A rebuttal on your Separation of Powers argument: the separation still exists, in theory, but in practice most branches are dominated by the Republican party, which in turn is dominated currently by an extremist right wing religious faction. Combine that with a largely ignorant electorate and the new McCarthyism of post-9/11 America and you've got a pretty good "mandate" right there. I still believe that Separation of Powers exists - but the government needs to clean house (pun intended) before it can be restored.
Which brings me to campaign spending and my admonition. I agree with you - the current system is essentially legal bribery, but my warning to you is that it is currently the strongest method of political representation in this country. PACs and Non-Profits all participate, along with corporate entities, in campaign spending, often on both sides of the aisle (Republicans and Democrats alike). If campaign spending were to be capped or eliminated outright, voters would be disenfranchised from their best method of influencing their government. That, and the media would become the biggest pseudo-lobby ever, as airtime and sound bytes are just as good when they're free as when you have to pay for them (those who decry the mass media now have no idea what's in store should this ever happen). There are two ways to aleviate that predicament. The first is instituting more referendums, polls, and having the public participate more actively in lawmaking (which I consider somewhat unlikely). That will at least show representatives of government the will of the people, but it in no way guarantees that representatives will follow that will. The second is what I consider to be a more viable system (because it is the one used by most democracies around the world): the institution of a multiparty democracy. Instead of just two parties to represent us either way, we finally admit that there can be more than two sides to any issue and more than two issues on which we have opinions and we bring the many third parties (and create new ones) back into politics, starting locally and expanding nationally. I yearn for the day that the Representatives in the House are talking about forming a coalition rather than talking simply about the "Majority" and "Minority" parties.
One thing about this post surprised me, Desh. You mentioned your top ten major political concerns, but you left out one of the issues that crossed your mind more than once this past election: Abortion Rights. I'm kind of curious why you didn't put that one up there. Also, there are several other issues that I would have put up that you didn't, but that's a difference of opinion. I'll list them anyway, and if you want, you can sound off on them as well.
Other issues: Abortion Rights - Duh. Foreign Policy - I mean specifically unilateralism vs. multilateralism, i.e. the current administration's "Fuck You, World" policy vs. the last administration's "Let's Make A Deal" policy. Iraq - Take your pick on which issue to address: how Iraq relates to the War on Terrorism, occupation of a foreign power with little provocation, prevention of WMD proliferation (again with little provocation), or just why the hell are we spending money on this? Israel - Always a concern of the American Jewish community. Environmentalism - This administration has one of the worst environmental records ever; don't you think that'll come back to bite us in the ass? Corporate Corruption - This links quite a bit with your IP arguments, in that corporations are acting less and less for the public good and more and more for their own. Healthcare, HMOs, and the Pharmaceutical Industry - While this does encompass the fight against the drug companies for cheaper drugs, that's not all this is about - it can be about public healthcare, fixing the HMO system, reforming medical liability laws, or whatever you like.
A Rather Long Comment, Part 2
Which brings me to campaign spending and my admonition. I agree with you - the current system is essentially legal bribery, but my warning to you is that it is currently the strongest method of political representation in this country. PACs and Non-Profits all participate, along with corporate entities, in campaign spending, often on both sides of the aisle (Republicans and Democrats alike). If campaign spending were to be capped or eliminated outright, voters would be disenfranchised from their best method of influencing their government. That, and the media would become the biggest pseudo-lobby ever, as airtime and sound bytes are just as good when they're free as when you have to pay for them (those who decry the mass media now have no idea what's in store should this ever happen). There are two ways to aleviate that predicament. The first is instituting more referendums, polls, and having the public participate more actively in lawmaking (which I consider somewhat unlikely). That will at least show representatives of government the will of the people, but it in no way guarantees that representatives will follow that will. The second is what I consider to be a more viable system (because it is the one used by most democracies around the world): the institution of a multiparty democracy. Instead of just two parties to represent us either way, we finally admit that there can be more than two sides to any issue and more than two issues on which we have opinions and we bring the many third parties (and create new ones) back into politics, starting locally and expanding nationally. I yearn for the day that the Representatives in the House are talking about forming a coalition rather than talking simply about the "Majority" and "Minority" parties.
One thing about this post surprised me, Desh. You mentioned your top ten major political concerns, but you left out one of the issues that crossed your mind more than once this past election: Abortion Rights. I'm kind of curious why you didn't put that one up there. Also, there are several other issues that I would have put up that you didn't, but that's a difference of opinion. I'll list them anyway, and if you want, you can sound off on them as well.
Other issues:
Abortion Rights - Duh.
Foreign Policy - I mean specifically unilateralism vs. multilateralism, i.e. the current administration's "Fuck You, World" policy vs. the last administration's "Let's Make A Deal" policy.
Iraq - Take your pick on which issue to address: how Iraq relates to the War on Terrorism, occupation of a foreign power with little provocation, prevention of WMD proliferation (again with little provocation), or just why the hell are we spending money on this?
Israel - Always a concern of the American Jewish community.
Environmentalism - This administration has one of the worst environmental records ever; don't you think that'll come back to bite us in the ass?
Corporate Corruption - This links quite a bit with your IP arguments, in that corporations are acting less and less for the public good and more and more for their own.
Healthcare, HMOs, and the Pharmaceutical Industry - While this does encompass the fight against the drug companies for cheaper drugs, that's not all this is about - it can be about public healthcare, fixing the HMO system, reforming medical liability laws, or whatever you like.
--Jeff