We have a great country. We can do better. We must embrace our Founders’ intentions that we evolve our democracy to remain true to its founding principles. Lincoln, 140 years ago, defined our government: “of the People, by the People, and for the People.” It falls to us to now give full meaning to a Government “by the People” so our common wisdom is reflected in our national policies. Today’s advances in information and communications technology provide us unprecedented ability to communicate as citizens, and all that is lacking is a political process, a mechanism, that permits the citizens to play a direct role in the operations of government.
Our country needs a renewal — a renewal not just of particular policies, or of particular people, but of democracy itself. I believe that the remedy for the state of our political alienation is the civic renewal embodied in the “National Initiative for Democracy.” The National Initiative is proposed legislation that colleagues and I have developed over the last 15 years. The National Initiative — when enacted into law — will bring all American citizens into the operations of government as lawmakers.
Our three branches of government have become like an unstable chair with only three legs. The Founders could not have envisioned how much money and special interests would corrupt our political process. Giving us — American citizens — legislative power will put the fourth leg on our chair, giving birth to a new foundation of American governance — adding a new check to our system of Checks and Balances. I believe the internet adage “all of us together are smarter than any one of us alone.” I say, “Let the People Decide.”
Lawmaking is the central power of government, not Election Day voting. Politicians have purposely made the electoral process uncompetitive and jealously guard their monopoly on lawmaking. Whoever makes the laws determines who we vote for, when we vote and how we vote — Florida and Ohio are recent examples.
Representative government is mired in a culture of lies and corruption. The corrupting influence of money has created a class of professional politicians raising huge sums to maintain power. These politicians then legislate in the interests of corporations and interest groups.
Are today’s political leaders more corrupt than earlier generations? I do not think so. Most men and women in public service begin with a dedication to the public good. It’s the power that corrupts them. Throwing the rascals out — Republicans or Democrats or any party for that matter — may make us feel good but reshuffling the deck won’t make any difference. We hope against hope that our representatives will correct and reform government. But it’s like asking the foxes to redesign the chicken-coop.
The flaws of representative government aren’t just in the structure of representative government or just with those who manage it. It’s both. It’s the structure of representative government that makes its managers susceptible to corruption, greed, injustice and self-serving interests.