For the People, not For the Profit

The citizens of the United States of America continue to suffer in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression while our elected officials continue to line their pockets and make their deals behind closed doors. Families are being driven from their homes, people are being let go from their jobs and the middle class specifically is falling into the abyss.
Although the changes that are necessary to correct all of these issues are too many and too complicated to express in this petition, there are some changes that can be made very easily in order to begin rebuilding this country and our middle class. In this petition we ask that ALL of the changes listed not only be addressed, discussed and debated; but that they are also placed before independent commissions of non-elected officials for merit review. We also demand that this entire process be completely transparent, and that all opinions, reviews and subsequent votes be made public.
1) Remove Lobbyists from our government. The American people are the only lobbyists that should be allowed to sway the choice of an elected official. Our leaders are sent to office to vote the will of their constituents, not the will of their campaign contributors. Senators and Congressman should consider travelling to their home states and speaking directly with the people that put them into office to determine their voting strategies.

2) No Recess, No Break, No Pay. The American people demand that their elected officials spend the required amount of time in Washington, D.C. to come to agreement and commit to action on the issues plaguing this great nation. There shall be no recess, no break and NO PAY until the job is done. Most Americans are paid and retain their employment only by virtue of the quality of their work, its time our elected officials did the same. The following issues should be resolved before any recess, break or payday is seen by any Congressman or Senator:
• Create a balanced budget plan for two years. No brinksmanship, no games, no government shutdowns. Our economy cannot recover when our officials can’t keep from bouncing checks or closing the doors. None of our elected officials deserves a vacation when the middle class workers of this nation are suffering so badly.
• A FAIR tax system. FAIR – free from bias, dishonesty or injustice. The middle class has carried the weight of this nation for far too long. Some of this burden MUST be shifted as we can no longer carry it alone.
• Partisan Politics must take a back seat to getting America back on the road to recovery. Transparency is the key to change. All INDIVIDUAL votes in regards to the recovery of this nation should be made public and posted IN CLEAR VIEW on the House and Senate websites. These vote results should also be posted directly on the White House web site.

3) The United States government shall direct the FCC to hold all major news organizations to a standard of journalism and reporting that has been lost in recent decades. Far too many stories contain political spin, misinformation, falsified facts and even complete untruths. The American people need to know that the information provided to them by the media is vetted as truth, not opinion. Opinions MUST be expressed and labeled as opinions, not as facts. News organizations should NOT be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, or to report a biased version of the events taking place in this country. Any organization that refuses should be forced to advertise and promote itself as ENTERTAINMENT or OPINION. Political commentary between guests should be shown from both vantage points equally with the news organization operating as a neutral party.

4) Think outside of the box. The American people have a long history of developing practical and workable solutions to impossible problems. Having the word “Congressman” or “Senator” in front of your name isn’t the only contributing factor to understanding politics or economics. Reach out to the citizens of this country for new ideas and new avenues to approach these problems and solve these issues. Offer REAL incentives for Americans to step up and offer the world a real solution.
Although this petition does not tackle all of our problems, it is a good starting point. We NEED positive change in this country, and we need it NOW. There should be NO MORE PARTISAN POLITICS. NO MORE RACIST AGENDAS. NO MORE ELITIST REPRESENTATIONS. POOR PEOPLE VOTE TOO!!!
This petition is brought to you by the ever dwindling middle class of America. We are the 99%.