There are eight ways you and Unity08 will make history and change American politics forever:
1) Unity08 will hold the first-ever online presidential nominating convention and of the United States right here.
You don’t have to leave your party.
All you have to be is an American citizen, 18 or older, and registered to vote in your State by convention time.
(Next, get your family, neighbors, relatives and friends to sign up to be delegates too. Right here, right now.)
2) Long before the Spring 2024 convention we will welcome candidates from either Party (or independents) to run for the convention nomination. We will allow them to campaign right here at Unity08.com – with streaming video of their positions on the crucial issues, with their own daily weblogs, with online debates among the candidates, and presentations of their platforms.
Anyone constitutionally qualified for the office may run.
All they need to be qualified to use the Unity08 website and get on the convention ballot is to meet a minimum threshold level of public support.
You and the convention can even decide who the next president should be and draft him or her to run (as long as they don’t rule out running if nominated).
3) For the first time ever we’re going to require that the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates run as a Unity Team – one Republican and one Democrat, in whichever order – or an independent running with a Unity Team from both parties.
On each convention ballot each delegate will vote for one Unity Ticket (just as Presidents and Vice Presidents are elected as a team in November).
There will be as many convention ballots as are needed until one Unity Ticket wins at least 50% of all delegates voting.
(The reason for the Unity Ticket requirement is to force the two political parties to stop bickering and start working together to solve the crucial problems facing the country.)
4) Unity08 and our delegates will get the nominated Unity Ticket on the November ballot in all 50 States.
That won’t be easy because the two major parties in the states have made it very difficult for anybody else to get on the ballot. But we will do it.
(One reason why we invite your contributions to Unity08 – large and small – is to fund the organization we need to build in all 50 states.)
5) During 2024, even before presidential candidates announce their decisions to run, you will be discussing and debating the crucial issues confronting the country right here – and defining an Agenda of Crucial Issues we expect all candidates to address.
We think the next President will face very difficult and important issues that Washington is too polarized (and paralyzed) to do anything about.
Some of those issues are energy independence, affordable health care, global climate change, the education of our children, the soaring national debt. You will set the Agenda of Crucial Issues you expect the candidates to address.
Unity08 believes that when the two parties pander to their base voters, left and right, they ignore both all of us in the middle and many issues crucial to the safety and welfare of the country. Issues like gay marriage and abortion, which rile up the base voters of each party, are both important and worthy of debate; but most voters do not see them as crucial to America’s future.
6) A Unity08 Rules Committee has already begun work to recommend precise guidelines for how the website will function, how candidates can use the website to campaign for delegate support, and how the convention will be conducted.
As it proceeds, the Rules Committee will report its deliberations on the Website, ask for your ideas, and consider your recommendations in its
decision-making. The process will be transparent.The rules process will be completed before the end of calendar 2024, in order that all candidates and delegates can clearly understand the process (and be comfortable with it) before presidential candidate announcements begin.
7) After meeting initial expenses of website and start-up costs, Unity08 expects to be funded by small contributions raised off the website (and at 1-877-UNITY08) from those who believe that the American political system is broken and desperately needs a dramatic jolt to get back on track. We will take no corporate or PAC $$$.
8) We intend to win the White House. This is not some kind of spoiler effort. The political system must produce some genuine leadership, for a change. The first-ever online presidential nominating convention right here at Unity08.com will be a transforming vehicle to make 2024 a transforming moment in American history.
You don’t have to leave your party.
All you have to be is an American citizen, 18 or older, and registered to vote in your State by convention time.
(Next, get your family, neighbors, relatives and friends to sign up to be delegates too. Right here, right now.)
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David Broder thinks a better solution to parties (stymied by their own greed and their own base being in love with rhetorical extremes) may come from a credible independent presidential candidacy or an agreement by credentialed figures from the two parties to form a ticket.
Broder says, "The rigmarole of an Internet convention could give way, then, to an actual campaign."
Broder may be wise. But Unity08 is what we've got in hand.
Give it some money and some issues that can make a difference.
Trillions must be spent on behalf of the American people. It can't be found by taxing them on what they buy in Bergdoff of in Walmart or on what they made at work supplying far less than our needs.
It can only come from the place it came in 1942. It came from agreement between the Treasury and the Fed not to sink America beneath the Fascist tide. The tide now comes from many sources. But we must not sink America on that account.
