Graft Must Go

While researching, I found a curious statement in an article on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations.  While talking of the mass outsourcing of jobs out of America, the writer said that this was a justifiable act of wealth redistribution.  Later when I would have more interest in this article, I went back and could not find it.  At this time, access to articles on the CFR's websites is even more restricted.  What a shocking idea!  How expendable are we in the eyes of those who play at this level?  But God has seen what has been done to us.


Although I could not attribute this rationalization to any real altruism, what if this were an actual act of socialism?  It would make the acts of the radicals elected to power in 2006 and 2008 a mere insult compared to the injury inflicted earlier by a like-minded tyranny.

It is well time to get money completely out of politics.  Half-hearted measures are not acceptable, because all forms of government revert to rule by the rich regardless of good intentions.  I would not dare to think that I could tell everything required to solve such an insidious problem.  Perhaps you should ask the Almighty.  However, I would suggest a few things.

The first step is to make running for elected office affordable.  Consider how expensive it this process is.  This is mostly due to the expense of buying media time to promote one's candidacy.  For this reason, free media time must be given to all viable candidates.  This time would be independent of other programming so as not to curtail their free speech.  For example, you would not force Mike Savage to host Barney Frank, or Howard Stern, Newt Gingrich. (Sparks would fly!)¹  The U.S. government through the FCC owns the entire electromagnetic spectrum used as a means of transmission and rents or allocates it to the media powers and other designated  users.  This could leverage requiring the allocation of the needed free media time.  There is already a legal precedent for such a measure in that all broadcasters are currently required to provide news coverage.

Second, criminalize all means by which money corrupts the process.  This includes all campaign contributions.  Receiving illegal contributions would disqualify a candidate from holding office.  I would expect that elected officials can live within there generous salaries.  As I understand it the current yearly salaries of elected federal officials is:

Speaker of the House		$223,500
Majority and minority leaders of both chambers and Senate president pro temporare		$193,400
Senators and Representatives		$174,000
President		$400,000
Vice President		$230,700

Also criminalize all gifts to former office holders rewarding them for favors granted during office, including choice jobs which could not be obtained by other means.

Insincere bills to placate the public will not do.  As I remember the campaign finance bill attempted by the Democrats and McCain some time ago contained provisions or riders attempting to silence political free speech prior to elections.  Instead, we need something of substance to actually fix the problem.

Because I began with a mention of the ruthlessness of the rich, I would say a little more on this line.  In spite of the fact that money and power can be intoxicating to those that wield it, it is possible that some rich are not bad.  Some benefactors recently banded together to say that they were willing to give considerably to the poor.  It would be better if they and others so inclined were to invest that money to create jobs giving a fair wage.  This often misinterpreted scripture supports such an action:


Talents here are not gifted abilities as they are often attributed, but 75 pound units of gold.  These were rewarded for the wise investment of riches by which they would bless others.

Just do it!

¹Oddly, it is said that the Democrats would force such a thing under a policy mislabeled the Fairness Doctrine, in order to tie up conservative free speech.

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November 8, 2010  Created.