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Theodore Roosevelt

 

 


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Questions for Political Candidates and Elected Officials

The people of the United States of America face serious problems about health care, education, energy, agriculture, foreign policy, media, the banking industry, immigration, job security, public safety, environmental destruction, loss of community rights, lack of integrity in elections and government, and more. 

The survival of our Democratic Republic and our planet is in question.

Our children’s future is at stake!

Meanwhile mega-corporations and the billionaire class make billions in profits through subsidies, tax loop holes, laws passed by corporate-bribed politicians for the legal swindle of the people of the country, and plunder of natural resources at enormous cost to local communities and their environment.

Millions of people are working long and hard to try to solve the difficult problems our nation faces, but the problems continue or get worse and the future looks increasingly dismal.

Why?

Because the fundamental causes of these problems continue to go unsolved.

At the root of all of these problems are three major causes:

  • The control of our elected officials through legalized bribery by the wealthy 1%.
  • Control of the country’s money system by the global corporate banking industry.
  • The control of our free press and restriction of information by supranational corporations.

We the people need to end control of the government, the banks,

and the media by supranational corporations and the wealthy 1%.

It is time for us to ask political candidates and current public officials what they will do to solve these three fundamental problems and to tell them that we expect them to make their solutions a priority.

Essential questions for all political candidates and currently elected officials

1. The control of elected officials and federal judges through legalized bribery.

What will you do to end the bribery of politicians and federal judges by supranational corporations and the super rich?

Whom do you serve? The people who vote for you or supranational corporations and wealthy individuals who bribe you with campaign donations and the promise of lucrative jobs after you leave office? You can’t serve both.

Will you actively support the We The People Amendment, House Joint Resolution 48? It proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.It was introduced January 30, 2017 and as of August 28, 2018 has 62 cosponsors. Will you be one of them? Will you encourage your colleagues to become cosponsors?

Background: In the beginning of the US government, only landowners could vote – 7% of the population – all white males. Most elected officials were wealthy and promoted policies that benefited themselves and their wealthy backers. Similar policies continue today.

Early in the 1980sthe massive transfer of American wealth to the richest 1% continued in earnest during both Republican and Democratic administrations. The growing income and wealth inequality is the predictable outcome of a long series of well planned policy decisions that were bought and paid for by the less than 1% of Americans who annually pour hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns and the shaping of public policy.

Through these bribed politicians the wealthy secured appointments for themselves or their supporters to policy-relevant positions in Presidents’ and Governors’ cabinets, executive-branch agencies, agency-advisory boards and the courts. Appointees to these positions make policy and decisions that protect and promote corporate interests above the needs of the country’s citizens. The 1% set policy on banking, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education, media, and foreign policy to amass corporate and personal wealth.

The 1% have corrupted the legal system giving the Constitutional Rights of “We the people” to corporations. The addition of Constitutional rights to the ability of corporations to concentrate wealth through limited liability, enables corporations to overpower the rights of people and communities.

2. Control of the Country’s Money System by the Global Banking Industry

Will you remove control of the country’s money supply from the private banks and set up a national money supply as provided for in the US Constitution?

Will you support the Need ACT (H.R.2990 – National Emergency Employment Defense Act of 2011)? It calls for the government to create money to meet the needs of people by spending newly created money for physical and social infrastructure repair and maintenance without borrowing the money. Those paid as workers will then spend money back into the economy creating a debt free money system.

Background: Unquestionably Congress has the power to issue money directly and declare it legal tender, Julliard v. Greenman, 110 U.S. 421 (1884). Yet Congress has surrendered its authority to create a national money supply, giving private banks the undeserved privilege of money creation. This led to a system in which our money is generated almost exclusively as bank loans, meaning that our money is always on loan. Just to be able to use money, working people must pay interest to the lenders. Instead of creating money, government borrows its money, costing taxpayers additional interest payments on the growing government debt.

For 126 years uncertainty dominated the country’s economy through a series of growth spurts, recessions, and depressions. The government under President Lincoln printed US greenbacks as debt free money and spent them directly into the economy adding stability. Bankers fought back to regain their money creation monopoly. By 1913 they convinced Congress to adopt the Federal Reserve Act. The system was to stabilize the banking industry and maintain the value of the dollar. It was organized around the emerging industrial corporations, expanding horizontal and vertical integration, effectively marginalizing other corporations, small entrepreneurs, and farmers.

But within 20 years the banking system failed, plunging the nation into the Great Depression of 1929. Government bailed out banks and imposed regulations to stabilize the system. Instability continued, with more bank failures and the recession of 2007-8 with more bailouts. Bank creation of money has concentrated wealth and economic power, enabling corporate and financial elite to control our government, media coverage, and business school curricula to serve their own purposes for unending profit.

Those who represent the particular interests of Wall Street monopolize the top government positions that oversee their areas of activity. Since 2008, Citibank, Wells Fargo and the other Wall Street banks have been fined billions of dollars for illegal and unethical practices. Yet no Wall Street bankers go to jail. Bankers do not act in the interests of Main Street. They cannot be trusted with ownership of the monetary system.

The time has come to have new money created not by banks, but by thepublicthrough government to end the extraction of wealth from the many by the few.

3. Control of the Media, Press, and Internet by Supranational Corporations

What will you do to free the media, the press, and the Internet from control by supranational corporations and return them to the people on a local, state and national level?

How will you guarantee free access to the media, press and Internet for public debates by all registered candidates running for public office?

How will you guarantee access to widespread discussion of public policy issues by people?

How will you guarantee accurate coverage of international, national and local news, free from censorship by government, corporations, or powerful individuals and organizations in the society?

Background : In the Bill of Rights, 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

In 2018, 6 supranational corporations own and control 90% of television stations, newspapers and publishing houses in the US. News is heavily regulated and censored to reflect the bias of those 6 owners. Corporate advertisers influence and control what news is broadcast. Public policy discussions and open and honest debates by political candidates are almost non-existent in the media. Supranational corporations directly manipulate public opinion by restricting important information, disseminating false information, and creating confusion and uncertainty that undermines public confidence in government, political institutions, science, and the very notion of authoritative expertise itself. We hear only the points of view the corporate media chooses to promote.

 

Our Recommendations:

If political candidates will not agree to work to eliminate these 3 fundamental causes of our many problems, let them know that you will NOT vote for them. If they agree to promote these changes, then follow up and be sure they do. If they do not support these three issues, find candidates that will and start now to promote them for election in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

 

For more information: We welcome an invitation to attend your group and explore with you how these 3 problems undermine your efforts and prevent you from solving critical problems on local, state, and national levels. Solutions can be found. Contact us at DemocracyOverCorporations@gmail.com or ginicoover@yahoo.com .

 

9/27/18 gc/jh

 
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