CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM BILL

November 26, 2011


Campaign Finance Reform Bill:

WHEREAS THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION PROVIDES THAT:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

I,                         , CITIZEN of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in order to form a better Union, by, for and of the PEOPLE, shall elect to provide a Constitutional Amendment or Law proposal resolving the current buying and selling of our Democracy through Campaign Financing and Special Interests. This proposal is based on the commonality in the voice of the millions of people, protesting the current situation across our Great Nation and The World. This would be a great opportunity to appease your constituents and seems very fair to the American People and Elected Officials alike. I adamantly insist that this issue be addressed, as I and millions of others, will be presenting it to every elected official in the House and Senate for review. My recommendations to Congress and the Senate are as follows:


1. United States citizens shall be free to contribute no more than $500.00, or it’s equivalent to any federal candidate during any election cycle. Notwithstanding the limits set forth as part of the First Amendment, Congress shall have the power to limit, but not ban, independent political expenditures, so long as such limits are content and viewpoint neutral. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office. Non-citizens shall not contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidates for any Federal office.

2. No corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shall set a designated federal holiday for the purpose of voting for candidates for Federal office.

3. People, person, or persons as used in this proposal does not include corporations, limited liability companies or other business entities established by the laws of any state, in the United States, or any foreign state, and such corporate entities are subject to such regulation as the people, through their elected state and federal representatives, deemed reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the States under this Constitution.

4. Prohibiting all federal public employees, officers, officials or their immediate family members from ever being employed by any corporation, individual or business that they specifically regulated while in office; nor may any public employee, officer, official or their immediate family members own or hold any stock or shares in any corporation they regulated while in office until a full 5 years after their term is completed; a complete lifetime ban on the acceptance of all gifts, services, money or thing of value, directly or indirectly, by any elected or appointed federal official or their immediate family members, from any person, corporation, union or other entity that the public official was charged to specifically regulate while in office. Elected officials and public employees in regulatory roles may only collect their salary, generous healthcare benefits and pension. Any person, including corporate employees, found guilty and convicted of violating these rules in a court of law by proof beyond a reasonable doubt, shall be sentenced to a term of mandatory imprisonment of no less than one year and not more than ten years.

5. Members of the United States House of Representatives shall be limited to serving no more than four two-year terms in their lifetime. Members of the United States Senate shall be limited to serving no more than two six-year terms in their lifetime. The two-term limit for President shall remain unchanged. Serving as a member of Congress or as the President of the United States is one of the highest honors and privileges our culture can bestow. These positions of prominence in our society should be sought to serve one's country and not provide a lifetime career designed to increase personal wealth and accumulate power for the sake of vanity.


Nothing contained within this proposal shall be construed to limit the people's Constitutional Rights in any way; which rights are inalienable.



Regards,

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM BILL

November 26, 2011


Campaign Finance Reform Bill:

WHEREAS THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION PROVIDES THAT:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

I,                         , CITIZEN of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in order to form a better Union, by, for and of the PEOPLE, shall elect to provide a Constitutional Amendment or Law proposal resolving the current buying and selling of our Democracy through Campaign Financing and Special Interests. This proposal is based on the commonality in the voice of the millions of people, protesting the current situation across our Great Nation and The World. This would be a great opportunity to appease your constituents and seems very fair to the American People and Elected Officials alike. I adamantly insist that this issue be addressed, as I and millions of others, will be presenting it to every elected official in the House and Senate for review. My recommendations to Congress and the Senate are as follows:


1. United States citizens shall be free to contribute no more than $500.00, or it’s equivalent to any federal candidate during any election cycle. Notwithstanding the limits set forth as part of the First Amendment, Congress shall have the power to limit, but not ban, independent political expenditures, so long as such limits are content and viewpoint neutral. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office. Non-citizens shall not contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidates for any Federal office.

2. No corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shall set a designated federal holiday for the purpose of voting for candidates for Federal office.

3. People, person, or persons as used in this proposal does not include corporations, limited liability companies or other business entities established by the laws of any state, in the United States, or any foreign state, and such corporate entities are subject to such regulation as the people, through their elected state and federal representatives, deemed reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the States under this Constitution.

