U.S. is best democracy money can buy
www.controlcongress.com
NEW YORK (CNN) -- We're now less than a week away from our midterm elections, and Republicans and Democrats are down to their final tens of millions of dollars in media buys, their hyperbolic rhetoric all but expended and their candidates all but exhausted.
It's amazing what a mere $2.6 billion can buy in a democracy. That's what the two parties will have spent in their campaigns leading up to these midterm elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And most of that money for Democrats and Republicans alike comes from corporate America. So what will be the outcome of this election? The only certainty is that corporate America will get what it's paid for, and that's more of the same.
Whether the Democrats or Republicans take control of the House and Senate, corporate America has just bought a license to outsource more middle-class jobs to cheap foreign labor markets, to continue unabated so-called free trade and the destruction of more manufacturing jobs, and most likely to promote amnesty for the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens living in this country.
* I think both parties are bought off by the lobbyist money changers in Washington. The Wall Street Journal did a great article about this topic.
We need to change the system to make it more open in the primaries as well as third Parties. I would suggest the following;
3 mandatory debates in primaries and general election on Public TV and Radio for federal and State wide office. The feed should be given to private media where they could play it and sell air time.
Congressman should be banned from having PACS.
Ban Corporation and Unions from giving money only U.S. registered voters.
Lower the signature requirement for third Parties.
Congressman should only be able to spend money on their own campaign.
Office holders should only be able to keep 10% of the war chest left over from a campaign. They can donate the rest to charity.
This is only a start to keep special interest from taking over Washington?