LOL! Kanye just came out da closet!! Who wears gold lame with a fur vest and an '80's era headband??

So proud of @Jade Benhameda and @Susan Windell Benhameda for the awesome job this morning on the 5K!

Its been a productive afternoon... Shuttled kids around, went for a run with #1 wife, now off to pick kids back up and get some @Bazbeaux's for dinner.

Awesome run at @eagle creek.

Its amazing how it can be frosty in the morning and warm in the afternoon... Going for a run at the park!

What if we really could change the world?

 

This last election cycle was just as irritating to me as all of the last several years worth of election cycles.  Political ads are nothing more or less than blatant attempts to manipulate and manage the most number of people possible.

I propose the following changes to the campaigning process, and to elected political office in general:

1. No candidate or party or advocating group or individual may spend more than $500,000 for advertising.  For purposes of clarity, I am including handbills, yard signs, television, radio, web, etc.

a. advertisements must include the candidates name, the office they’re running for, party affiliation, and at least one position or issue statement.

b. advertisements may not include any reference to competing candidates except where specifically listing a stated position or issue statement and then only when detailing the candidates differing position or issue statement.

c. every candidate will be provided with 5 minutes of free public service television and radio time per week for the sole purpose of expressing in detail their positions on whatever issues pertain to their candidacy.  These time slots will be clearly distinguishable from paid advertisements and may not contain any reference to any competitor or their positions or issue statements.

d. all candidates for any given office will participate in two debates to be publicly broadcast.  These debates will be moderated by randomly selected registered voters from the affected constituency and the questions / topics will be compiled from submissions prior to the debates.

2. The Constitution will be amended to limit all political offices to a maximum of two terms either consecutively or non-consecutively regardless of which two offices those are.

3. The nature of “lobbying” will be restricted as follows:

a. No lobbyist, organization or individual may give anything of any value to an elected political office holder or anyone associated with that person.

b. Presentation of opinions regarding issues will be conducted in group forum monthly.  All affected elected political office holders will assemble to hear from all concerned lobbyists.  This presentation must last as long as necessary to hear from all lobbyists or parties with legitimate interest in the given issue. 

c. No lobbyist, lobbying organization or like party may have contact with any elected political office holder or any one associated with that person except during the previously described monthly forum.

d. Any lobbyist, elected political office holder or anyone associated with either found to have initiated or accepted the previously described contact will be dismissed and prohibited from any future political activity either as a candidate or lobbyist.

e. Failure of an elected political office holder to be in attendance at80% or more of the previously mentioned forums will result dismissal of the office holder and prohibition of any future political activity.

4. Elected political office compensation will be modified as follows:

a. The temporary residence of, and living expenses associated with living in proximity to the office holders center of government will be completely covered.

b. The office holder will receive other monetary compensation equal to the salary they earned at their previous employment or the median income of their constituent district, whichever is lower.

c. Any elected political office holder found to have accepted any form of monetary award or compensation while in office will be dismissed from office and prohibited from any future political activity.

 

Politics should not be a career, it should be hard work on behalf of the people.  There is too much money moving through all of the centers of political power.  The less profitable politics becomes, the more likely it will be for people who actually want to serve to achieve office.

I hate that the biggest voices on the national political stage are all sleazy, lying scumbags and that anyone with a serious aspiration to serve their community are made to look like idiots and lunatics.