The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Are you sick of corporate and government corruption? Read this.

    By GFS on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 5:56am |

    Here is a link to a site where you can sign up to join the ranks of those who are fed up, totally.  You can check out to see how the congressional and senate candidates stand on some key issues, which if handled well, might clean up the swamp a bit.  People who are a part of this organization include Alan Grayson, FL. 

    The original email stated the cause this way:

     

    "Sick of corporate corruption?  Join me and Stand for Democracy

    We need a government that solves real problems and answers to the people, not to BP, Goldman Sachs and big corporate lobbyists.  We have seen where that gets us.

    Decades of lobbying and influence peddling in DC have given us a government that is full of corporate corruption.  It is not a new problem, but we can end it now if this election year we join together to support a blueprint to take back our democracy and demand that our elected leaders stand with us. 

    That is why I endorsed on the Stand for Democracy Pledge, a crowd-sourced statement of principles about how democracy should work.  If we people across the country come together to sign this pledge, we can send a real message to candidates about what we need to do to get this job done. 

    I participated and I hope you will too."

    Follow this link to take a stand for democracy:  http://www.fightwashingtoncorruption.org

    I did and I signed and I may even make my elected representatives even more uncomfortable by asking them to sign also.  The "Senator from Boeing" will probably faint.  GFS

     

    Comments

    I don't see how this would solve the issue. If those elected to Congress are the issue, then perhaps there needs to be more accountability in their respective Halls. Unfortunately, the Ethics panels, or whatever they like to call themselves, in both House and Senate are only accountable to themselves, not the public. So I doubt you'll have any luck in forcing anyone in Congress to hold their own feet over the fire. Now if you were promoting a method by which the public could have a legal access portal in Congress to challenge what they feel are Congressional ethical lapses, then that would be an interesting.


    by Beetlejuice on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 9:05am

    The three things they are pushing to get done right now are:

    1.  Overturn the Supreme Court ruling that gave large corporations personhood, the same rights as individuals, which also gave them the right to donate to campaigns of candidates and causes with no limits.  That means they can outspend and out influence any individuals or small groups.  It takes a lot of people giving small amounts to outspend the Petroleum, Aerospace, or Defense Contracting industries.  And think of all the volunteer time it takes for the little people to even organize all that small nickle and dime donating. 

    2.  Campaign finance reform of sorts.  Trying to level the playing field for people who have only small individual donations from non corporate supporters.  Without this action to create parity, there will be little chance of a candidate without corporate sponsors and support succeeding.

    3.  Control of lobbyists.  Read this as law with teeth to put a stop to quid pro quo and the revolving door use of people who jump back and forth from government oversight and procurement to their corporate handlers and back again, each time serving the interests primarily of their corporations rather than the best interests of the American public.  Real National Security is doing what authentically protects the U.S. public and their lives and livelihoods, not protecting the profits, both legal and illegal of giant corporations.

    It is not the answer to everything, but it would be grabbing the bull by the horns, so to speak.  Something must be done.  I am pleased to see a collaborative effort which includes citizens and some of our elected officials who are willing to stand up to the thoroughly corrupted ones. 

     


    by GFS on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 4:15pm

    Take this as the amateur opinion it is, but I think that the main reason that corruption exists so strongly at the national level is that the system actively selects for it. Those unwilling to engage in at least some forms of corruption are unlikely to make it in national politics. You'll find numerous good politicians at the local level, as well as numerous corrupt politicians at the local level, but as a rule, it seems the corrupt ones are far more likely to rise to the higher levels. Of course, it could also be a self-selecting issue: those trying to do the most good might feel they can accomplish what they need to at the local level and aren't driven by desire for power to rise to higher levels. Considering the transition from local->state->federal (not that all politicians follow this course), I think that at the state level there's usually less opportunity to create real change than at the local level. It's a bit of a mixed bag when comparing federal to local.


    by Atheist (not verified) on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 9:29am

    An online petition?  That'll show 'em!

    Such things are universally disregarded, other than by those who sign them.  The "input" elected officials regard as important, are, in rough order, campaign contributions, handwritten letters, typed (and obviously not form) letters, phone calls, and everything else is pretty well ignored, with the exception of a vote now and then.

    Petitions make you feel good, that's all they accomplish.


    by Austin Train on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 9:33am

    I'll disagree mildly with you, Austin. Peitions not only make you feel good, they also influence your commitment to the cause you're signing up to. In turn, that will affect your willingness to make phone calls, write letters, and make campaign contributions, as well as your willingness to vote for one candidate or another. It's an indirect effect, but not a completely insignificant one. I'll agree that, in general, politicians don't pay much attention to them.


    by Atheist (not verified) on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 9:44am

    In this case, there are some already elected politicians pushing this.  They are willing to write and/or sponsor bills.  They hope the public will pay attention and will make efforts to put new people in office, where there are races this fall, who will be willing to take on the challenge of not being coopted or bought by corporate money, and will stand up and try to use the law to reform the system so it is no longer necessary to be corrupt and be owned by corporations to successfully serve in office.  Alan Grayson has supported whistleblowers since long before he ran for office and won.  He has stood up to many things as a freshman Congressman and has taken beatings for it.  Fortunately as an attorney he is able to stand up to abuse.  That is one example.  (And in case some of you are sneering, he is not even my representative, as I do not live in Florida.  Being a whistleblower supporter, I have followed his campaign since I found the announcement he was running at the beginning of his campaign. 

    More of the public and taxpayers and voters must stand up and push for what they want.  It does not take everybody.  That is another myth put out by the powers that be to discourage people from trying to make changes.  It is used a lot by employers with their employee unions.  It does however take more than a few isolated voices. 

    We must resist becoming passive and accepting the message the some of the powers that be want us to adopt:  We, the people are nothing and we can do  nothing about all of the greed and corruption.  We must render under Caeser what is Caeser's and be drones.  Let them have what they want and hope we can continue to live and have a job and a home. 

    No, that cannot happen.  "Do not go gentle into that good night.  Rage, rage, against the dying of the light." TR


    by GFS on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 4:18pm