Newsletter - August 2024

Money in politics creates conflicts of interest for every candidate and office holder.

Thanks to Open Secrets, there is readily available data on the alarming amount of money spent on elections. Close to ten billion dollars will be spent on Congressional campaigns this election cycle. That's approximately $20 million per candidate. Members of the House of Representatives, who are subject to election cycles every two years, have to raise $30,000 every day to accumulate this amount of money!

There are a wide variety of organizations that contribute to election campaigns. Many of these organizations provide advice and/or counsel to candidates on pending legislation and most are advocating for specific causes.

It is unrealistic to expect our elected officials to be knowledgeable on all of the problems they are trying to solve. For that reason, it is critical that they get information from subject matter experts to support their legislative efforts. It is perfectly reasonable for subject matter experts to lobby politicians to incorporate their perspective in resulting legislation. Conflicts of interest occur when our elected officials accept money from the very people or entities that are providing them with expert advice.

Nothing would improve the effectiveness of our government more than eliminating this link between money and politics!

Voice of the People and the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation found that large bipartisan majorities favor a constitutional amendment to allow governments greater freedom to regulate campaign financing (thus overturning the Citizens United decision). Large bipartisan majorities also favor numerous requirements for increasing disclosure of campaign financing. Here's a link that provides more details on these findings and another link to an interactive survey that allows you to evaluate a number of proposals for improving campaign financing.

Most large companies have very strict conflict-of-interest rules. These rules severely restrict gifts or favors that employees can accept, they require all employees to attend conflict of interest and ethics training on an annual basis, and they require them to promptly disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest. It seems only fair for our elected officials to be bound by similar standards.

Social media posts this month:

• A broad overview of campaign finance spending

• How much money has been spent on elections over the last thirty years

• Biggest organizational donors to federal elections

• House and Senate ethics rules

Have a great month!

Newsletter - July 2024

It has truly been an eventful month - from President Biden ending his reelection campaign, to the assassination attempt on former president Trump, and the recent Supreme Court decisions.

Trust in our elected leaders and in government institutions remains at an all-time low, and our democracy appears to be in a state of transition.

Regardless of the direction of our country, partnership between our elected officials and their constituents is critical to restoring trust, and critical to an effective and representative government.

The sixth of my eight good government principles is partnership with the public. Simply put, I am advocating for our elected officials to actively solicit input from their constituents and act on that input.

Voice of the People (VOP) is doing an outstanding job of promoting "partnership with the public", leveraging public consultation to identify bipartisan common ground on difficult problems facing our country.

Through Voice of the People Action, VOP is asking all congressional candidates, including current members of the House and Senate, to take their "Listen to the People pledge", which would compel candidates and elected officials to:

• Take into account the views of their constituents when voting on legislation

• Pay close attention to public consultation surveys and forums conducted with representative samples of their constituents

• Actively work to let their constituents know that they will listen to all the people they represent

Regardless of the results of this November's election and the specific direction of our country, there remains a huge opportunity to improve the effectiveness of Congress and our government. I am continuing discussions with a number of individuals and organizations to explore ways to tie many disparate and amazing efforts into a more cohesive approach to bring government effectiveness and accountability to the forefront of our Democracy.

This month's social media posts:

• Information about the ASQ Gov Connect webinar that provided an in depth look at the work of the Center for Electoral Quality and Integrity

• Brief comments on the assassination attempt on former President Trump

• Insightful article about trust in government and civic engagement

Have a great month.

Newsletter - June 2024

The fifth of my good government principles is "Account for Regional Differences".

One of the most important duties of Congress is to approve funding for all government activities and initiatives. Federal funding flows to states and local entities for a number of programs including Medicaid, public education, and elections. In conjunction with this funding process, Congress considers the latitude given to state and local governments in how federal funds can be used and the specific goals and/or desired outcomes associated with the allocated funds.

The regional differences principle closely complements the commitment to problem solving principle that I articulated in April. Effective problem solving requires defining the problem that needs to be solved, establishing and gaining consensus on clear and realistic objectives, and empowering those on the front line to execute solutions. Through the accounting for regional differences principle, I am advocating for a legislative approach that focuses heavily on providing states and localities with the funding and resources necessary to achieve clearly defined national objectives.

Here are a couple of examples that illustrate the regional differences principle:

Two years ago, I shared a framework for reducing gun violence. One of the key components of that proposal was establishing a national goal for gun violence reduction combined with funding and freedom for states and localities to employ regional approaches to address the problem.

My work on electoral quality and integrity has reinforced my belief in the importance of regional approaches to national "problems". According to Ballotpedia, "more than 10,000 local entities administer elections in the United States". Each "entity" or "board of elections" shares and supports the national goal of ensuring every eligible voter has a fair opportunity to cast their ballot while ensuring all votes have been accurately counted.

An additional benefit to this approach of legislating is that it facilitates the identification and sharing of best practices. When properly deployed, accompanied by the transparent sharing of data and experience, government officials and the public can learn about, promote, and implement successes from other localities and avoid mistakes that were made elsewhere.

Simply put, the "regional differences" principle advocates for Congress and the federal government to empower state and local governments with the funding, tools and infrastructure to support the achievement of national goals.

This month's social media posts:

• Washington Policy Center article summarizing national survey on voter attitudes about local versus federal government

• Jonah Goldberg article - Systemic Problems Need Local Solutions

• Investopedia article on Block Grants

• Information about the Center for Effective Lawmaking

Have a great month and a great Fourth of July holiday.