4. Prohibiting all federal public employees, officers, officials or their immediate family members from ever being employed by any corporation, individual or business that they specifically regulated while in office; nor may any public employee, officer, official or their immediate family members own or hold any stock or shares in any corporation they regulated while in office until a full 5 years after their term is completed; a complete lifetime ban on the acceptance of all gifts, services, money or thing of value, directly or indirectly, by any elected or appointed federal official or their immediate family members, from any person, corporation, union or other entity that the public official was charged to specifically regulate while in office. Elected officials and public employees in regulatory roles may only collect their salary, generous healthcare benefits and pension. Any person, including corporate employees, found guilty and convicted of violating these rules in a court of law by proof beyond a reasonable doubt, shall be sentenced to a term of mandatory imprisonment of no less than one year and not more than ten years.

5. Members of the United States House of Representatives shall be limited to serving no more than four two-year terms in their lifetime. Members of the United States Senate shall be limited to serving no more than two six-year terms in their lifetime. The two-term limit for President shall remain unchanged. Serving as a member of Congress or as the President of the United States is one of the highest honors and privileges our culture can bestow. These positions of prominence in our society should be sought to serve one's country and not provide a lifetime career designed to increase personal wealth and accumulate power for the sake of vanity.


Nothing contained within this proposal shall be construed to limit the people's Constitutional Rights in any way; which rights are inalienable.



Regards,

Contacting Your Elected Representatives. Worth It?

Does writing your elected officials really work? We all know the common answer to that question. "It doesn’t do any good", and it’s a essentially a complete waste of time.

But really, who writes their elected officials anymore? Anyone?

Here's why I ask. Our elected officials have become all too comfortable largely due to the complacency from a large majority of Americans. Which is fine...

I say that because their attitude can actually work in our favor. Politicians are not used to receiving in-your-face feedback from their constituents.

Certainly not massive amounts of it.

In speaking from my own personal experiences. I found that this type of action is still quite effective.

About a year ago I began on my seemingly impossible quest of fighting for school funding in Texas. It didn't take me very long to realize I wasn't alone in this endeavor.

Texans were facing budget cuts on a huge scale. Many teachers didn't know if they would have a job this year. The uncertainty was also a distraction for the Teachers we spoke to.

Several educators expressed concerns echoing each other: “I don’t know what to do if I lose my job, it’s next to impossible to focus on teaching with this hanging over your head”.

This was also mentioned in our meetings with Texas Education Association (TEA) and members of the Teachers Union.

The proposed cuts would have forced the closure of many schools around the state. It also called for eliminating the Head Start program and increasing class size beyond current standards.

I found this disturbing. With three children of my own in these schools, there was only one thing to do.

Time to fight.

I started the best way I knew how. I wrote my elected officials both state and federal, with along with a drafted-proposal calling for the use of Permanent School Fund dollars (more on that later).

After a while I started feeling almost purposefully antagonistic about it. I wasn't rude or anything like that. But I was persistent. Am I supposed to care if they're butt-hurt?

No, I'm not. It's their job to take our shit.

My little campaign began with e-mailing copies of my proposal to all of the elected officials from every district. I had recruited some friends and parents to help, the needed very little convincing.

The proposal read as follows:

"I am writing to you because of the dire situation we face with funding our public school system. I implore you to vote against cutting any funding for public schools.

• If you need to cut 4 billion dollars from schools, why not use some of the over 20 billion dollars in the Texas Permanent School Fund. This fund was created to assist school districts in need (over 160 years ago). I think we would both agree we have school districts in need. Taking 4 billion dollars from there would have little impact on the Permanent School Fund. Which conveniently reports how profitable there strategies are (check their website if your not familiar with the program)

• Additionally, if that doesn't suit you guys. Just use some money from the Rainy-Day fund. While it's not actually raining (which would be nice), it is definitely raining from a fiscal stand-point. Honestly I don't know how much "more rain" we need in that context.

• It seems as though you guys are trying to portray our Great State of Texas, as being poor and cash-strapped. All it takes is some simple looking around online, and I or anyone else can find billions of dollars within our state just sitting there... Waiting for what?

• It took me 20 minutes to find the billions needed to fund education in one of the already lowest-rated states. What's it going to take for you guys to see the big picture? You guys are dumbing down our children.