Who is planning to run for this ticket? I support the idea, but who can do it? Which will be president, Democrat or Republican?
Moderate: Candidates of any political leaning can try for the election. Registration will begin in January 2024.
Thank you, just wondering!
Peggy Nonnan in the Wall Street Journal faulted unity08 for not taking on Immigration and Federal Spending.
Is she against guest workers? We must not be.
Would she solve the urgent problems of the day with LESS federal spending? Where would that leave energy independence? Where would that leave protecting earth from global warming? Where would that leave protecting America from war and natural disasters?
If Peggy means lower taxes -- let us consider the matter? If we produce solutions for the urgent problems they may supply the material foundation for a more powerful economy. They may mean jobs, income and profits. Tax increases may not be necessary -- or if necessary they may be asked for when it is apparent that the solutions to problems tend to grow our economy and make taxes more reasonable and less counter-productive than they normally are.
I feel we need a "fool proof" national ID card which can only be obtained by proving citizenship status which would also include finger print and eye imprint.
Then the national ID card could be used by employers, business, medical care providers, pharmacies and banks resulting in no jobs or services for illegals.
I also recommend each employer be required to submit each employee ID card # with their quarterly tax reports rather than using social security numbers as is the case now. Social security numbers are becoming a problem with identity theft.
If people cannot find a job, gain medical care, prescriptions, conduct banking or purchase anything, guess what, they will go home or elsewhere to live. If illegal's cannot find work, they won't be coming across the border as there will be no opportunities here in the U.S.
The poll you commissioned by Princeton Survey Research is bogus. Perhaps, as you are finding out by your on-line poll, that the paid survey was agenda driven and not the real issues that concern people. That's the problem, when it is decided before the survey is taken, what questions to ask. These are the same polling questions by the same polling groups that got us into this mess in the first place. I suggest that you "write off" your paid poll to a "lessons learned" and rely instead on your "lying eyes".
To easily communicate with your politicians regarding immigration reform, join NumbersUSA which is FREE or willing to take some donations for their efforts at:
http://www.numbersusa.com
Who should decide who you marry or where you get married? YOU or the GOVERNMENT?
With issues involving stupidity like marriage .. I would leave it to the experts .. and the government has the expertise in the art of stupidity.
I think Lou Dobbs of CNN would make a good president. He is smart and has the best interest of Americans in mind, unlike George W.
yes.. Lou Dobbs gets it. I agree. and his associates are real eye candy too.
Here he goes again. Everything that can go wrong in Iraq has gone wrong. Now Afghanistan is quickly becoming another Iraq. The energy problems are out of control,
the deficit is the highest that any nation in the world has ever had. The dollar is going down the drain. Just about every country on this earth is fed up with us. Our image in the world is that of hypocrites. (Well earned, I might add.) The moral in the services is atrocious! There have been 8,000 desertion's (of an all volunteer army)since we have attacked Iraq! The borders are like a sieve allowing any determined terrorist full access.
So, what does the decider think is important? SAME SEX MARRAGE!!
He finds this so important that it is brought forth for the immediate attention of our legislature?
George --- if you are against same sex marriage --- marry someone of the opposite sex.
Let's not forget the devastating effect of outsourcing, or what I call outsourcing/insourcing. Outsourcing for cheap labor and insourcing (illegal immigrants) for cheap labor. Before you know it, you will be able to fit jobs for Americans on a pinhead. Outsourcing needs to be on the poll.
See the comments on my web page, www.ballot-access.org, about the Texas ballot access law, which seemingly will force unity08 to organize formally as a party.
If you have an online convention, why do you need delegates? Wouldn't everyone just get to vote themselves?
The site cannot simply open convention voting to the world -- it has to be locked down to indivdual voters, each of which gets only one vote. The only way to maintain a one-person-one-vote model semi-accurately is to cross-reference registered voter records from each state with the registered participants on the web site. This will be difficult to do and won't be perfect. But if you just say anyone can vote, then everyone can register at the site as many times as they like, and you'd end up with 500 million people voting in a country of 250 million people, not all of whom can actually vote anyway. So the vote has to be at least somewhat locked down. Using voter rolls from the states is the most logical choice. Of course, this begs the question of just how accurate the state voter records are, but you have to start somewhere...
