

Lessig Calls for Geeks to Code Money Out of Politics - edw519
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/03/etech-lessig-ca.html

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ivankirigin
The easiest way to get money out of politics is to get money out of politics.
The government should cut back its goals, and tax and spend less.

Anything else would just add layers on top of a convoluted system.

McCain-Feingold is a perfect example of a piece of legislation that did
nothing in response to the money in politics.

As long as there is $3T for the federal government to spend, there will be
business trying to get a piece of it.

I love Lessig, but I'm amazed he can't see the elephant in the room.

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technoguyrob
Vote Ron Paul?

Not to add to the Paulspam on the 'net, but if he was elected it really would
make things a hundredfold easier. :-(

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Xichekolas
Since Presidents have Congress on such a tight leash and all...

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ivankirigin
A line item veto of most pork would effectively kill it.

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Xichekolas
The problems with line item vetos is that a President would most likely not
have the time or inclination to actually use it to deal with the pork, but he
would use it to effectively have final edit privileges on all laws, at which
point, he is both the Legislative and Executive branches at once.

I think an easier solution is to impose a maximum length on non-budget bills
and make them open for public review for a minimum of 90 days after final edit
and before voting. Also enforce a separation in bills. Those that contain
anything that involve appropriations must not include unrelated
appropriations. That way you don't have missile programs sneaking into farm
bills, steel subsidies sneaking into tax reforms, and bridges sneaking into
education acts.

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anamax
> The problems with line item vetos is that a President would most likely not
> have the time or inclination to actually use it to deal with the pork, but
> he would use it to effectively have final edit privileges on all laws, at
> which point, he is both the Legislative and Executive branches at once.

Has that happened in the states that have line item veto? If not, why would it
be different at the federal level? If so, could some tweaks fix the problem?

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optimal
There was a good segment on earmarks recently on Bill Moyers Journal. I found
it online here:

EXPOSÉ on the JOURNAL: Mr. Heath Goes to Washington
<http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02222008/watch.html>

"The broadcast profiles SEATTLE TIMES reporters on the trail of how members of
Congress have awarded federal dollars for questionable purposes to companies
in local Congressional districts—often to companies whose executives,
employees or PACs have made campaign contributions to their legislators."

The show describes the amount of work the reporters had to do just to decode
the various earmarks in the DoD appropriations bill. For example, $4m was
earmarked for "NG4BW," and the paper had to locate additional documentation--
and it's not conveniently attached to the bill--just to determine what this
actually represented.

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kingkongrevenge
Those with the gold make the rules. So it was, and so it ever shall be.

