For many years, I've watched a transformation of the government of the United States of America moving further and further from the founding principles of a representative form of government. Today, I am officially formulating an idea I believe can serve to restore the public trust in the US government and capitalize on the the technology of today to realize the full vision of the founding fathers of the United States of America.
I call upon all Americans to review the idea and provide comments and feedback – the forum, threads, and topics will be moderated. Please post nothing you wouldn't be proud to have posted on the refrigerator at your grandparents homes. Please be civil and thoughtful. Please be creative and idealistic. The time for cynicism has passed. We've watched nations of citizens an ocean away stand up and demand more from their government. The time has come to put partisanship aside, the interests of corporate America at the bottom, and restore the public faith in government. This is just but one possible solution that may or may not have merit depending on the ideas and ideals of the people. We do not need a revolution in our nation, what we need is to utilize our technology to re-empower the people.
Here goes...
It's called the Natiional Referndum Ammendment to the US Constitution. When our nation was created, the founding fathers wanted this to be a government by, of, and for the people. Nowhere in the Constitution did they mention corporations or companies or the rights thereof (hence the odd decision by the Supreme Court to allow them to donate freely and unchecked to political campaigns, but I digress). They were faced with a challenge, a nation of 13 states spreading from Georgia to New England -- a massive distance for information to travel in those days which predated even the telegraph. So, they conceived a Congress made up fo locally elected people (the Representatives) and the state-wide elected people (the Senators) who would represent their constituents in national decisions. When the nation was far smaller, these people had time to get to know their constituents and their constituents had time to get to know them. There also were no defined political parties.
This is 2011. We not only have fantastic forms of communication from Facebook® to Twitter® to cell phones and television. There is no longer any earthly reason why we should not or could not be utilizing this ability to telecommunicate to hold monthly national referendums and keep our government in check. It's the one check and balance that's missing from the Constitution because there was no way to orchestrate it.
My proposal is to two fold:
1) To seek to pass a USA National Referendum to the Constitution of the United States that transitions the power of the government back to the people.
and how to do this
2) Create a secure online system via state governments that would create a Facebook®-like page for every registered voter where he/she would be able to see, read comments, and then vote on national issues.
Clarifications and Explanations:
[click links to read each section and comment]
• Creation of the Secure System
• Creation of the Voting Accounts
• Implementation and 24-Month Trial Period
• Comment Sections for Vote Threads
• What Issues Would Go to National Referendum?
• Post Trial Period
The time has come to put the power of our nation back into the hands of the people. This is true democracy. This is what the founders intended. They did not intend for large chain stores in Minnesota to be able to determine the outcome of elections and therefore issues. They did not intend for Congresspersons to be beholden to campaign contributors. Lastly, they did not intend for Congressperson to be so out of touch with their constitutents nor for their constituents to be so out of touch with their government creating one disillusioned, appathetic, cynical generation after the next.