I have always believed in this concept. As a career military person I never felt hindered by having to carry this card. However, I'm told that the forgers claim they can easily and inexpensively forge any technology that is devised to create a "foolproof" card. Can experts tell us whether the technology is really there to create a national identity card that can't be forged relatively easily?
Every politician, even the fusion candidates we will chose, is focused on winning. That's to be expected and will not change.
The way to win, up to now, is to raise as much money as possible. And very naturally, politicians have to spend most of their time raising money.
If we can SHOW that you can win an election without raising lots of money, the other things have a chance of falling into place.
The job of the political system is to craft real solutions. The politician can't do that becuase they are spending all their time talking to people to get them money. And their solutions are naturally formed by the people that have access.
But the knowledge that we need to solve our collective problems are out there . in our communities, in our schools, and in the experience of a baby boom generation that has expertise, wisdom and advice that they will freely give, if we can find a communication ecology that will work for them.
The winning message is "Don't tell me what you are going to do, show me what you have done."
It's not about incivility, (the Birtish Parliament is very aggressive with each other) it's about delivering win-win solutions for real problems.
When it was easy to find solutions, civility was fine and the system worked pretty well. The level of corruption and sloppy thinking was tolerable.
But now the problems are much more difficult, and beyond the capabilty of government alone to figure it out.
Voters are apathetic becuase in their wisdom, they understand the system doesn't deliver solutions. They vote by staying home. They just make a common sense decision not to waste their limited time, on things that don't work.
For those wondering about national ID, here's a good article by a recognized security expert - http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/05/real_id.html.
Do most people know that your drivers license will probably be embedded with an RFID chip ? This means that a crook with a reader can go into the ballroom on the Disney cruise boat and get the names and addresses of everybody on vacation this week - RFID is what the EZ-Pass toll systems et. al. use.
Or, more likely, an FBI/CIA agent can walk into a meeting of "Americans who think George Bush is an Idiot" and instantly get a list of everybody there. Or everybody at the protest.
Almost certainly, your personal information will be collected by data mining companies, and your 'profile' sold to marketing companies and the government. In fact, that is going on now, with credit card, shopping/discount cards, and other information that you generate in your daily activities.
As Bruce Scheier points out, the National ID card doesn't solve the problem it's meant to solve anyway - all of the hijackers on Sept. 11 had valid ID's, and would under this program.
The problem that it DOES solve, is the one where our federal government thinks we have too much privacy. The opportunities for abuse are enormous. The problem of identity theft is magnified exponentially.
See "The Minority Report". A lot of it is coming true.....
The media is the problem: David Broder writes a column on Senator Clinton's recent speech on global warming.
"Wonkish", he described it, and moved on to things he considered more important to the nation: her pantsuit and the state of her marriage.
The Washington Press Corps only chats about what interests it, leaving it to "angry bloggers" to inform the public regarding issues.
I think this site has been long in the waiting. I think it will give more of a voice of the popular vote and bend more toward common sense and good judgement than the current vew that if you belong to a particular party, you must agree with them on issues as unrelated as the environment and social security. The current checks and balance system with 2 parties with predetermined and opposing views on every issue only accomplishes a stale mate or bullying if one party has the numbers. Each issue needs good judgement and an open mind that isn't party driven. I think Unity 08 might be a good solution. This kind of election process is something that will attract more voters because they can be heard atop of choosing their leader. We may yet get a president that isn't chosen by the party he/she belongs to or by the width of the wallet.
We could cut government spending in half by having term limts for both the House and Senate with set compensation and expense accounts, no retirement and only the minimum health benefit that we all have.
Our Electorate spends 20% of their time for us. The rest is spent on how to get reelected. Term limits will take care of this.
The old Sage
Peggy Noonan’s article got me here, I read through your blog/FAQ/and info section and have a few questions/comments. For the most part Peggy nailed it, I’m a far right conservative who is almost disgusted enough with my party to go Libertarian (if they push Jeb next, I just might). Appealing to the middle means dancing through the mine field of hot-button issues that so polarizes the existing system, you chose two (2) that will freeze the blood of anyone who voted Republican in the last three decades: “Global Climate Change”, “The Health Care of All”.
