Most Important Issue Facing America

Abolishment of Campaign Finance in America: The most important issue facing America

Please Flag this thread.

My fellow Americans, I have been pondering for quite a while what would be the greatest gift this generation could bestow upon future generations. The conclusion I came to is the realization of the gift that our founding fathers always intended us to have, a truly free country. To do this we MUST completely ABOLISH campaign finance as we know it.

Today, America is not free. Our political system, on both sides of the isle, is wholly corrupt. No politician ever gets elected unscathed. Every American knows this, yet we sit idly by and allow it to continue. Countless individuals enter the political system with the best intentions. They intend to make a better world for us to live in. However, what they end up doing is fall prey to corporate interests. Today, in America, it is completely legal to corrupt, or “lobby, a politician. This is legally done thru our system of campaign finance. Countless attempts have been made to “clean up” or “reform” campaign finance. All of these attempts at reform have been an abysmal failure. There is always some loophole that is taken advantage of to circumvent any real change. This process will remain unchanged forever unless something is done. Reform will never accomplish this task.

Instead, I propose that our only option is to completely abolish campaign finance as we know it today. This means that no individual, group, PAC, or corporation be allowed to purchase influence in our political system. This obviously begs the glaring questions-Who will pay? How will campaigns get financed? To me, the answer is obvious.

Given that corporations and individuals already pay for campaigns, I feel that they should continue to do so. However, the change is that they will not be able to do this directly, thus losing all influence. I am sure most of you understand what I am getting at. I propose that all campaigns (local, state, and federal) be financed by local, state, and federal taxes.

A study should be done to determine the average amount spent by individuals and corporations to finance campaigns in today’s system. This should be done for each income bracket for individual citizens and for each sector of industry for corporations. To give some examples; Average amount spent / donated by low, middle, and high income individuals; Average amount spent / donated by the pharmaceutical, auto, technology, oil, and financial industries, etc. Once these findings have been calculated and an average obtained, this average should be reduced by 30% and an appropriate tax amount be apportioned. In other words, the individuals (by income bracket) or industries that currently donate the most, will be taxed the most to finance campaigns, however they will receive no influence for their new form of donation, the new taxes.

In the end, by reducing this amount by 30%, all of these individuals and industries will ultimately spend less. I would say that all campaigns in America could be financed for as little as $1 billion dollars per year (really, the figure could be much less). Though $4 million per year is no small amount of money, it is a miniscule price to have a political system that can no longer be corrupted by the almighty dollar.

Look at it this way; we just spent $700 billion on a bailout for Wall Street. Wouldn't it make sense to spend $1 billion a year on all the elections held across the country, thus ensuring that our politicians were not corrupted the first day they took office?

Here are the benefits that we the American people would gain from this proposal:
- All candidates would receive an equal amount for their campaigns
- No candidate would owe favors to anyone except the American people
- Politicians would no longer have to spend huge amounts of their time in office pandering for money to fund their next campaign and could instead spend this time actually working for their true constituents, the voters
- Ultimately, donors would spend less per year on campaigns
- Individuals or corporations who do not normally donate money would no longer have to compete for influence with those who do donate
- We would gain a political system that is no longer corruptible by money

The benefits outlined above would be well worth any cost. The cost like I said would be at most a 0.5-1% increase in your taxes, be they individual income or corporate. This is a bargain if you ask me for a truly free country. However, this will not be an easy change to see accomplished.

The political establishment will resist this change and the corporations that rely on influence will resist this change. We the American people, however, should eagerly embrace this welcome change. Only a unified front by all of us could make this change possible. So please, please, write your congressman, write your senator, write the next president and demand this change. If an abolishment of the current campaign finance system were to be accomplished by this generation, every generation after us would thank us forever fore we would realize the dream of a truly free country, the one our founding fathers intended us to have. Essentially we would finally gain a country of, by, and for the people, not the corporation.

