I believe that our government is being controlled more and more by money and business interests and less and less by voters and the interests of the American public. I would like to see the laws and social programs created under the influence of contributions for large organizations should be reevaluated by a group more accountable to Americans, and I believe when this happens many issues will be found and great change will occur, so great the change that it will have to be done in stages. But in order to consider these changes we need to elect representatives more attuned to what American people want and less biased towards what big businesses and campaign contributors want.
Tom Delay’s practices need to be addressed, but I believe the bigger problem is the statement being made how he has chosen to defend himself. He has said and others in Congress have agreed that what he is being charged with is doing what everyone in Congress does. Delay has taken money from lobbyists and voted immediately with their wishes and against his declared position. He has taken money from other governments and traveled to see their countries to get their advice on how to vote on policy that would affect these other countries. He has offered money and support for candidates in return for votes and then threatened to support their opponents if they did not take the bribe. He took corporate money, illegal to use in state campaigns, gave it to the national committee who immediately gave it to state congressional candidates thereby avoiding the letter of the law. And the defense he and the Republican Party have made is that this is how everyone operates in Congress. The problem is I think that in many cases they are right. And this is why the first reforms need to focus on money in Congress and the White House.
To begin to overhaul how the government serves the people of America we must start with how the government is chosen, we must start with campaign finance reform. We need to eliminate 527s, and in fact all corporate donations to federal elections like the states have from their elections. All campaign contributions should have to come from individuals, individuals in America are the ones who have a right to choose their representatives not businesses and special interest groups. I think we should also demand truth in advertising and so we should make all ads run by candidates go through a fact checking process before they are run. These changes would be a great start to help Americans select candidates that will truly represent them, allowing people to run who could do a great job but couldn’t raise the corporate sponsors needed to win an election now. And it would allow everyone who is elected to act for their constituents without being tied to groups and businesses that they need money from to get and keep their jobs.
The next step in choosing our government is the elections themselves. Barely more than half of eligible voters actually vote. Many people find it difficult to find time to get to the polls and some just feel as if their voice doesn’t reach anyone. Some of this is overcome by controlling how money affects candidates, but we must also look at taking away any deterrents from voting. This is the process that makes us so proud and we must remember that it is the right of every American to vote and the responsibility of our government to enable them to vote.
No one should be barred or questioned when entering a poll, and there should be clear rules stating what information is required of a voter for verification and it should be on the ballot and posted clearly in the polling place. Our government must take the burden of verifying all ballots cast by all people who attempt to cast them, whether or not they are pre-registered, provisional, or absentee. National Election Day should be a holiday that everyone celebrates by taking part in our great republic, and everyone should have a receipt that tells them who they voted for to take away as a souvenir. No one should have to wait hours to vote, we should keep track of how many voters use each poll and make sure to have enough staff and equipment to allow everyone to vote quickly. Election officials should not be allowed to take part in campaigns or show partiality in their public actions. We must stop purging thousands and thousands of people from voter lists every year without clear standards or validation that they meet any standard. If we make elections more accessible, we get better representation of what the people want in our government.
Accessible voting with clear rules should not be a political issue; they are the right of Americans and should be demanded by Americans. The individual’s right to have an equal voice with all one’s peers should be a guarantee, we should not have to fight with huge corporations and special interest groups with deep pockets to be heard by our representatives. These are basic rights described by our founders and now we must fight to restore them. |