Global Climate Change: Even the NYT ran a recent article about the pre-history of Antarctica being hotter than current-day Florida! I hate to disagree with a previous author, by my ‘personal experience’ runs opposite AlGore’s apocalyptic tirade. In my youth, I enjoyed fresh citrus from a variety of trees in my extreme North Florida yard (Jacksonville). Citrus groves were common, if not plentiful all over Central and North Florida and this was true even in my father’s youth. However, hard freezes have decimated citrus trees as far South as Orlando (many South Florida orchards have been reconstituted). I helped chop out dead trees from my Grandmother’s yard hearing all the old-timers in town comment how freezes have ‘never been this bad before!” Both Japan and Russia had record cold Winters this year!
Claiming to champion “Global Climate Change” just might be suicidal to Unity’08. You might as well slap a picture of Al Gore (with a beard) & Tipper in a canoe on your homepage. Despite this being a darling issue for all the disaffected Democrats and Greens on the left, you might tick off less Republicans by replacing this with “Ban All Guns!” If you want to be taken seriously on this and not run off the conservative base consider this -- diesel powered semi’s represent a full 1/3 of all the traffic on America’s highways and they’ve never had a pollution control device required by the Fed’s, because the Democratic party is owned (at least partially) by the Teamsters Union. Take on the Teamsters in the same breath as “Global Climate Change” and some conservatives might stay long enough to read the rest of your issues.
Health Care of All: The obvious implication here is Universal Health Care / Hillary Care. The “National Health Care” mantra is why most Libertarian leaning (Jeffersonian thinking) folk believe the only thing Democrats have ever done right is to choose an appropriate party Icon (resembles a horse). ‘Government’ can’t even deliver palatable/healthy drinking water to our homes (buy bottled water?, have an R/O system in your home?, use a Brita filter?). If they can’t give us water for a full 1/3 of my income being stolen in taxes – why should I trust them to choose a heart surgeon for me? If your life depended on a package being delivered across country would you choose UPS, DHL, FedEx or the US Postal Service? Which is the better educational institution, the local high school or the private school across town? Which is the better retirement system, Social Security or your company’s 401K?
A far better choice for a national unity core issue would be to lower tax rates across the board, for everyone. If you really didn’t mean to imply Hillary Care as a core issue, you need to be more careful in your wording.
Good luck on your campaign, I will keep watching and reading. Count me in as a potential vote if you manage to clean up your issues list and don’t dig up Ross Perot as a candidate. I salute your effort, thanks.
The problem with politics right now is that people feel their vote doesn't count because the politicians are controlled by big business and lobbiest. Global warming is a bad term to explain what is happening to the enviroment,polution is causing an erratic climate change , warmer in some areas and colder in others.
I am a 24 year old American male and I feel that the maladies afflicting the issues of privacy, illegal workers, outsourcing, and global warming are all definite symptoms of a bigger deficiency in our economic system...knowledge. Unfortunately, our president must be a knowledgable, financial success which, may explain all the campaign dollars, and to elect someone who does not rely on their donors money would be ideal but hard to do considering how Americans worship it. Bush may not be a financial success but he plays one on TV and thats all we see. We may be able to engage the silent majority in '08 if we can educate them economically and financially. If we don't understand the economic and social issues, we cannot vote for a legitimate canidate.
So, let's give it a little thought. We got this so-called two-party system now that's giving us no choice whatsoever on all issues we care about. And some smart people came up with this grand idea of getting us an official one-party system. Why shouldn’t I be unimpressed? Note: the real solution is, of course, the zero-party alternatives. Clever. No?
The two-party acts as the one-party already on everything that matters: multi-culture, income taxation, illegal and increased immigration, disadvantageous foreign trade, encouraging American jobs outsourcing, technology and high-tech jobs export, increased globalization, Iraq occupation, constantly growing the government, constantly reducing individual liberty and initiative, constantly pushing toward more collectivism, always for interventionism abroad and never for protecting the jobs of Americans, always for more intrusive intervention into people's personal lives, more do-goodism and less individualism. We call the above 'bi-partisan' issues and they continue on the path set probably ever since Lincoln, regardless of which party is in power at any given time. I call the party on power the DemoGOPs and they should go or this nation goes.
Then we have the so-called 'wedge issues'. Like the GOPs screaming against 'gay marriage' and the Demos decrying 'tax breaks for the rich'. Not that any so-called party does anything about these but they help keep the voters focused on peripheral distractions while the 2 so-called partisan parties are in complete agreement on 99% of everything.
So... these guys find... too much division and partisanship? I guess I couldn't stop laughing for a long time if they expressed this in a more humorous way - they are planning to replace the 2-party which is really a one-party with a one-party? I am soooo overwhelmed and energized :))))
Will this post survive the bi-partisan censorship? I hope it does but the odds seem to be against it.
I'm in! But don't expect me to go for some manager-type. We need a LEADER to run this nation.
We need to reject the "scientific" CRAP that each party is buying into.
Homosexual Marriage may not poll highly as an issue, but the fact that the left is pushing homosexuality as normal, accepted behaviour is both harmful and completely wrong.
Our nation...our WORLD is under the threat of totalitarian rule by islamofacism--that's the unifynig factor that should have all of our focus.
We, as an independent net radio staion, know the power of the internet. Our message reflects Unity.08.com and are proud to be involved.
We too are a collective organization formed to pioneer a new type of internet radio. We are building a model of political ACTIVISM by offering revolutionary media production and distribution that creates POSITIVE social and economic change.
In Your Face Radio.net also rejects the narrow formats of corporate-owned media that has squeezed out middle american voices.
Our collective is dedicared, like Unity08, to bringing about a much needed change to MIDDLE. We're made up of or ordinary Americans, Inspiring hosts, political activists, musicians, journalists, writers, and other Americans who care about freedom, social justice and we are relentless in making changes in Amerca.
IN YOUR FACE RADIO.net concentrates on airing voices and viewpoints that are now totally excluded from the airwaves. We are opposed to corporate domination, control of our voice by national and multi-national corporations, the Iraq invasion, militarization, media censorship, any form of racism.
Americans are screaming to be heard.
IYFR is honored to join Unity08.
Rafshoun announced on c-span this morning that 78% of the people think education is a primary issue. This info was taken from the erroneous Pew poll and not from responses of those who voted on this U08 site which indicates its only 7%. Education is a non issue. we are spending more than $10K for each student ($250,000 per class room) and there is very little that the federal gov can do to inprove the situation until the Teachers Union is diminished and hopefully evaporated.
We're gaining momentum. We now have the religious freaks among us. I think liberal lother (sic) was suggesting that we nominate jimmy swaggart for president and billy graham for vp and adopt the bible as our constitution.
I am not sure a bi-partisan executive office would work, however, I applaud the attention you are drawing to the Democrats and Republicans what the REAL issues are for the American voting public! Let's take our country back!
The Presedent isn't our problem. It's the Congress. Too many elected Attorneys, too many laws. Most agree that Congress is doing a poor job BUT their elected officials are doing a great job. The result is we all vote for our incumbents and we end up with the same thing. Don't let your elected officials take your vote for granted. Re-elect nobody.
I watched the two gentlement on C-Span this morning and was encouraged to hope that it may be possible to achieve some more widespread sense of common purpose in our nation. Having lived through such times, I hope it is still possible. Unfortunately, the early comments on this blog are discouraging. The internet is apparently more accessible to people whose experience with hardship, struggle, or unified effort is vicarious. I fear it may take real economic depression, real war, and/or despotism to bring back some sense of unity. Still, I hope that America's best days are not over and will do what I can to contribute and participate.
Given the state of our political system today, on both sides of the isle, the only way to get things done is through the art of compromise, BUT with the total focus being on getting re-elected, there is no chance to move forward in an intelligent manner. So, eliminate the need for re-election, Let's ssupport longer terms, reasonable for the projects and legislation required, and have TERM LIMITS. Force us to see new faces on the political front. And let's try to do away with parties, and the money that has to fund them. There is much more to write on this subject, and no space here, but I would love to see you take up the debate over term limits. Lets elect people who sign a contract not to run again.
Not too long ago, Ralph Nader killed the Democratic vote and we got Bush, who will undoubtedly go down in history as the worst, or most incompetent President in our history. We are now in the worst economic situation in our history with the gap between the rich and the poor at its greatest and with America’s international credibility at its lowest. I need not write the rest of this litany of which all America is now aware.
While I agree with the aims of this group, it would seem to me that there has to be a well thought out plan before destroying America completely. This is what would happen if we present a candidate in ’08 who will undoubtedly take away votes from the Republican Party. I expect to hear remonstrations against my statement above but the truth is that the GOP has more faithful than the Democrats; after all they claim a monopoly with God and many have even indicated they agree with the biblical fantasy of an Apocalypse!
