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The Democrats may control the House, Senate and the Presidency, but the corporate sadists, like health insurers and Wall Street financiers, control the Democrats and Republicans. As long as there are backroom deals with big money special interests, the American people will suffer.
We see from the substantial contributions made to Democratic and Republican Senators and Representatives by the health care industry, that electeds' opposition to legislation that eliminates corporations is expected. Also expected is universal single-payer not being on the table since it cuts corporations all together. The ongoing histrionics behind the battle for a public option speaks volumes to the need for public financing of campaigns. Only when lobbyist bribery is forced from campaigns can we have any probability of honest representation.
Gratefully, my resident state of California is moving forward on campaign finance reform. The Fair Elections Bill, AB 583, authored by California Assemblymember Loni Hancock, will appear on the June 8, 2010 ballot. Californians who are interested in working to bring campaign finance to California are welcome to volunteer to help pass this landmark legislation.
According to California Fair Elections, campaign financing is currently quite successful in seven states where the system has been in place. Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont have all adopted Fair Elections systems. In the seven states and two cities where the system is being used, nearly 400 candidates were elected using only Fair Elections funding in their 2008 campaigns. Since public financing was first instituted in Arizona and Maine, elected officials have passed bi-partisan critically important legislation that would not have been possible if they continued to fear retribution from powerful special interests. In addition, more women and candidates of diverse backgrounds have won election in these states.
At the end of Capitalism: A Love Story, before he issues his audience challenge, our pal Mike tells us:
We live in the richest country in the world. We all deserve a decent job, health care, a good education, a home to call our own... and it's a crime that we don't have it. And we never will as long as we have a system that enriches the few at the expense of the many. Capitalism is an evil and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people. And that something is called DEMOCRACY.
My overly expensive iPhone dictionary app (Wordbook, $7.99) defines DEMOCRACY as:
1. the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives.
2. a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.
3. the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group.
I deduce from this definition that if our elected officials represent those who bribe them over those who elect them, democracy doesn't exist. Thus, in our current system, we do not have a democracy. It is crystal clear to me why our pal Mike is challenging us "to start pressuring our Congress people to get the money out of Congress." I understand why Mike believes "we need publicly financed elections and we need THE PEOPLE deciding how this democracy is run."
I'm wholly on board with our buddy's challenge. I will participate fully and energetically to get the bribery, thuggery and robbery out of government. Only when that task is accomplished can a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, exist.
Thanks, Mike, for issuing this challenge!
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