Do you remember when giving money to elected officials to get laws you want was called "bribery" or "corruption" instead of "government as usual".
Do you feel like the opportunity playing field is tilting more and more against you? That wages aren't keeping up? That job and retirement security are waning?
Were you excited and hopeful in 2008, only to be disappointed when Democrats voted with special interests, rather than for your benefit and in support of our new President?
Were you frustrated by the Democrats' pathetic campaign in 2014 which gave voters no reason to vote for them, and then they wondered why millions of people who had voted for them before stayed home?
Wouldn't it be nice if our elected officials agreed to do the things we want after we elect them?
Those frustrations prompted the Contract For Americans.
We tried to learn from our opponents:
You may recall that in 1994 Newt Gingrich made the Contract With America, which promised to try to pass 18 bills and resolutions if the Republicans won both Houses of Congress. They did, for the first time in decades. We thought it is a great idea for candidates to tell voters what they will do if we elect them. So we borrowed that idea.
We also borrowed from Grover Nordquist, who for years has gotten candidates to pledge to not raise taxes, no matter how fair or necessary;
And from the Tea Party, who runs candidates more to their liking the next primary if they are unhappy with the incumbent.
The Contract For Americans asks candidates to pledge that, if we elect them, they will try to pass a list of things we need. If candidates choose NOT to sign our contract, we will run better candidates against them the next primary.
It also asks voters to shape and endorse the Contract to show candidates what voters want, and reassure those candidates that if they pass Contract proposals we have their backs. The special interests' attack ads cannot harm them.
The plan is to have moral support from voters replace financial support from donors; greatly lessen the need to have money to win elections; lessen candidates need for fundraising and its obligations; and minimize donors' ability to then have whatever laws they want.
The Contract For Americans covers 4 main areas:
1) Basic fairness issues such as increased minimum wages, equal pay for equal work, student debt relief, equal protection under the law, better treatment of veterans, comprehensive immigration reform, and protection of internet neutrality.
2) A series of tax reforms to have very wealthy individuals and corporations pay their fair share;
3) Measures to lessen corruption in elections and government. and make it harder for anyone to buy elected officials and laws they want.
4) A celebration of our accomplishments in healthcare and environmental sustainability, and a commitment to improve them further.
Below the orange squiggle is a short version of the Contract For Americans. There is much more explanation and discussion at our website. Please check it out at ContractForAmericans.org.
(Short version of the)
Contract For Americans
I: Basic Fairness Issues:
1) Minimum wage of $12.50 or $15 per hour. No one working full time should be in poverty. It is also important to encourage employers to offer full-time jobs.
2) Equal pay for equal work.
3) Easy refinance of all student debt to 3% (or prime plus 2.5%), and offer new student loans at the same rate (or Student Loan Fairness Act HR 1330).
Work to make college education more affordable, curb abuses, and create an extremely inexpensive International On-line University--an IOU where you get a good education, but don’t owe a lot when you’re done!
4) Equal Protection Under the Law.
5) Treat all Veterans fairly, keep our promises to them, and help them rebuild their lives. No veteran should be hungry or homeless.
6) Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
7) Internet neutrality
II: Tax Reform:
1) Do NOT Increase Taxes for Anyone Making Less Than $500,000 Dollars per Year, but people making more than that should pay their fair share.
2) Eliminate the lower tax rates for capital gains income. Income is income, and all should be taxed the same
3) All Financial Trades Should Be Taxed 0.5%
.
4) Eliminate Corporate (and Ultra-Wealthy Individual) Tax Loopholes and Subsidies.
5) Reinstate Inheritance Taxes only on Estates of more than $5 million, and Eliminate Perpetual Trusts to discourage the formation of a hereditary aristocracy.
6) Bolster and preserve Social Security by having the very wealthy pay the same percentage as everyone else.
III: Fairer Elections and Less Corruption in Government:
1) A Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United and Hobby Lobby. Corporations are NOT people and deserve neither Freedom of Speech, nor Freedom of Religion. Pass Laws to minimize the effects of those rulings meanwhile.
2) Transparency. Make names of all major donors public
3) Anti-corruption Measures: Even the Supreme Court acknowledges that “corruption or the appearance of corruption” is not a good thing.
4) Make lying to confuse or intentionally mislead voters illegal.
5) Prohibit unreasonable restrictions on voting, and registration.
6) Stop the “revolving door” between those in government and industry. Government officials should be banned at least 5 years from lobbying the government.
7) Limit ability of corporations and industries to set the regulations on themselves.
IV: Celebrate and Build on Our Accomplishments:
1) Embrace, support and improve Obamacare. Make Healthcare more patient centered, efficient, cost-effective, and humane.
2) Embrace global climate change as a scientific fact, and a serious threat to us all. Strongly encourage clean technology, efficiency and renewable energy use by corporations, utilities, government, and the public.
For candidates to take the Contract For Americans seriously, we will need millions of voters to endorse it. But if you and they do, it could recapture our government from special interests in a way and to an extent which seems nearly impossible otherwise. We often feel there is nothing we can do to really improve the world. But if the Contract For Americans went viral, it could have an impact as great as the New Deal of the 1930's or the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's.
Thank you for your help and interest. Please check out ContractForAmericans.org. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions, and your help spreading our message.