There are many organizations but only one goal. Clean Elections run by those at the precinct level as outlined above. In that way we take back control of how government is run and at the same time, if we come together to accomplish that goal, we make even more important changes possible.
While it is essential that the people control the vote it is far from the only thing we should control.
Asked why he robbed banks Willie Sutton, career criminal, said, “Because that is where the money is.” Sutton had noticed that it was more profitable to rob banks than the little old lady down the street; more return for time invested.
That explains exactly why centralized control did not, could not work. Remember the concept of an attractive nuisance? Large pots of money motivate those least ethical individuals to lie, cheat, and finagle their way into power so they can grab the cash. In comparison, robbing banks is honest.
The other principle we need to keep in mind while mulling these naturally occurring impulses on the part of humanity is the economic principle of, “bad money drives out good.” This is equally true of ethics. There are many things good people will not do to be elected; nothing bad people will not do to get themselves in the seats of power.
It is a lot of trouble to defend those large caches of power and money. It is exhausting, aggravating, and, eventually, impossible. Many on the Left are now realizing this, sitting there exhausted and bereft of money while the candidates they worked for join the million dollar club through their elected offices.
Concentrations of power and money inevitably result in the kind of free-for-all that we are now witnessing among corporations that have worked to use government and a government that feeds off corporations.
I repeat the H. L. Menckenism, “Elections are Futures Markets in Stolen Property.” If power and money is concentrated the inevitable will occur.
Therefore control needs to be returned to where it always should have been, to individuals at the most local level. Retail stealing is easier to catch and less likely to be appealing to habitual criminals and politicians.
Many on the Left will realize that this is where they wanted to go anyway; many on the Right will be chagrined at their long misspent romance with the power of corporations. We all make mistakes.
We need to assert a rigid and unbending accountability. That is why the election integrity advocates on the Left have been calling for elections with transparency and accountability. We need transparency in all parts of our lives. With transparency cheating becomes impossible.
Naturally, those with greed in their hearts and minds did all possible to reduce the risk they would be held accountable for their predatory behavior. They were well aware of the hazard of accountability. Our laws on racketeering and the abuse of power deal with these questions as a stronger and larger movement including Left and Right continues the Revolution.
That is why Bush keeps trying to sneak a pardon into bills under consideration by Congress. Even he knows he is liable. That also accounts for the posh Bushland built on the 100,000 acres in Paraguay. No extradition. He and many of his friends have caches of money parked in the basement or off shore so they can make their get-away.
So in addition to ensuring that elections are localized and controlled by the people we need to ensure the following:
The power of government is returned to the people at the most local level. We all know, through sad experience, that the states also engage in the same kind of corruption of power and money. Fortuitously, they are also bankrupt and will be grateful for the funds we can return to the state level by asserting accountability at the federal level.
Corporations are stripped of the power that makes it possible for them to evade accountability.
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