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this or similar ideas (a just and healthier economy). NUMBER #1 PRIORITY: Throwing these Bushite corporations--Diebold and ES&S--out of our election system! The fascists now have a lock on vote tabulation with TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, in the new, electronic election theft machines. No reform is possible--and we can't even get common decency in government--without TRANSPARENT, VERIFIABLE elections. There is no saving this electronic voting system. It is rotten to the core. We need to go back to PAPER BALLOTS, HAND-COUNTED, until all the corrupt election officials are rooted out (then we can look at our options--such as electronic voting, with strong audits, using OPEN SOURCE code). As long as our votes are being "counted" under a veil of corporate secrecy (a very new phenomenon, 2002-2004, engineered by the biggest crooks in Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney), we can't even REGULATE corporations, or tax them fairly, let alone deconstruct the mega-corporate model. (*See below for November protest via Absentee Ballot voting.)
If and when we DO reclaim our election system for democracy, and begin to elect true representatives of the American people, then I think--given what has happened over the last six years (and the leadup to it, through the Reagan "era of greed")--we need to be much more aggressive. We need to push back hard. For instance,
--dismantling the worst of the bad actors among the mega-corporations, and seizing their assets for the public good; this is our right as a sovereign people, and they know it (that's WHY they took away our right to vote!).
--dismantling all of the war profiteering corporate news monopolies, and (possibly by Constitutional amendment) banning all private money in political campaigns, providing a percentage of the federal budget for candidate access to voters, and reclaiming some of our public airwaves for political debate.
--a 90% cut of the military budget, down to a true defensive posture (what is this huge war machine FOR, except to tempt fascists to start corporate wars?).
--with the funds from busting up big corporations, and from the big reduction in military spending, first of all, start-up a thousand new, small, competing alternative energy businesses, with the mission of quick, 5-year, complete conversion to alternative energy; also fund universal health care and whatever else we need.
--dismantle the prison-industrial complex, spend the money (billons and billions!) on more wholistic handling of all non-violent offenders; consider decriminalizing all drugs; eliminate capital punishment (cp is a very brutalizing, "might makes right" message sent throughout our society).
Small, competing, cooperative businesses is a great goal. But we have first to deal with a shitload of corruption, unparalleled in human history, brought about by Corporate Rule. These Corporate Rulers can and will kill (and have killed) all competing smaller businesses. THAT is one of the critical problems. But you cannot create conditions for a better, more democratic, and truly competitive business environment while these behemoth corporations are still lording it over everything and everyone. As I said, AGGRESSION is needed--a really tough policy of the dismantling the worst, strongly regulating the others, and using the tax code to even things out. Further, we need to get rid of this legal loophole by which corporations have gained eternal life, as well as civil rights. With PERMANENT corporations, the corporations amass huge wealth and property over time, and have used that wealth to entirely undermine and destroy our democracy. In the old days, corporations were TEMPORARY consortiums of businesspeople to accomplish some purpose for the common good (like building roads or a bridge, or providing the country with sewing machines.) The Founders NEVER INTENDED for corporations to have eternal life, or to become these giant influences. They would be appalled at what has happened, and would be the first to call for a revolution against them. It is the corporations who are King George now (not George Bush--their front puppet).
How do we restore our right to vote (and prevent a bloody revolution, which is surely going to come, if things continue this way)?
I think people are pretty fed up, but don't know how to effectively protest. I'm pushing an Absentee Ballot protest for November. AB voting is not "safe," but it IS a PROTEST, and it could be huge. (It's up to 50% in Los Angeles already.) If enough people do it, we can bring this new election theft system down. (What good are these election theft machines, if nobody will vote on them?) A 60% or 70% Absentee Ballot vote, nationwide, would be a remarkable "vote of no confidence" in this rigged election system. It would be a major rebellion, and would pave the way for more reform of the election system, and for other reforms.
Bumper sticker: "Bust the Machines--Vote Absentee!"
We've got to start somewhere. I say start now, this November, with the huge monkey-wrench of Absentee Ballot voting, to the rigged election system.
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