Arizona's Triumph
Summary
Arizona and other states have managed to make money irrelevant to politics, and it's changing the face of democracy.
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by Eric Armstrong
This post from PublicCampaign.org says it all:
"Every day corporations and other wealthy special interests pump another $2 million into the coffers of our elected officials in Washington and their party committees. For their money they get an estimated $160 billion a year in tax breaks, subsidies, and other sweet deals. That’s $160 billion lifted from taxpayers’ pockets—or about $1500 per taxpayer per year!"
The post goes on to describe their book, Is That a Politician in Your Pocket? It looks like a darn good read.
Somehow, though, Arizona managed to pass sweeping campaign finance reform. Another post at that site describes the Clean Money, Clean Elections initative. They say it has been instituted in Maine, Vermont, Arizona, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and North Carolina, and that their example is inspiring activity in other states, including California, Minnesota, and Illinois.
The site even provides a model bill for the initiative. It's not entirely clear whether or not that particular bill is the one Arizona used. But there is definitely something to be learned here.
Folks I've talked to tell me that all the candidates are competing on equal terms in Arizona and that, as a result, third party candidates are emerging and even succeeding. Another source said that as far as they knew, only one candidate that decided not to accept the rules and run on their own money has won.
I get the idea that there is definitely a story, here. In particular, I would like to know:
This is dynamite stuff. The process seems to be working, and it seems to be spreading. If we can find a way to share the information about how folks made it happen, there's real hope for our future! (I'm reminded of Doug Engelbart here. He's always recommended Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) as a way of advancing human progress. (Eugene Kim writes about them here.) That's what we need for this purpose!
About Eric Armstrong
Eric Armstrong is computer systems designer, writer, and philosopher. He is currently working on a book that uses the principles of General Systems Theory to explain how America's epidemic of obesity and disease stems from profitable, but unhealthy, ingredients in the food supply; how the corporate financial system (and our own retirement plans) are complicit in the problem; how the American political system allows it to happen; and how our problems with the environment, a dwindling standard of living, and even our problems with the global economy all stem from the same constellation of systemic interactions. At www.treelight.com/health, he focuses on nutrition and fitness. At www.citizensAdvisory.org, his forming non-profit is working to get the money out of politics. At www.artima.com/weblogs, he writes about software, web technology, and development tools.
About Citizens' Advisory
Corporate money has hijacked the ballot box. The Citizens' Advisory aims to take it back. Our goal is to put people in charge of the political process. The voting-advice system recommended by the Citizens Advisory lets people choose advisors they trust. Done right, that system will enable multi-party coalitions in cyberspace. The system appeals to voters because it's convenient. It appeals to social activists and their organizations because it levels the political playing the field and empowers them with a stronger political voice.
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