I believe the first order of business would be to demonstrate our strength by voting the reactionary members of the party in power OUT. With this victory, we can, for the first time in our history, field a winning candidate. First, responsibility must be established.
I want to congratulate you on an idea that I think it's time has come. Its about time that the individual voters of this country have a format for their ideas and feelings about what htis country is and should be about. I have always had the idea that the United States should be about improving the lot of its people through education, spreading the wealth to those less fortunate, and the preserving the rights of every individual regardless of race,creed, religion, sexual persuasion,or financial condition. To do this we must, as a people, provide for, and encourage, the rights of, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We cannot do this with the current methods of pandering to the special interests of big business and others. We as a people have the Right to health care, education, life, and freedom. I believe that it alienates whole segments of society when this man's children get a better education then another man's children, oor if one cannot get decent health care because he doesnt have the right insurance or any insurance for that matter, or the same legal representation. Ther is a whole list of inequalities tha I can talk about but that's for a later time. Suffice to say we have to treat our people as what they are, " All members of our society, our world, with equal rights and expectations." Thank you for listening and I will be talking to you again. John
While i would agree with most of your core thoughts, i would suggest to you that the economic disparity between the rich and poor directly correlates the substantive knowledge and reasoning abilitity of the 2 classes. Until we can free our educational system from the grip of democratic control.. this will always be the case. As long as teachers unions exists in their present from, and the primary focus of our schools is to indoctrinate the youth with diversity studies, feminine agendas, and other non-essentials and not core requirements like science, math, history, civics.. its going to be more of the same.
Until there is true election and tax reform our political system will be feted by those in control.
The “spoils” needed for election, and the past two administrations use of administrative law to wield their funding constituents’ desires has appalled the country, especial so in the current wartime setting that has allowed the executive branch to hid the truths and answers the public is now seeking.
This is why, I believe, there is great hope for Unity08 and the use of the internet; perhaps it avails an opening to seek these truths at little or no cost. Perhaps it is the vehicle (like the Drugge Report) that demands the attention of the American media, without a list of talking points for the talking heads or 30-second controlled spots. Perhaps it gives us a chance to get away from the powerful law firms, the lobbyists and self-righteous special interest groups.
Perhaps, then, a campaign can be run without “big” money and special interest indebtedness. Perhaps then we can find people of actual accomplishment, people who want to leave the legacy of government service like the Jeffersons, the Kennedys, the Eisenhowers, the Roosevelts did.
Perhaps, if we need to take money out of the equation, then we need to put it back in with the likes of a Mike Bloomberg, whom shows no particular alliances, builds and doesn't need under-the-table facors , or the Schwarzeneggers whose approach is, “let’s get it done.” Or a Collin Powell, miss-led, betrayed and perhasp are ready to do right.
Somewhere out there is another Fighting Bob La Foillette, a Teddy Roosevelt ,or even a Lincoln.
Remember: those who gathered at a little White School House in Ripon to form a coalition, made up of vastly different view , went on to become the GOP were in a position similar to that of Unity 08 - it was a very small schoolhouse, but they had to start somewthere with the change and reform.
DRColby
I would like to address the question that was asked by someone about your belief in gun control. While it appears that this question was addressed to the founders of Unity08, I believe that one aspect of this question is answered in Amendment II of the United States Constitution, which states that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
It is important to have historical perspective on why this right was granted to the people. We had recently declared the "Declaration of Independence" from the monarchy of King George III, fought and won the Revolutionary War to establish ourselves as a sovereign nation. Then began the writing of the Constitution, whose core principle was to mandate rights to "THE PEOPLE," so that they would never again be subject to a government that would undermine their inherent rights to be free. So, much of this debate hinges on the rights of Americans to bear arms in defense of their constitutionally mandated freedoms.
While it is tempting to assume that the rationale for this amendment no longer applies, as the impetus for it was based on being oppressed by a colonial monarchy, it is also important to realize that the English monarchy was our government, and that declaring and fighting for independence from it was what inspired the statutes of the Constitution that defined the new concept of government as being subject to "THE PEOPLE."
