Election Reform and Corporate Regulation

Both Liberals and Conservatives will claim that they support fair elections. But their actions speak louder than their words.

Republicans have gerrymandered districts to give them more victories than their support makes fair. Republicans have continually resisted measures to make registration and voting easier, citing fantasized possibilities that voters may cheat. Republicans have given voters false information about where and when elections are to be held.

Under Republican control in 2000 in Florida and 2004 in Ohio, legitimate voters were deregistered, too few voting machines provided, and ballots miscounted. In 2000, Republicans successfully resisted the fair counting of ballots.

Republicans have resisted attempts to substitute public campaign financing for private campaign financing, enabling wealthy and powerful private interests to support the election of officials who will put their interests before the public interest.

Election Reform

Reducing the inordinate influence of rich and powerful industries, corporations and individuals upon our legislative and executive officials is necessary to reorient them toward our common welfare, pass liberal legislation, reduce wasteful corrupt subsidies and public expenditures and eliminate monopoly power which increases consumer costs.

We need to establish an electoral commission within our judicial branch to:

· regulate redistricting to eliminate gerrymandering to produce safe districts

· change the electoral college to ensure the president with the most votes wins

· eliminate winner-take-all state presidential elections

· create instant runoff elections which allow voters to vote for their favorite candidates, without weakening the chances of their next favorite candidate

· regulate campaign practices, including the provision of public campaign funding and limits on private campaign funding

· regulate and make transparent lobbying efforts and enforce ethics violations

· regulate debates to include other candidates besides Democrats and Republicans

· create ombudsmen to provide many constituent services now provided by, freeing the legislators to legislate and removing this incumbent advantage.

The result would similar to more democratic, less corrupt European governments, in which officials keep lobbyists at arms length. Private health insurers and pharmaceuticals could no longer stop extending Medicare to everyone.

Giant subsidies would not be given to highly profitable oil companies, giant agro-businesses. Agricultural Industries could not obtain quotas and other protections from fair competition, nor compete unfairly in less developed countries. Media companies would have to pay for their use of our airwaves. These are only a few examples of rampant corruption that could be stopped with great savings to American taxpayers and consumers.

Corporate Regulation

Corporations which sell beyond state borders should be chartered nationally. Corporations which sell beyond national borders should be chartered internationally. Their charters should require that boards include represent a variety of stakeholders beyond their capitalists, including employees, suppliers, consumers, and communities. Many of their activities should be transparent, with enforced sufficient penalties for imposing externalities (negative costs) on others.

Legislation should clarify that corporations are not people and don’t have the same rights, such as virtually unlimited freedom of speech. Their rights and responsibilities should be detailed. As in Europe, their ability to influence legislation should be sharply curtailed. Dave Thomas