Don't vote for anyone running for congress this year unless they have signed The Pledge below. We don't have to wait until Congress changes the laws regarding special interests, lobbying or money in politics or the courts rule that corporations aren't the same as people, they never will. We can act now. And we don't need a constitutional amendment or constitutional convention to make it happen.
If we can make candidates sign The Pledge, Congress will begin to act in the interests of the people instead of solely for monied special interests, banks and corporations. Surprisingly, the economy will begin to improve immediately as we start to address the real problems facing Americans rather than just those affecting Wall Street banks. It will also lead to better legislation across the board including health care, the environment and immigration reform once we return the power of our government back to its people and restore our one person, one vote democracy.
The Pledge works equally well for Democratic, Republican and Independent candidates as this issue crosses all party boundaries. What is wrong with America cannot be measured on a conservative versus liberal spectrum, but must be seen as a political and corporate elite versus the people fight. All true Americans, regardless of party, know which side of that fight they want to be on.
The Pledge
I pledge the title to my home and primary residence (or 1/3 of my assets, whichever is greater) to be held in escrow with the instructions it (they) be sold and the net proceeds distributed equally to my constituents if I ever break any of the promises above.
Signed,
All Future Democrat, Republican and Independent Candidates for Congress
John R. Talbott is the bestselling author of eight books on economics and politics that have accurately detailed and predicted the causes and devastating effects of this entire financial crisis including, in 2003, The Coming Crash in the Housing Market and in January 2006, Sell Now! The End of the Housing Bubble. He is currently working on a new book that will be published in September 2010 entitled, The $200 Trillion Crisis. It will be published electronically and will be available for pre-order on Kindle and iPad starting in August 2010.
I have another suggestion: a one year tax moritorium. Pay down your debt, no excuses; then we'll recover.
It's only a "Special Interest" when it's not YOUR special interest. You may have a huge problem with lobbyists for the NRA, NEA, NAACP, AARP, ACORN, ACLU, SEIU, UMWA, UAW, etc and believe that they are all evil, horrible people deserving of a slow death. On the other hand the lobbyists (paid volunteers actually) for ________ are all wonderful people deserving of sainthood because you support _________.
How many people wishing for an end to lobbying really want to see their little causes included in the lobbying ban?
Interest charged by the Treasury on money you owe: 4%/DAY
Interest paid to you when your money is held captive by Treasury until you 'claim' it: 0%
A six year limit in the House would skew power to the Senate, which is unrepresentative and punishes people for having the audacity to live in urban areas and in populous states that people actually want to live in.
I would encourage a pledge where candidates simply commit to not accepting ANY corporate campaign cash, and to sponsoring an amendment to the U.S. Constitution rescinding corporate "personhood". That alone would transform our politics and our democracy for the better.
We don't need term limits, we need free and fair elections. With electoral reforms such as ranked-choice voting, runoff elections, and campaign finance reform, then we could have elections that are about hearts and minds, not about dollars.
Get all Candidates to sign a legally binding contract
to outlaw all political contributions as the Bribery they are.
Just limiting terms helps big money.,
More immediately:
Save money, cut the deficit, employ everyone, cut energy dependence:
Immediately order energy retrofits for all gov buildings.
Rooftop PV Solar, Offshore wind, and Waste Bio char, can supply the worlds energy and fuel needs: cleanly, safely, Forever, within 12 years and cheaper in the long run 2-6 cents now, and 26$ per barrel bio oils.
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/solar_panels.htm
about 1$ per Wp solar panels, new.
install solar plants for about $1.30 per watt, compared with an industry average of about $1.75, according to Hardy." http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=a7K1FZoNgJ0w
Wind: “between two and six cents today, depending on location.12 Wind power approaches competitiveness with conventional generation at this price point. “
http://www.repp.org/articles/static/1/binaries/wind%20issue%20brief_FINAL.pdf
http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/BiofBioproBioref%203,%20547-562,%202009%20Laird.pdf
26$ per barrel bio oil from waste bio char.
It's like the now obselete: 'I pledge-to-remain-a-virgin-till-marriage'.
Unfortunately, it will take the poverty-to-rich ratio reaching 80% to start another revolution to change things but by then it will be too late like most 3rd world countries looted by Wall Street.
What we need are 'big ideas' implemented to get this economy growing. Right now, everybody is fighting over the crumbs. We need to create pies, so people can get slices of these pies and share the pies w everybody.
Big ideas include green economy, energy independence (for real this time), new electrical grinds, improved infrastructure of highways, sewer and water systems, create high speed rail. These are the things that will create jobs, grow the economy, and make all of us economically safe.
A Congress of career politicians will never represent “We the Peopleâ€, because their highest priority is getting reelected with the help of Big Money.
But “We the People†have more votes than “Big Money†has, and thus can end Congress as a career for professional politicians by never reelecting incumbents.
We can impose single terms every two years, by never reelecting Congress.
Always vote, but only for challengers. Never reelect incumbents.
Keep this up until Congress is mostly “one-termersâ€, a citizen Congress.
Then keep it up every election, to make a citizen Congress a permanent reality.
Every American’s only intelligent choice is to never reelect anyone in Congress!
The only infallible, unstoppable, guaranteed way to get a truly new Congress,
and a cleaned up new politics is
NEVER REELECT ANY INCUMBENT! AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION
Nelson Lee Walker of tenurecorrupts.com
The new unemployment figures came out on Friday and they're bad. We lost 125,000 jobs and the unemployment rate is 9.5%.
But instead of helping those who are out of work, Congress just went on vacation without extending unemployment benefits. That means 2 million Americans are losing a desperately-needed source of support because of Congress' continued failure to act.
Congress seems to think they're doing the popular thing by pulling back support for the economy, but in fact, a recent poll shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans want benefits extended, even if it means temporarily increasing the deficit.
. We need to keep up the pressure so every senator knows this urgent issue has to be dealt with right away. that the Senate act.
http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg