Election Reform

We should choose candidates on the basis of their good character and competence in solving the problems of the planet, the people, and the nation; not on their associations nor on their success in soliciting bribes from the rich and powerful.

Historically, parties have allowed voters to select candidates on the basis of a supposedly shared belief set without knowing much else about them.

George Washington believed that therefore political parties were a bad thing, but we wound up with a two-party, winner take all system that hasn’t worked out all that well for the people.

It’s given us

• Obscene wealth for a privileged few.
• Three unjust wars
• $50 trillion scam against the working class
• World-wide financial crisis
• Fruitless billion dollar political campaign
• Felon for a president
• Completely unnecessary, cruel, mean-spirited, dangerous, and counter-productive austerity program
• Repudiation of important international agreements
• Disruptive and dangerous trade war

In this information age, we can do much, better. We can get far more and more balanced information about the background of candidates and their beliefs.

We can get an app that provides a detailed, verifiable CV, a platform, and a list of recommenders (with their CVs) for every federal, state, and local candidate by zip code.

People with shared beliefs can still form parties and vote as blocs, but hopefully with enough information to eliminate the scoundrels. Proportional elections is an excellent article from the New York Times. I apologize that you probably need a subscription to read it.