• Many school districts cancelled summer school. They failed to inform anyone until it was too late get a child in at an outside school district. So now people have to enroll their children into home-schooling programs like what Texas-Tech offers, so they can have what is entitled to them in the first place.

• The schools failed the children as educators and are now forced to turn their backs on them and lose the opportunity to make it right. They failed the students because they didn't know if they would have a job next year. This was obviously weighing on their minds on a daily-basis (that's all the faculty talked about at the school functions), this in turn results in less focus on the job and at the task at hand... Educating our children!

• This falls solely on our representatives shoulders, you guys failed our teachers, and most importantly our children.

• Enough damage has been done, it's time to make it right!

• VOTE NO ON CUTTING SCHOOL FUNDING AND USE THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND, OR THE RAINY-DAY FUND! PLEASE DON'T FAIL THE FUTURE OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM!

• BRING UP THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND, THEY MIGHT ALL JUST THINK YOU'RE A GENIUS!"

OK, so it’s truncated for brevity, because if I posted the whole thing you would be here a while reading it.

You get it. I was a little brutal.

A week or two goes by, and I start getting response letters from ALL of them. Most were telling me that they don’t represent my district, and who I should contact for answers.

As if I didn't know...

What I found most intriguing, was how many replied saying they weren’t aware of the Permanent School Fund at all or what it was even for.

I know what you're thinking. How the heck did these guys get elected?

I followed up their feeble response letters by making contact with the Presidents of the TEA and the Teachers Union respectively, and presented my proposal to them.

Interest and enthusiasm for the idea was pretty high and I was immediately informed that after careful review, it would presented in their next sessions.

About that time, Texas State Senator Steve Ogden replied to me in a hand-written letter. My representative was the only hold-out at this point. But, came across as sincere and understanding.

The letter however, amounted to the typical political side-stepping that the Texas politicians are well known for.

And then he lost me.

He tried to "explain" how the blame falls on the federal government for the school funding shortage. Then he said, with all the sincerity in the world, that he felt as though his hands were tied.

His hands were tied...

Fine.

Because all of that pestering with phone calls, emails, and faxes paid off. We also had the help a few state representatives including Senator Steve Ogden.

I'm guessing he was able to untie his hands after all...

So here we are, yesterday was election day, and guess what happened? Texas House Joint Resolution 109 (Proposition 6) was passed.

WE WON!

The people voted and successfully passed Prop 6, thus releasing more money from the Permanent School Fund and saving our schools.

For now.

But it's still a win. We'll take it. 

The resolution should not only offset the federal cuts (which we did a few months ago with the “Rainy-Day” fund), but it will now provide additional funding to keep schools open and continue programs like Head-Start.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to, or want to, take credit for the passing of this bill. I will however, take some credit for pestering the heck out of our elected officials, and even educating a few of them in the process.

I certainly can’t leave those of you who participated either. This was truly a team effort.

Most of the representatives that had a positive response and who agreed with us in principle, are the ones credited for authoring the bill (go figure).

All kidding aside these are the guys that put the pen to the paper and made it work, and the best part about it is…

The Texas Legislative Budget Board issued a fiscal note about HJR 109 to the House Committee on Appropriations on April 30, 2011.

According to the fiscal note:

• "No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated, other than the cost of publication."
• "The cost to the state for publication of the resolution is $105,495."
• "No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated."

So does writing your elected officials work?

Yes. Yes it does.

Write your elected officials, as much as you can, as often as you can. Let them know how and what you feel about the issues and the job they are doing. Or should I say not doing?

With millions of letters, e-mails, and phone calls coming in, they will begin to see the commonality in the grievances of the people. At that point, they will be forced to act, or we will be seeing some new faces in Washington soon!

Our success in the battle school funding is what got us started. Now we can't stop.

Since then, we have gotten a little deeper into politics and the fight for what's right in this country.

Adding in the help of some close friends and colleagues we have started a community to bring about change in America through civil discourse and sharing knowledge.

The organization is to be known as the New Politics Nation Initiative.

This movement is for all of us to come together in the same way we came together to get the school-funding we needed. Except now we have moved on to all of the issues facing our nation.

It's an open to everyone type of environment. We are a non-partisan unbiased group of citizen thinkers focused on maintaining progress on both a societal and governmental level.

Let's do this!

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