QUOTE

1) Free and fair elections. Public funding only, with real debates like we were taught in high school and college with debate teams and references and relevant issues that are strictly adhered to.

2) Get the corporate money out of elections. Create public election channels that would be the venue for debate and campaign education. No paid advertising on corporate media channels. With public funding and public campaign channels there will be no need to solicit special interest or corporate campaign funds. By doing this our elected officials will not be “owned”, or owe favors to special interest groups or corporations.

3) After election there should be no financial or gifting requirements to meet privately with elected officials. We realize that elected officials need to meet with experts when evaluating new legislation. When these meetings or consultations are necessary, representatives from all organizations that feel they have an interest in the pending legislation should have the option to send official representatives of their choice to a venue where all interested parties will debate the pending legislation so that the elected officials can properly understand the concerns of all parties both public and private.

4) Televised, public and transparent investigations into the financial meltdown, mortgage derivatives, who knew what, when and why the decisions were made to bail out private institutions with taxpayer money, what the taxpayers are getting in return, and what is being done to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again.

5) Televised, public and transparent investigations into Social Security funding, history of that funding, how those funds were managed and borrowed from, and a truthful assessment of how much actual liquid assets are available to continue dividend payments. Replacement of all funding that has been borrowed from the Social Security Fund and a secure low risk investment policy to help grow those funds.

6) Foreign relations that will allow the US to compete in World Trade. For too long we have had to compete with countries that do not have to pay living wages and benefits, provide safe and sanitary working conditions, or operate their corporations in an environmentally responsible manner. The cost of producing goods while at the same time taking Care of the people that allow them to continue to operate and keep our environment clean is expensive. We will never be able to compete, and will continue to lose jobs to countries that do not provide these basic human and environmental conditions. Corporations will continue to move their manufacturing centers to these countries and American workers will continue to lose jobs, and the ones they have will continue to pay smaller and smaller wages.