Heart, mind, soul and body
| By Mike Collins - Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:57 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Veterans for Progress | Broom Brigade |
Seems like I spend too much time cutting and pasting articles and opinions of others, I actually have a few ideas that may or may not be viable.
Publicly financed elections for starters, to include any party that wants to express their ideas. Green, Communist, Socialist, Libertarian, etc.. Bernie Sanders was elected as a Socialist senator. Look, the way I see it each candidate gets a piece of the district pie and the best message for the buck wins, they might even stay on topic and express solutions rather that personal attacks. Right now we have Republican and Republican light and in safe Democratic districts we have a big yawn. As it appears there is a monopoly of power in the two mainstream parties, the infusion of new blood seems to be crucial. Public financing and serious debate on PBS seems to be the only answer, for all the "how dare yous'" I am sure to get, I am also reasonably assured of "why the hell nots." Democracy is diverse, it's messy, but it's necessary to promote the voice of the minority. Those that don't want that voice heard are those that have all the power because of their economic prowess. A $ million a district works out to $ 435 million every two years, figure 100 million taxpayers, that works out to $217 each year for a better democracy. The way I see it, publicly financed elections will be the only way to attract those that can actually LEAD and not those that are skillful at attracting corporate financing and puckering up to the same.
Secondly, I'd like to see the Attorney General an elected position, there is really no room on the scales of justice for politics. Does anyone think for a second that Alberto Gonzales could win a national election for AG? There are not enough Ken Salazar's out there.
Thirdly, I'd like the defense budget cut in half, just for starters. We need the $250 billion for schools and colleges. Maybe then we can produce less paranoid bigots and more engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. That's $50 billion per state with a tangible return of 40 to one, making the coffers of each state fat enough to educate every man woman and child. Eventually states will be able to figure out their problem in energy, transportation and urban sprawl.
Fourthly, use the other half of the defense budget for diplomacy, As my pappy used to tell me, you get a lot more with sugar than with lemons
Publicly financed elections for starters, to include any party that wants to express their ideas. Green, Communist, Socialist, Libertarian, etc.. Bernie Sanders was elected as a Socialist senator. Look, the way I see it each candidate gets a piece of the district pie and the best message for the buck wins, they might even stay on topic and express solutions rather that personal attacks. Right now we have Republican and Republican light and in safe Democratic districts we have a big yawn. As it appears there is a monopoly of power in the two mainstream parties, the infusion of new blood seems to be crucial. Public financing and serious debate on PBS seems to be the only answer, for all the "how dare yous'" I am sure to get, I am also reasonably assured of "why the hell nots." Democracy is diverse, it's messy, but it's necessary to promote the voice of the minority. Those that don't want that voice heard are those that have all the power because of their economic prowess. A $ million a district works out to $ 435 million every two years, figure 100 million taxpayers, that works out to $217 each year for a better democracy. The way I see it, publicly financed elections will be the only way to attract those that can actually LEAD and not those that are skillful at attracting corporate financing and puckering up to the same.
Secondly, I'd like to see the Attorney General an elected position, there is really no room on the scales of justice for politics. Does anyone think for a second that Alberto Gonzales could win a national election for AG? There are not enough Ken Salazar's out there.
Thirdly, I'd like the defense budget cut in half, just for starters. We need the $250 billion for schools and colleges. Maybe then we can produce less paranoid bigots and more engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. That's $50 billion per state with a tangible return of 40 to one, making the coffers of each state fat enough to educate every man woman and child. Eventually states will be able to figure out their problem in energy, transportation and urban sprawl.
Fourthly, use the other half of the defense budget for diplomacy, As my pappy used to tell me, you get a lot more with sugar than with lemons
Comments are closed for this post.
How do you stop big dollar campaigns, in exhange for public financing?
I like your ideas, I just want to know what the answers to those concerns are.