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And here's the really insane part...these conspiracy nuts are the first to oppose regulations, which they perceive as control by government. Are they too dense to realize that without regulations and certain restrictions, the very people that could take over the world are fully equipped to do so. Wall Street, Big Pharma, Big Oil, the chemical industry, Food Inc. Monsanto, The Military Industrial Complex, etc. The greed, lust for power and corruption are infinite and yet these individuals argue to feed the very beast they are afraid of by giving them more free reign. It's nuts...and pretty damn stupid. Also, these same industries ar ****ing with the environment and poisoning us, but heaven forbid they are regulated.
That's what I don't get either. They think a secret group of the rich and powerful are trying to take over the world, and that they control our government, but they don't want to put regulations on campaigning and lobbying in place that keep the rich and powerful from controlling the government. Go figure. I'm not a conspiracy theory fan. It's just common sense that big business is in it for the money--it's their JOB to make shareholders happy--and they don't care what they do to the country or anyone else as long as they get what they want legislatively. It's all about their own bottom line.
Campaign finance reform, restrictions on lobbying expenditures and blocking elected officials from taking corporate board seats etc. for a period of time after they leave office.
None of these proposals can realistically be achieved for the foreseeable future: all would require solid congressional majorities and control of the presidency by a party united around and committed to the issue, and at least one probably requires a constitutional amendment as well.
That's what I don't get either. They think a secret group of the rich and powerful are trying to take over the world, and that they control our government, but they don't want to put regulations on campaigning and lobbying in place that keep the rich and powerful from controlling the government. Go figure. I'm not a conspiracy theory fan. It's just common sense that big business is in it for the money--it's their JOB to make shareholders happy--and they don't care what they do to the country or anyone else as long as they get what they want legislatively. It's all about their own bottom line.
What is your specific proposal on public financing?
None of these proposals can realistically be achieved for the foreseeable future: all would require solid congressional majorities and control of the presidency by a party united around and committed to the issue, and at least one probably requires a constitutional amendment as well.
In short: not happening.
You're right--it's not. But it would fix the problem. What I find interesting is that the conspiracy theory folks on here would be the first to oppose campaign finance reform.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wjtwet
What is your specific proposal on public financing?
Since I'm not writing legislation, I don't have anything "specific" if you're looking for something really detailed, but presidential races could be funded by taxpayers with spending limits, and we could impose spending limits on other races as well. I'd be happy if we just got rid of the Citizens United ruling through a constitutional amendment so that single entities can't give unlimited amounts anonymously to campaigns. We're in a vicious cycle where one candidate raises more money, so his opponent has to raise even more--it's turned into an arms race (like the cold war) and it makes candidates even more indebted to those who can give them the biggest bucks. Somethings got to change.
Campaign finance reform, restrictions on lobbying expenditures and blocking elected officials from taking corporate board seats etc. for a period of time after they leave office. If the big players can't influence politicians by throwing cash at them, then things get a whole lot more democratic pretty fast.
I don't think there are nefarious purposes at play--I just think big business has too much power, and they buy votes. If you're a conspiracy theorist who believes in the one world order or illuminati thing--that powerful people are controlling the world or whatever it is that they're babbling on about--this would fix that problem as well.
The only thing I would really add is to make insider trading illegal for politicians.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sickofnyc
And here's the really insane part...these conspiracy nuts are the first to oppose regulations, which they perceive as control by government. Are they too dense to realize that without regulations and certain restrictions, the very people that could take over the world are fully equipped to do so. Wall Street, Big Pharma, Big Oil, the chemical industry, Food Inc. Monsanto, The Military Industrial Complex, etc. The greed, lust for power and corruption are infinite and yet these individuals argue to feed the very beast they are afraid of by giving them more free reign. It's nuts...and pretty damn stupid. Also, these same industries ar ****ing with the environment and poisoning us, but heaven forbid they are regulated.
Corporations cannot get any favors that politicians are not willing or able to give out. Pass all the regulations you want and the politicians will write loopholes and grant waivers for the big corporations. Congratulations! You just raised the barrier to entry.
Since I'm not writing legislation, I don't have anything "specific" if you're looking for something really detailed, but presidential races could be funded by taxpayers with spending limits, and we could impose spending limits on other races as well. I'd be happy if we just got rid of the Citizens United ruling through a constitutional amendment so that single entities can't give unlimited amounts anonymously to campaigns. We're in a vicious cycle where one candidate raises more money, so his opponent has to raise even more--it's turned into an arms race (like the cold war) and it makes candidates even more indebted to those who can give them the biggest bucks. Somethings got to change.
One idea that I have is to give equal tv access to potential nominees. Maybe there could be debates on PBS in equal increments. Obviously this doesn't address tv ads or travel expenses though.
Corporations cannot get any favors that politicians are not willing or able to give out. Pass all the regulations you want and the politicians will write loopholes and grant waivers for the big corporations. Congratulations! You just raised the barrier to entry.
That's why I think all of those issues need to be part of a constitutional amendment--so Congress can't pass laws with loopholes on those issues--and that's why I also think it will never get done.
One idea that I have is to give equal tv access to potential nominees. Maybe there could be debates on PBS in equal increments. Obviously this doesn't address tv ads or travel expenses though.
That's how they used to do it before the rise of cable news--the networks had to give equal time to each candidate.
That's why I think all of those issues need to be part of a constitutional amendment--so Congress can't pass laws with loopholes on those issues--and that's why I also think it will never get done.
I know. That's was my point. Congress banned insider trading and then overturned it. You can't trust these people to make their own rules.
It would be notoriously difficult to pass any meaningful amendment. What qualifies as a loophole? What qualifies as a valid exemption. In truth, many laws are passed with exemptions for a reason and sometimes there is no reason. A term limit amendment would be more straight forward, but I'm not sure if there are any negative consequences from that either.
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I'm not a conspiracy theory fan. It's just common sense that big business is in it for the money--it's their JOB to make shareholders happy--and they don't care what they do to the country or anyone else as long as they get what they want legislatively. It's all about their own bottom line.
