Fixing America In 500 Words Or Less Chapter 1 CAN CONGRESS BE REFORMED? Anyone possessing an ounce of political sense can readily determine there is no way to fix America unless the influence of big money is eliminated from the political process.  Any other plan and the remaining chapters in this book, are mainly a big waste of everyone's time, if we do not as all-partisan citizens, regardless of religious, political or other persuasion, rise up and demand the complete elimination of bribery from sea to once shining sea. Nothing illustrates this need better than the current crop of malfeasant Democrats, who after gaining control of Congress in January of 2007, nine months later haven't done a single thing the people obviously want.  They passed a minimum wage law that was over ten years too late and as many dollars too low and, have done nothing to provide universal healthcare, reduce poverty, create jobs, lower housing, fuel and education costs or repair national infrastructure. Rather than do anything that will actually help Americans any time soon, they have instead engaged in endless political bend-over posturing and not surprisingly, caved into every single war funding demand that King George the Little has requested.  Recently, again cowering before his ongoing fear-mongering rhetoric, they signed away even more of our already reduced rights to be free from big-brother snooping. Because the Supreme Court will always otherwise, declare any and all manner of corruption-eliminating reform “unconstitutional”, the only way to get rid of big money influence is by Constitutional amendment.  All other attempts at congressional reform have a long historical trail of tears track record of utter failure. We need an amendment making it illegal, punishable by life in prison without parole, for any organization or group of people of any kind, for any reason, to contribute one birthday cake candle or anything of higher value, to one small-town city council office seeker on up to president.  We then need to limit individual contributions to 1% of the median income per candidate per year, approximately $480 in 2007 dollars; including, relatives, friends and candidates themselves. In order to be licensed for broadcasting on what are theoretically “the people's” airwaves, we need to require all radio and television stations to grant free equal airtime to “qualified” candidates; qualification determined by obtaining enough signatures of registered voters, amount determined by office and number of people represented.  And, hold all party primaries on the same date, eliminate the electoral college, elect everyone by popular vote and demand all voting machines have a verifiable paper trail. There is much tweaking necessary for the amendment proposed here, but this sketch outline is sufficient to grasp the basic idea.  No law will eliminate all corruption, but what is suggested here would eliminate well over 90% of the current problem and, would allow the majority people to actually have a voice. Will the bottom-feeding miscreant corporate-puppet juvenile delinquent treasonous reprobates of Congress ever be eliminated and put in federal prison where they belong?  You decide. NOTES: 1. Many, mostly highly inadequate forms of graft control legislation, have been proposed over the years and a few half-baked ideas have actually been passed into law, only to be struck down by the Supreme Court as "unconstitutional". The anything but justice highest American court has a long crooked history stretching back even before the infamous Dred Scott decision, of siding with big money interests at the expense of we the people, repeatedly pretending that corporations have the same "rights" as actual living and breathing citizens.  The sun is more likely to rise in the west and set in the east, than anything short of Constitutional amendment achieving any semblance of adequate bribery control. Click to Go Back to Contents Other Books by Richard Aberdeen Click Here to eMail the Author Copyright © by Richard Aberdeen Copyright © by Freedom Tracks Music No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.  Inquiries: Freedom Tracks Music ~ Records / 292 Trails Circle / Nashville, Tennessee 37214 or requested via eMail.  Appendix Revolution and Revolution/Side B are open copyright and may be reproduced or utilized as desired.