Wednesday, January 25, 2006
CNN.com - Lobbyist: 'Do not overreact' on reform - Jan 25, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/25/congress.lobbying.ap/index.html
Noooooo.... Now is the perfect time to overreact.
Here are the new rules for a brave new hep-world:
No More Fucking Money for any elected officials from Lobbyists, Corporations, PACs, or even their own goddamn parties either on a state or federal level.
No more trips, no more dinners, no more spas, no more golf outings.
Elected officials may only be in DC, or in the district which they represent for the entire time they are in office. They can make trips over seas for official reasons, but they are going to be treated like children on a school field trip. All over-seas trips for members of congress are to be paid for by the federal government out of an yearly allowance per official. This money can also be applied to their staff members, i suggest that they fly coach and stay in cheap hotels to make that allowance last.
The president gets the whole 50, but you know he's just going to be in Crawford anyway. (I couldn't even hazard a guess as to where Cheney likes to hang out, but i bet its littered with the bones of unbaptized children.) Their over-seas travel is also to be heavily regemented however.
No more lobbyists. Lobbying should be considered a criminal activity from this time forward.
The only people elected officals are allowed to accept money from are their own constituents.
The only people they are allowed to converse with concerning their official business will be other elected officials, parties directly involved, and their constituents.
Political parites may hold fundraisers with strict donation limits and reporting requirements. They should have to report denominations as low as $5, and while the money can be applied on a state level for gubenatorial elections, organizing local elections will reqiure donations from specific districts (in the case of senators) going back to advertising efforts in those districts alone.
On a national level, they can do the same, but only with the idea of organizing the presidential ballot every four years. Again, donations from specifics states will go back into campaigning efforts in that state only.
If you can't play nice, you will not play at all.
Elected officails do not have 'power', or even 'authority'. They only have responsibilty. That is it. No more, no less. If we leave any room for abuse of elected positions, we can only look forward to more Tom Delays and more Jack Abramoffs. Money may 'talk' in the business world, but not in DC. I think we have all had enough of that.
G'night all.
Noooooo.... Now is the perfect time to overreact.
Here are the new rules for a brave new hep-world:
No More Fucking Money for any elected officials from Lobbyists, Corporations, PACs, or even their own goddamn parties either on a state or federal level.
No more trips, no more dinners, no more spas, no more golf outings.
Elected officials may only be in DC, or in the district which they represent for the entire time they are in office. They can make trips over seas for official reasons, but they are going to be treated like children on a school field trip. All over-seas trips for members of congress are to be paid for by the federal government out of an yearly allowance per official. This money can also be applied to their staff members, i suggest that they fly coach and stay in cheap hotels to make that allowance last.
The president gets the whole 50, but you know he's just going to be in Crawford anyway. (I couldn't even hazard a guess as to where Cheney likes to hang out, but i bet its littered with the bones of unbaptized children.) Their over-seas travel is also to be heavily regemented however.
No more lobbyists. Lobbying should be considered a criminal activity from this time forward.
The only people elected officals are allowed to accept money from are their own constituents.
The only people they are allowed to converse with concerning their official business will be other elected officials, parties directly involved, and their constituents.
Political parites may hold fundraisers with strict donation limits and reporting requirements. They should have to report denominations as low as $5, and while the money can be applied on a state level for gubenatorial elections, organizing local elections will reqiure donations from specific districts (in the case of senators) going back to advertising efforts in those districts alone.
On a national level, they can do the same, but only with the idea of organizing the presidential ballot every four years. Again, donations from specifics states will go back into campaigning efforts in that state only.
If you can't play nice, you will not play at all.
Elected officails do not have 'power', or even 'authority'. They only have responsibilty. That is it. No more, no less. If we leave any room for abuse of elected positions, we can only look forward to more Tom Delays and more Jack Abramoffs. Money may 'talk' in the business world, but not in DC. I think we have all had enough of that.
G'night all.