I believe that in this amendment, the authors made provisions for future circumstances in which the constitutional rights and freedoms of "THE PEOPLE" might again need to be defended, even within the confines of its own government, not necessarily as only a threat from outside forces.
In defense of the Brady Act of 1993, this was a response to the escalating gun crime on the streets that was being waged by criminals and gangs, who were outgunning the police force, that had nothing to do with the defense of our constitutional freedoms.
Right now I'd go with AlGore/Chuck Hagel.
Is there any way to tabulate votes?
You are the best and most important thing to hit the Internet since the Internet itself. You must not, cannot, no matter what, let this grand experiment fail. If you succede this will spread to state, regional and local elections and at long last the goverment of this great country will be back under the control of "We the People".
You can be sure however that there will be many very powerful interest who will stop at nothing to do you in. For example and in no particular order: Most lobbyist and the thousands of corporations with very deep pockets that they represent; media companies, special interest groups, corrupt politicians, entrenched politicians, and in general every "political machine" in this country.
This list only scratches the surface. And if you don't succede this time around you cannot give up.
We must take back our government before our government takes over the Internet.
How will we motivate the 50% of those Americans who do NOT vote, who are perfectly content to let home, say and do nothing, and who apparently take pride in letting this country deteriorate, relinquish power to those who have only self-interest -- how do we get them to vote - BEFORE we all lose that right....
And how will we find a leader, a non-politician, someone with integrity, strong moral values, of strong character, to commit to running for office IN SPITE OF the terrible beating they will suffer for taking any stance on what is right and wrong??
And where are our leaders, the one's who will stand in the breach, who will protect America and all the great things this country stands for??
ANY answers would be appreciated. I'd love to find someone out there who gives a damn!
I would submit to you the thought that our politics and government started and continues to decline when we instigated the get-out-the-vote efforts and motorvoter and other easy registrations methods. We also got lax in doing voting validation. I would discourage all these practices and let the inclined and those with some knowledge and certainly stake holders like tax payers do the voting. Now, it seems those that are bused to the polls and told to vote for "candidate #2 on the left" have control of the polls.
I think we should go outside Washington to find a candidate. Those in Washington are tainted in one way or another and usually owe favors to the rest of the bunch.
The next place to look is at the state Governors. I have seen Tom Vilsack ( D-Ia.) on a couple of interviews and from what I have been able to find out he seems to have a clean background. He comes across as a 'middle of the road' type and shows a real desire to unite rather than divide!
What I would like to see is a civics course on why we live in a Republic and not a Democracy. The founding fathers were very explisit
in calling the government they instituted a Republic. They had studied there history and knew democracy doesn't work in runing a country.
The reason is we the people can't make up our minds about long term items. The question "what will I get out of that" comes to mind when the Taft Hartley Act became law. Men I worked with wanted to know does that mean I will get a raise? I don't see any difference today than what it was in the days of the Pharols.
A hungry man will vote for the man who feeds him his lunch and against the same man when he doesn't get his dinner.
All of the so called social programs are giveaways passing future generations earnings on to todays recievers. I am one of the recievers of Medicare and Social Security. Do I want to give it up? in therory yes but not today or this month.
We don't need or should we want to have more democracy. We need a way to get back to personal responsibility. Steve Forbes has put forth many good idea on how our country could get back with the medicale savings plans.
Both parties are being controlled by the two radical sides of our society. I am ready for leaders that will appeal to the moderate's in our society. Congress spends weeks and weeks on acting as though they are trying to solve a problem while only appealing to their base so they can keep their jobs. Balancing the Budget, Outsourcing jobs, Social Securtiy, Medical Care, Immigration, etc. should be top priorities. Sadly they are not. Our country is going to H...in a Handbasket and every one in Washing is Fiddling.
We Need Real Change.
Yes, I agree with the founding fathers hard copy reasons for a Republic... as I agree with the need to prevent the vote to dictate policy... however the vote should dictate debate... and that's where we stand toe to toe....
If we restrict ourselves to just electing a Pres. and Vice Pres., we will be sending them to Washington unprepared to deal with Congress and their true constituents, the lobbyists. My suggestion is that we also consider the position of voting against all Congressional incumbents, regardless of Party,in order to impress upon them that we are aware that they have not been doing their jobs in the public interest and their successors need to get serious in meeting legislative responsibilities if they wish to avoid a similar fate in the next election.
Thanks to whoever got this thing started!