| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Dave Marsh" |
| Date: |
15 Jun 2006 10:07:08 AM |
| Object: |
Corruption sickens me. This will cure it. |
I found this on another newsgroup. We can do this. We have to do this.
This situation is beyond tolerance. I don't have to tell you about the level
of corruption, the power of the very rich or the lack of control the average
American citizen has over his own government. We need a constitutional
amendment that ends government corruption.
The amendment has four parts:
1- No government employee or member of that employee's immediate family
shall receive any gift or service or the promise of any gift or service of
any value from anyone who deals with the government in any way. Any attempt
to do so is a felony for both the giver and the receiver.
We need to take away the incentive for the corruption. Wicked money wants to
get to corrupt officials. We have to give them an active reason to avoid it.
That means a good salary and heavy penalties for accepting a bribe.
We have to make it absolute. Business and big money is used to supplying
bribes to get what it wants. That isn't going to change. They'll look for
ways around this amendment. It can't be acceptable to give a fur coat or new
SUV to the government official's spouse.
We can't state a limit to the size of the gift. Business leaders will get
around this by giving 10,000 $25 checks to the official.
It must be illegal to promise or fulfill the promise of a gift at a later
date. It is common practice for defense department procurement officers to
retire and take jobs with defense contractors as payment for preferential
treatment given while they held their jobs.
It isn't unreasonable to ask that government business be done in an office
and not in Ireland or a strip club or anywhere else. We don't feel it
necessary to take the clerk who sells us a pair of Florsheim shoes out to
lunch in order to get a good price.
Finally, it must mean jail time if the law is broken.
2- All qualified candidates for public office in the Federal Government, All
State governments, and the mayors for all cities with more than 200,000 will
receive funds from the Federal Government to cover their election expenses.
Expense levels for the election year 2004 will be used to determine this
number.
Qualification will remain as it is now. The candidate must collect a certain
number of signatures to get the money.
We have to end the disguise of bribes as 'campaign contributions'. It's
common knowledge that campaign contributions are required to make anything
happen in government.
Two examples: President Clinton gave pardons for a number of people during
the last few months of his presidency. A news crew interviewed a man who had
given a campaign contribution to Clinton in hopes that Clinton would pardon
his brother. The man said hoped it would work. How many instances of obvious
corruption can you find in that situation?
A few years ago, the head of eBay, the online auction house, talked with
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) Utah, about a bill before the Senate designed to
regulate internet commerce. She said that before she shook his hand, the
Senator told her very bluntly that he hadn't seen her campaign contribution.
Clear message. No money, no access.
This can't be tolerated. The only way for this country to isolate its
elected officials and retain freedom of speech is for the Federal government
to pay for all campaign expenses for all qualified candidates.
We can't prohibit privately financed campaign messages. Individuals and
companies have a right to campaign for a candidate. Candidates will continue
to use expensive television, radio and newspaper ads. The only way to keep
the candidates from being bought is to buy them first.
3- The Judicial branch will be responsible for counting all ballots in all
elections for the nation, the states, and in all municipalities with more
than 200,000 citizens.
I never want to see a situation like Florida in 2000 where the brother of
one candidate has a direct influence in the counting of the ballots. The
Judiciary is not corrupt and can be impartial. Let's turn it over to them.
4- The salaries of the President of the United States, members of Congress
and the Supreme Court will be $10,000,000 per year. Governors of the states
will be paid $1,000,000. Legislators of each of the states will be paid
$200,000. Mayors of each city with more than 200,000 people will receive
$200,000. This money is to come from the Federal Government and is
tax-exempt.
We expect to get superior people, someone who can manage an administration
of hundreds of thousands of people and make decisions that turn their hair
grey and put lines in their faces for a salary that wouldn't tempt a
middle-management executive in any corporation in the country.
We compete for qualified people the same way any company does. If we don't
offer top dollar, they'll go somewhere else. We need to upgrade the pay for
all elected officials; Federal, state and local.
5- One one-thousandth of one percent of the total Federal budget will be set
aside to be used to pay for the costs of this amendment. The judicial branch
will be responsible for the administration of this fund.
We can do all of this for a tiny fraction of the annual Federal budget.
The current system of corruption and betrayal considers itself permanent. Is
it?
I really liked this. We need to show this to as many people as possible. We'
ve got to take our country back.
.
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