Sunday, February 19, 2017

We Can Fix America’s Corrupt Political System

We Can Fix America’s Corrupt Political System 


Just about any person you talk to today feels that our government is corrupt. That’s right, the most powerful nation on earth is eat up with corruption. More and more Americans feel our democracy is completely broken.

If you have half a brain, it's obvious why? Lobbyist write our laws. Politicians are bought and paid for corruption touches every single issue in our governance. 


What is sad is that huge segments of people in America have disenfranchised themselves from the political process thinking there's nothing we can do about it. [corruption]

This thinking is one of the biggest cancers we have in our American democracy today! When you put this corruption under the microscope it's not that politicians are breaking the laws, in fact, there are no laws in place for them to break. There are some exceptions but not many or enough. 

Right Now, Corruption Is Legal in America


This factoid is something we can fix. For example, right now it's perfectly legal for "special interest groups" to hand over humongous checks to members of Congress who regulate and write laws. There is nothing to stop these members of Congress from passing laws that favor these groups even if said laws are a detriment to our society. 



Often, we see these same politicians accepting comfy jobs with these lobbying firms. This example is just one in a million we could use. 



We Must Make Corruption Illegal!

That's why the House of Public Discourse supports the "American Anti-Corruption Act." 

The American Anti-Corruption Act (commonly referred to as the "AACA" or "Anti-Corruption Act") is a piece of model legislation designed to limit the influence of money in American politics by overhauling lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws. ... Stopping political bribery by overhauling lobbying and ethics laws. [Wikipedia]
The "AACA" introduces a stringent set of ethical standards. For example, if you're a senator on the Banking Committee you can't take money or gifts from banking lobbyist. 
Stand With Standing Rock!!! $20.00 
Also, the "AACA" mandates full transparency so " We the People" know exactly who is paying what to whom. The "AACA" changes how elections are funded. The "AACA" achieves these things without taking away anyone's right to free speech. The bi-partisan constitutional scholars who authored this act wrote it in a way to withstand any legal scrutiny.

What About Citizens United?

While a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United would help corral those shadowy groups like "Americans for Freedom and Jobs and More Freedom." It would not fix any of the previously-mentioned problems. We could overturn Citizens United tomorrow and bribery, extortion, conflicts of interest, all of it would still be legal.

However, this corruption does pose an opportunity for those of us who desire to see it end. We can solve these problems with one comprehensive law. Which begs the question, but how?

How do we get such a law passed? Asking Congress to do so would be like asking a " Fox to put a lock on the Henhouse." However, not all is a loss here. We can go around Congress by using the " Ballot Initiative Process." This process allows citizens to pass laws ourselves. No politicians required. All we must do is gather enough signatures that would put the "AACA" up for a public vote and we can start fixing this out of control corrupt system we know as American Democracy.

Here's the Plan

    We need a law and our research here in the House of Public Discourse finds the "American Anti-Corruption Act" a great comprehensive and common sense law to put up for a vote.
    We need to bring all Progressives, Independents, and Conservatives together and get organized for this endeavor which in fact is one of the few political issues in modern politics that has bi-partisan appeal among the electorate. This is the only way to combat both the Global and National Oligarchs that control our two-party system in the present. For example, in 2014 both the " Tea-Party," and "Progressives" teamed up to pass the first anti-corruption act. In November 2014, a bipartisan coalition of Represent.Us members in Tallahassee, Florida, put America’s first municipal Anti-Corruption Act on the ballot – and they won. Since then, voters have passed initiatives for sweeping anti-corruption reforms in more than a dozen cities and states across America. In 2016, for the first time ever, comprehensive statewide anti-corruption legislation passed in South Dakota. [See Source]

    Using the Ballot Initiative process Represent.us proclaims there are some 22,000 cities across the country that we could pass locally tailored anti-corruption legislation. We have always felt here in the House of Public Discourse that solid positive change within our political system always starts from the local level.

    By starting from the local levels our efforts affect the communities we live in by protecting our schools, healthcare, resources, environment, and jobs from being sold out to special interest. Local politics matter! Also, starting at the local level builds momentum for passing legislation at the state level. 

    State Acts not only would clean up statewide corruption it would change how elections are funded. In doing so, "We the People" get clean politicians, not one's like in the present who are in the hip pocket of special interest groups. State Acts would affect federal candidates as well. Once these state laws are passed we can truly "drain the swamp," by sending a new wave of clean politicians to Washington. 

    By taking this fight against corruption to the local and state levels we can win this struggle against political corruption from the outside. And, once we have elected these fair-minded ethical politicians on the federal level we can then pass the "AACA" at the federal level.

    Some may say this is a loss cause that it's pie in the sky thinking and isn't practical.  Our response here in the House of Public Discourse to these claims is quite simple.

    • Was it pie in the sky for a band of thirteen colonies with no standing army to win a war against the strongest military power of its time?
    • Was it thought practical that slavery would be abolished?
    • Or, that woman and blacks would be allowed to vote.
    • Was it unpragmatic to think that Same Sex Marriage would be a reality in American society?
    • How many people said there would never be a person of color in the White House?

    Corruption of Influence - The History of Campaign Finance



    Written By: Johnny Hill

    Wednesday, February 15, 2017

    America's Flight From Reason



    America's Flight From Reason



    What has America's flight from reason cost us as a nation? Does any political candidate out there right or left have the intestinal fortitude to talk about ignorance as a political issue? These issues range from scientific research on Global Warming to the issues of war and peace. 

    In this ever-growing age of unreason, people seem to be focused on small personal facts as opposed to big issues. But even more than that lack of knowledge and unreason affects the way candidates speak about everything.  

    A good example is the healthcare situation in this country. It's a very important issue. All the candidate’s say it is. But, if people are not knowledgeable about how healthcare is handled in other countries how can they make a reasoned decision about how to solve our nation’s healthcare issues. If you don't have a base of knowledge to be able to compare facts about this issue how can one make an informed choice?



    How can people have a reasonable discussion about how things ought to be if they have no real knowledge of the facts?

    Our political culture reflects our general culture. In many ways, our political culture is shaped by our general culture. Our research here in the House of Public Discourse has led us to the conclusion what America really needs is an " Educator in Chief" than a " Commander in Chief." There is no quick dose of change in today's culture. Our politicians of today including Obama have failed miserably in educating the people before such changes are proposed. Cognitive Dissonance is alive and well in America. " Critical Thinking" is at a loss.

    Many American's Can't Stand or Tolerate Contradictory Opinions. Why?


    This in part is why our countries population is becoming dumber by the day. When one creates a vacuum for themselves and shuts off any evidence, facts, or contradictions from their minds the less informed they become about the issues. Studies have shown that people's attention spans, in general, have grown shorter and shorter over the years. Time Magazine reported in 2015 that people have shorter attention spans than a Goldfish.



    A great example how American citizens are controlled by their own cognitive dissonance is the outcry from the Christian Right and their orderly followers to have " Creationism" taught in Public School ignoring the detailed science and empirical evidence of evolution.

    In fact, only 30% of Americans in a recent poll believe every word of the Bible is true. [See Source] Which begs the question is America really a Christian nation? 

    What we are getting at here is there has been a huge failure of education in America and it's getting worse by the day. Betty DeVos ring a bell. Therefore, we support free College education for all in America no matter the cost. Because " America's Flight from Reason" is being fueled and exploited by those who not only prey on the uneducated but depend on them as well. 

    Written By: Johnny Hill