Article 76. The Economy and Real Ethics Reform the backbone of Good Government
Good Government serves the interests of its people. The fiscal health of a government is based on how good its economy is. A democratic government does not work well where there is no supporting economy. In the majority of Banana Republics the only entity in the country that has wealth is the government. If you ask which comes first good government or the economy it is always the economy. If the economy fails the government suffers it can’t meet the demands of its people and withdraws from its responsibility to its people as it does so it becomes more corrupt. Corrupt people are always drawn to where the easy money is. In a banana republic the government is the only entity with wealth then that is where you will find corrupt officials.
America has a great economy so why are we like a banana republic when it comes to corrupt government? Corrupt people are always drawn to where the easy money is. This the result of citizens not being diligent enough to watch what is going on in their government. Before efficient government can be put in place you must plug all the holes in the revenue dam. Laws need to be passed to prevent undue influence by lobbyists. And after you have stopped all the waste due to corruption then you can begin to implement efficient government. It does not make sense to make government corruption operate more efficiently.
To get America back on track Common Cause proposes immediate action by concerned citizens in making their demands for government corruption reform known to their elected representatives.
The following is from Mike Surrusco Director of Ethics Campaigns for Common Cause.
“Common Cause has developed a far-reaching set of reforms - the Common Cause Ethics Challenge. There are five points in our plan, starting with strong enforcement of ethics rules by establishing an independent commission to oversee Congressional ethics.”
“Five Ways To Shake Up Washington
1. Tough enforcement - An independent ethics commission to provide oversight and enforcement of Congressional ethics rules.
2. Impose an Effective Gift and Travel Ban - No more gifts from lobbyists; no more privately-funded travel.
3. Slow the Revolving Door - No more Members of Congress and staff getting lucrative lobbying job offers as they write special interest legislation.
4. End The Campaign Money Chase - Enact a publicly-funded, clean elections system for Congressional campaigns.
5. Shine a Light on Lobbying Activities - Full, real-time disclosure of lobbying contacts, who’s lobbying who and how much they’re spending.”
“Washington is in turmoil, reeling from non-stop news of scandals.
Scandals like the one engulfing Congress now are a blot on our politics, but these moments in history are also an opportunity to change the way Washington does business. We need to move fast to take advantage of this opportunity. We have about three weeks to make sure Congress passes real ethics reforms when they return to Washington. If we all do our job, by the time they come back, they will have heard from thousands of Americans telling them to clean up the mess in the nation’s capital. Immediate action is critical, because reforms like we’re proposing are never easy to pass. Today, The Washington Post is reporting that lobbying associations are already actively working against changes in lobbying rules.”