Please let me know if you too think this is a crucial issue and it you think my plan is feasible. Also, if you have any alternative plans, let me know, something, IMO, has to be done.

Again, please Flag this thread. I feel this issue needs to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible. America can not afford to continue to elect politicians who must pander to corporate issues and the almighty dollar from day one on the job.

[edit on 31-10-2008 by BluegrassRevolutionary]

I hate being so negative, but...

Does Campaign Finance really matter in mock elections?

reply to post by systemic.aberration


Sure it does. Read my thread and you will see why. We may actually get the country we all long for. The one our founding fathers intended us to have.

I do however understand your negativity, I feel it too.

[edit on 31-10-2008 by BluegrassRevolutionary]

reply to post by BluegrassRevolutionary


I think you will find that the issue of campaign financing can become minimized should we decide to apply term limits to both representatives and senators.

I read your entire post, and I also see where you are coming from...

I'm just a little more disenfranchised I guess
My solution to political corruption would be 'domestic regime change'... ie. switch to resource-based economy and get rid of politicians.

But, for the record, it sounds like a great idea.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I agree with you to an extent, however, IMO we would still have politicians who are corrupted from day one, even if they only get to serve for a few terms. Plus, I think we would lose a lot of experience, experience that is greatly needed.

reply to post by systemic.aberration


I agree, I too would like to see a resource based economy. I guess you too recently have watched Addendum. By the way, thanks for the vote of confidence. I believe this is a critical change that America desperately needs.

reply to post by BluegrassRevolutionary


Yes, I saw addendum... but that whole Venus Project thing, pure hypocrisy! They reject capitalism by selling books and property... bah!

That was off-topic, let's get back on yours... lol

reply to post by systemic.aberration


lol, Thanks.

I agree about the VP by the way. At least in terms of its practicality.

reply to post by systemic.aberration


Back on topic, do you see my solution as feasible. Would Americans accept another tax, even if it was one that would guarantee them honest politicians???

The most important issue facing America is money

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


In a way, I think we agree.

Money can be the root of all evil. Especially when combined with a lust or greed for it.

I agree with Lunacy...

The most important issue to most Americans right now is money. Proposing more taxation while in a financial sh*tstorm would not go over very well. 10 years ago, it would have been perfect....

reply to post by systemic.aberration


I definitely hear your point. But I do feel that the cost would be minuscule compared to the benefits gained.

[edit on 31-10-2008 by BluegrassRevolutionary]

reply to post by BluegrassRevolutionary


You do make very good points in your argument. Perhaps you should take it to the next level; web site, voting and petition web sites, etc. Get some good statistics out of it, and send it up to your Governor, Rep, Senator, etc.

If you believe in it, then run with it. That's what America is supposed to stand for - following your dreams and beliefs. Just Do It. (tm)

reply to post by systemic.aberration


I hear you. However, before I look at some of the courses of action you outlined, I wanted to see what some of my esteemed fellow ATSers thought about it. When I stated that many current politicians and entrenched industries would resist such a change, I really felt that this was an understatement.

Many incumbent politicians like the status quo, they like being able to out spend their opponents. At the same time, many entrenched industries (pharma, energy, defense, etc.) rely on being able to buy their influence. I am afraid any politician trying to overcome such obstacles would be climbing an almost insurmountable mountain of resistance.

That being said, I also feel that a huge majority of voters would be behind such a movement. There is the possibility that if enough people got behind an idea like this, that it just may have a good chance of success. Quite frankly, many political campaigns have been waged around platforms that were much more trivial and meaningless. I don't know, I have been told by many of my friends that I would make a great politician. lol

[edit on 31-10-2008 by BluegrassRevolutionary]

reply to post by BluegrassRevolutionary


reply to post by systemic.aberration


Whether you are for or if you are against the monetary system, it is the biggest issue America faces. Which is why I said money

Originally posted by BluegrassRevolutionary
I agree, I too would like to see a resource based economy.

I am more inline with this thinking then I am not