What can we do about the mugging of America?

In a post over at independent light there is a long article about the corporations and how they are getting away with murder, and I do not exaggerate. 


It got me to thinking. What can we the people do about this horror before it brings the nation and its people to wrack and ruin in the very near future? 


It seems that our politicians, in general, and Congress critters, in particular, with a few exceptions, are content to do everything they can to keep the people divided in as many ways as possible, including misinforming their constituencies about everything including healthcare reform. 


Some of the people are convinced that the government is evil, and for most Americans it is in our DNA not to entirely trust government. But hating the government lets the big corporate interests off the hook far too easily.


So, here are my ideas for gaining back our Democracy, and it is oh so true that we do not have one now. 


1) Publicly funded elections. No more constant fundraising and campaigning. How can our elected officials do what's in the best interests of the people when they are constantly having to bow and scrape to the wealthy and powerful.


2) Let all of the Congress-critters, who believe that healthcare reform is creeping socialism, drop out of their socialist healthcare program which we afford them. I'm dead serious. We should refuse to pay for it if we are not afforded healthcare by them. I venture to say that none of our elected officials are qualified to be on the dole.


3) Let's have strict rules regarding lobbying. If there are ethics violations, let the hammer fall hard on both the lobbyists and the officials. If no one is above the law, then let no one be above it. 


4) Get rid of the voting machines. There is too much that can go wrong there and it makes Americans and the rest of the world suspicious of our elections. If Canada can use pen and paper, why not the U.S. Who cares if it takes longer to count the votes. At least the polling stations could be set up where there would be far less chance of unnoticed tampering. 


5) Just as there are fines for certain kinds of behavior on television in the entertainment industry, make it so for the news media as well. Pardon me, but I don't find Janet Jackson's breast nearly as offensive as news channels dis/misinforming the electorate. Don't be first, be right! 


6) I believe that the Supreme Court has just ruled that money is speech. What a hideous ruling. That gives some people huge sound systems, others megaphones and some of us can barely make a sound, unless we take this ruling to its logical conclusion. If money is speech, those without enough money to speak out at election time should be allowed to speak out on matters of conscious by not paying taxes until the activity to which we object is stopped, like wars of aggression for instance. 


7) Until we can find a way to act en masse to punish huge corporate interests for their unethical, if not outright criminal behavior, we will be in danger from someone a lot more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda could ever hope to be. .


8) We should petition the cable companies to carry every C-span channel. I get every religiously insane preacher known to man on my T.V. but only C-span 1. Everyone, no matter how poor, should be able to watch hearings as well as the house and senate in session. American ignorance it at dangerous levels currently. Of course, not everyone will watch C-Span at all, but there should be no excuse for the kind of ignorance we see today. 


9) We, the people, must stop allowing ourselves to be turned against each other and to be manipulated with fear and deception to vote against our own interests constantly.




There is nothing civil about civil wars!