This email was sent to Howard Schultz in response to his invitation to attend a telephone conference he has arranged for next Tuesday:
Dear Howard,
I will be at your telephone meeting. Thank you for your efforts. However, there is a flaw in your thinking to which there is a solution.
Your premise is that Group 'X' not donating money to politicians will have more influence on politicians than Group 'Y' that does donate money. It seems improbable but I hope you are right. In any event, that is not the flaw I speak of --
You think members of Congress inside the legislative chambers will work together and pass appropriate legislation if you can somehow manipulate reality on the outside of the legislative chambers just so. But that is not where the problem lies.
The problem lies inside the legislative chambers and more specifically inside the brains of each member of Congress. He or she -- for purely ideological reasons, for example, having nothing to do with campaign donations -- is free to choose to obstruct legislation or otherwise do nothing.
Howard, there is a flaw in the Constitution itself. There is a loophole that politicians are exploiting and that upsets you -- and me, too. Here is the problem --
The Constitution does not require the members of Congress to legislate. They do not have to, so they don't -- for whatever reason they hold between their ears. Again, the problem is in their brains. How do we get into their brains?
I do not know about women, but for men you get into their brains through their stomachs.
The solution is to amend the Constitution so that there is a mechanism available -- if it becomes necessary on this or that occasion -- to compel Congress to legislate. How can that be done through the Constitution? Amend it!
Please see: http://americanconversationgroup.blogspot.com/p/kirkwood-amendment-to-compel-congress.html
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Hough Jones