Personal Democracy Forum 2008
Session: Open Data, Open Government
Note by Mr. Jordan Raynor:
Lawrence Lessig - Founder and creator of Commons. Now working on change-congress.org
We have a problem. Every 4th year there is an explosion of democracy...and then we crash after the election
Everything depends on ONE NIGHT EVERY FOUR YEARS. As if in this one year we can save what is wrong with America
The problem is that we depend on this one election way too much
There is something much more fundamental that is wrong and needs to change
The framers of our Constitution were obsessed with independence. The independence of 1785 not 1776. The dream that they realized that the independence they saw as a lack of dependence was here.
Our founders sought non-dependent representatives to Congress
THEY FAILED
Many years people were drawn to government and were made incredibly corrupt. Daniel Webster was working for the National bank when they were working on bank bills in Congress. Bribery was a HUGE issue
Our past is not golden and today is undoubtedly better
But today, even though the individuals in our government may be better, the system is still broken.
The number of lobbyists has doubled since 2000 alone and the cost of lobbying has doubled as well
the public skepticism of Congress has never been higher and the approval of Congress has never been lower
The people do not perceive the people's House as the people's House
The framer's worst nightmare came true! Congress has become dependent on lobbyists and money
The problem we are facing are not the poor rising up and stealing from the rich, it is the complete opposite
The rich are stealing democracy
Crony corruption...
Until we stop relying on private financing, we will NEVER SOLVE THIS CORRUPTION
Al Gore wanted the internet deregulated
Not all of the cases government considers are hard cases, some of them are fairly easy. Even here though, government gets it wrong
Nutritionists believe we are eating too much sugar and not enough vegetables. When this went to Congress, the Sugar industry pushed back hard and pressured members of Congress to withold funds...
Global warming is the easiest possible question our government could answer. It is a simple question, yet we are getting the answer wrong.
America is suffering because of this.
The core problem behind the existing system is that it DESTROYS trust in Congress
Maplight.org
What do we expect the public to believe? When money changes votes, it destroys the trust we have in our democracy and our system.
We need more than an election every 4 years to wake us up to this problem.
Forget change in general. CHANGE CONGRESS
He is partnering with Joe Trippi to bring about 4 big changes:
1. No money from PACS
2. REFORM EARMARKS
3. Support public financing
4. Support total financing
http://www.changecongress.org
We need the internet community to change Congress.
There is a flaw at the core of the people's House.
We won't change that dependency by keeping the same campaign finance laws we have today.
We understand dependency on alcohol...we have all been touched by someone who is an alcoholic. The alcoholic is losing everything because of his dependency.
We can't address our nation's problems until we change Congress.
We have a problem. Every 4th year there is an explosion of democracy...and then we crash after the election
Everything depends on ONE NIGHT EVERY FOUR YEARS. As if in this one year we can save what is wrong with America
The problem is that we depend on this one election way too much
There is something much more fundamental that is wrong and needs to change
The framers of our Constitution were obsessed with independence. The independence of 1785 not 1776. The dream that they realized that the independence they saw as a lack of dependence was here.
Our founders sought non-dependent representatives to Congress
THEY FAILED
Many years people were drawn to government and were made incredibly corrupt. Daniel Webster was working for the National bank when they were working on bank bills in Congress. Bribery was a HUGE issue
Our past is not golden and today is undoubtedly better
But today, even though the individuals in our government may be better, the system is still broken.
The number of lobbyists has doubled since 2000 alone and the cost of lobbying has doubled as well
the public skepticism of Congress has never been higher and the approval of Congress has never been lower
The people do not perceive the people's House as the people's House
The framer's worst nightmare came true! Congress has become dependent on lobbyists and money
The problem we are facing are not the poor rising up and stealing from the rich, it is the complete opposite
The rich are stealing democracy
Crony corruption...
Until we stop relying on private financing, we will NEVER SOLVE THIS CORRUPTION
Al Gore wanted the internet deregulated
Not all of the cases government considers are hard cases, some of them are fairly easy. Even here though, government gets it wrong
Nutritionists believe we are eating too much sugar and not enough vegetables. When this went to Congress, the Sugar industry pushed back hard and pressured members of Congress to withold funds...
Global warming is the easiest possible question our government could answer. It is a simple question, yet we are getting the answer wrong.
America is suffering because of this.
The core problem behind the existing system is that it DESTROYS trust in Congress
Maplight.org
What do we expect the public to believe? When money changes votes, it destroys the trust we have in our democracy and our system.
We need more than an election every 4 years to wake us up to this problem.
Forget change in general. CHANGE CONGRESS
He is partnering with Joe Trippi to bring about 4 big changes:
1. No money from PACS
2. REFORM EARMARKS
3. Support public financing
4. Support total financing
http://www.changecongress.org
We need the internet community to change Congress.
There is a flaw at the core of the people's House.
We won't change that dependency by keeping the same campaign finance laws we have today.
We understand dependency on alcohol...we have all been touched by someone who is an alcoholic. The alcoholic is losing everything because of his dependency.
We can't address our nation's problems until we change Congress.
