How to Unleash Our System

The all out partisan warfare that our political process has become does not serve anyone well. Those in power are stymied in their efforts; those out of power find the power of government used mercilessly against them. The cost of pursuing office has become so great that our representatives spend most of their time fundraising and become obligated to their financial backers. Anyone who does manage to rise in this environment has certainly compromised themselves to do so. And the nation is denied the services of a great many capable people who desire to serve but refuse to compromise themselves.

Worst of all, the very real and pressing issues we face are left twisting in the wind as vested interests deploy their political militias to kill off any efforts that might gore their oxes. Health care was an obvious issue twenty years ago and nothing has been done in all that time. Energy has been an obvious issue for thirty five years and nothing has been done. Even those issues that are dealt with end up being such a cobbled together mess of compromises that they create more problems than they solve. Medicare and education are two obvious examples. This is not an inherent trait of government solutions, as some might like to frame it. It is the consequence of a degraded political process that cannot accomplish its natural function.

Our system is capable of dealing with the issues we face and all the issues we will face in the future, but in order to do so it needs to be freed from the constraints that prevent it from functioning as it was meant to. There are several things that we can insist on that will unleash the natural vitality and creativity of our system:

1. Eliminate all money from politics except personal donations up to a limit of $5,000. No soft money, no PAC money, equal limits on committee and party donations.
   
2. Break up all media conglomerates and require an editorial firewall between entertainment and news divisions.
3. Require all media outlets to provide equal time to all qualified candidates for two months prior to general elections.
4. Ban personal attack ads and deliberate misrepresentations of public policy issues, and provide for injunctive relief, for six months prior to a general election.
5. Ban private lobbying and gifts to government officials beyond meals or other incidentals. All lobbying done in public forums.
   

The solution to the problem is ultimately in the hands of we the people. As long as we tolerate the situation it will continue, because there are vested interests that benefit in the short run from the status quo and are willing to spend the money it takes to maintain the status quo. Once we the people decide that this is no longer tolerable, it will stop.