Empowering the Vote

Our system of governance needs careful examination. Without a Centrist Party it is too easy for politicians to spin their message for the primary, spin back to the center for the general election (by re-characterizing their message) and after winning, spin back to their special interest base, or worse, obscure their true intent in the fog of politics.

Consider the following:

• Special Interests
• Spinning
• Politics

Representation

If the interests of the people, and community, are to be better represented, then the vote needs to reflect the choice of both, the community and the people, not personal agendas, or special interests that are not in line with the common good.

Due to the size and nature of our country, its strength and thereby responsibility, as well as the intentions of our forefathers in the Constitution of the United States, a direct democracy is not as appropriate for America as one might think. Mainly because it increases the opportunity for a special interest lobby to override individual human rights and the public good through appeal to emotion arguments. That does not mean that direct democracy under the auspices of the constitution can not be beneficial at the local level or even state level. The key is an informed electorate of the relevant pragmatic issues and the ability to reduce corruption of the electorate and politicians via effective measures.

Get the money out of politics.

Campaign reform needs to be examined more realistically. There are indications that the campaign reform that has occurred may not be inline with the intentions of the Framers of the Constitution. It will take a Centrist Party, or a stronger independent body, to better gauge the methods of interpretation in order to determine the degree to which we as a country have strayed from reason, or what is sensible.

By creating a more direct connection between the people and the issues at the local level, governance may benefit by having effort directed more towards administration of the common needs, and away from controlling issues and agendas, which is the job of governance. Localized use of direct democracy under the auspices of the constitution may then prove to be a healthy driving force behind our local governance. At the same time, one must consider that a complete direct democracy could erode the potential for strength, justice and the protection of human rights. Balance and wisdom must be our guide.