can get behind as Citizens.


And so that I won't be just "...telling this to someone who absolutely cannot do anything about it," I intend to forward links to my blog to both houses of Congress, the White House, and the major media outlets as I complete them. Will it do any good? Perhaps not. But at least I'm making the effort at having my voice heard.

The "mainstream politicians" have usurped and sold out the ideal of a government "by the people, of the people, and for the people," and we are the only ones...you and I...Joe and Mary Citizen, who can get that back. I will not deceive you...I will tell you from the outset that it will not be easy. In fact, some of the things I will propose will seem insurmountable hurdles. But you know what? Go ask one of the Founding Fathers the definition of "insurmountable!"

Why are we so easily distracted by side shows?

Tweeted pictures of Weiner's Weiner: When there are untold numbers of women abused, tortured, enslaved and murdered around the world on a daily basis. We have the power to stop it, and we do next to nothing to do so.

Caylee Anthony: When there are untold numbers of children abused, tortured, murdered, starved (intentionally or through poverty), living on the streets. We have the resources to end *all* of it, and we do next to nothing.

Lindsay Lohan behaving like a 2 year old (and boy don't we let her have it for doing so?). When we are raising our own children to expect that everything will be handed to them and they will never be told "no" (not by our words of course...we preach a good game...but by our actions.)

I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the picture.

These circus side shows are mirror reflections of what our society is spiraling down into...and as such should be a wake-up call to much broader action

But instead...they're just distractions that keep us from having to deal with the reality.

We watch "reality" shows to avoid dealing with REALITY.

We obsess over the symptoms...while totally ignoring the causes AND the solutions.

Because "smh" is the EASY thing to do......