I was arguing with my liberal friend again and he claimed the that all money donated to campaigns should be pooled into one giant pot and then equally distributed among the candidates. His rationale was that if we did it this way, people could not buy off candidates.

I counter that such a system is bad because it would ultimately lead to the government having to decide which candidates are legitimate candidates who get the money and which aren't. This of course would ultimately be abused by whoever is in power.

What are your thoughts on publicly financed elections?

It does not matter what you set up, everything is run by humans and will as a result be subject to manipulation. While that is not a bad idea, it would still be subject to oversight. The most important thing in keeping any aspect of society from becoming abused is the concept of oversight and anti monopoly. I am not sure that this would work right now because even if "publicly funded" look who still yields the most power over government. Big business.

It has been way past time that America overturns Citizens United with a constitutional amendment banning big money from politics. We have for the past 30 years allowed far too much corporate influence on lawmaking.

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I think it would still be important even if we did that, to do what Iceland did when their rich fucked up, hold them accountable. If you just set something up just to set it up, that does not make it work. What makes it work with wealth is really no different than punishing a child. You don't have to beat the crap out of them, but certainly back up your words with actions when the kid does something wrong.

America's sick mentality has been when the rich fuck up, they dump it on us or blame us. If enough of them went to jail they would stop doing it.

Quote:What are your thoughts on publicly financed elections?

As opposed to having your billionaire buddies poisoning the airwaves with their shit? Bring it on. Can't be any worse than the circus that has been created here now.

(November 19, 2014 at 11:51 am)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:What are your thoughts on publicly financed elections?

As opposed to having your billionaire buddies poisoning the airwaves with their shit? Bring it on. Can't be any worse than the circus that has been created here now.

I don't think he has any billionaire buddies. What he has is a fantasy that if he show he is willing to sprinkle the few drops of piss he has on those who are not billionaires, somehow the system that made the few billionaires at the expense of everyone else, including those in denial like him, would stoop to help him.

The circus created by McCain Feingold. The more we try to stop big money, the worse it gets as it has to become more creative in getting around the law. If perfect legislation stopped all big money in politics entirely...the big money would go back to just bribing politicians, only with patsies to take the heat if caught. There's a million things a person won't do for five bucks...and about five they won't do for a million.

Instead of trying to stop it, we should focus on making it as transparent as possible, so at least we can tell who belongs to who when we vote.

(November 19, 2014 at 12:01 pm)Chuck Wrote:

(November 19, 2014 at 11:51 am)Minimalist Wrote: As opposed to having your billionaire buddies poisoning the airwaves with their shit? Bring it on. Can't be any worse than the circus that has been created here now.

I don't think he has any billionaire buddies. What he has is a fantasy that if he show he is willing to sprinkle the few drops of piss he has on those who are not billionaires, somehow the system that made the few billionaires at the expense of everyone else, including those in denial like him, would stoop to help him.

Chuck, are you drunk again?

(November 19, 2014 at 12:19 pm)Heywood Wrote:

(November 19, 2014 at 12:01 pm)Chuck Wrote: I don't think he has any billionaire buddies. What he has is a fantasy that if he show he is willing to sprinkle the few drops of piss he has on those who are not billionaires, somehow the system that made the few billionaires at the expense of everyone else, including those in denial like him, would stoop to help him.

Chuck, are you drunk again?

That is funny coming from you who thinks 30 years of trickle up economics will be reduced magically by giving big business even more free reign.

(November 19, 2014 at 12:24 pm)Brian37 Wrote:

(November 19, 2014 at 12:19 pm)Heywood Wrote: Chuck, are you drunk again?

That is funny coming from you who thinks 30 years of trickle up economics will be reduced magically by giving big business even more free reign.

The last 30 years has seen all boats rise....so yes growing the pie economics works bitches.

(November 19, 2014 at 12:29 pm)Heywood Wrote: The last 30 years has seen all boats rise....so yes growing the pie economics works bitches.

This ignores the fact that a significant portion of the population are floating around using these:

(November 19, 2014 at 12:29 pm)Heywood Wrote:

(November 19, 2014 at 12:24 pm)Brian37 Wrote: That is funny coming from you who thinks 30 years of trickle up economics will be reduced magically by giving big business even more free reign.

The last 30 years has seen all boats rise....so yes growing the pie economics works bitches.

Uh, hello, majority of the boats have settled deeper into the water in the last 30 years, despite bailing harder than ever, that why it's called stagnant and declining middle class income with ever more working hours per year.

They are sinking because they were pursuaded that being shot below the waterline by faux silver warmart bullets fired from megayachts means they have benefitted form "trickle down" economics.

Have you been sniffing hallucinogens all these years?