There is ONE thing that would fix much that is wrong with government....

[tex-wyo-dem]

and how government serves the people...

That ONE thing is:

100% PUBLICALLY FUNDED ELECTIONS!

Imagine an election where each candidate, primary through the general election, is provided the exact same amount of $$$ to use for their campaigns. No private of corporate funds at all. Dennis Kucinich would receive the same amount of funds as Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama...Ron Paul would receive the same amount of campaign funds as Mitt Romney and John McCain.

This would absolutely neuter Citizens United and the influence of big money in politics.

This would eliminate politicians spending half their time holding fundraisers and kissing up to their special interests. Instead they would actually spend their time working for the people rather than their next election.

It would force candidates and elected officials to actually answer to and promote policy that would benefit the majority of the people rather than the wealthy minority since big money for elections would be out of the picture.

The fundamental landscape of politics in Washington all the way down to local government would change in ONE election cycle!

Now...

What chance does this have of ever happening? Almost none, unless a SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY demands publicly financed elections....and by significant, I mean 70, 80, 90% focusing on this issue constantly, consistently and over a long term. No letting up...ever.

So that means getting buy not from not only liberals and progressive, but independents and, yes, even hardline RWers and Tea Party-ers.

Impossible you say? I say NOT...

I believe the beauty of this issue is that it can, if presented in the proper way, get support across the entire political spectrum from progressives to tea party-er, because each camp would believe that it would be to their political advantage. In other words, we progressives believe that most people feel as we do about issues and, therefore, more progressive candidates would be elected. On the flip-side, tea party-ers feel the same exact way (believe it or not).

The main sticking point with RWers, of course, would be how elections would be funded. They would almost certainly be against funding them through the Treasury, but I think this is an issue that can be worked out...some random ideas:

- Any individual or private interest that would normally donate to elections can continue to, but would have to do so through a general fund that would be distributed evenly among all candidates.

- The level of election funding to each candidate could be adjusted up or down depending on various factors.

- The government could force by law that any media describing themselves and "news" would be required to give equal time and exposure to candidates, primary through general. This would, in effect, be part of said candidates campaigning and the cost would be put on the "news" organization.

and so on...

Passing something this transformative will be difficult. It will require ALL of us to get on board and to apply unwavering, consistent and constant pressure over the long term.

I firmly believe that this is the only way we will be able to stop the corporate raiders from taking over everything. It's this only way our country is going to be able to survive.