Temporary procedures until the website is functioning. Below is a draft letter which you can use to contact your Senators and Congressional Representatives. You can copy>paste it into a word processing file for ease of editing it to your liking. [We will make this easier when the website is functioning.] You will want to do the editing before you go to your representative's website.
For Senator Boxer’s web contact site,
click here.
For Senator Feinstein,
click here.
For Representative Lungren,
click here.
For Representative Matsui,
click here.
For other representatives not listed, in the Google search box type “contact representative/senator [last name]by email” and follow the prompts. If you do not know the name of your representatives, Google search “US Senate” or “US House of Representatives.” You can find your representative by zip code.
When your representative’s site comes up, fill in your personal information and then copy>paste your edited text into the text box of an email and click send.
Draft/Editable Letter to Your RepresentativesSpecial introductory paragraph for Senator Boxer.Dear Senator Boxer,
There is a tide of right wing reaction which could sweep you from office in this fall's election. We don't want that, nor do you. The base that gave Obama his large majority -- the Democratic base and especially young adults and minorities -- is, we believe, the right strategy for your re-election campaign. There is also the
support "from right to left" for election reform and the associated free speech issues. The world's a mess and we all know it. We are hungry for and demand the real reforms Obama promised us. It is clear at this point that trying to placate conservatives by moving to the right will not work. Such a move would likely guarantee your loss. We ask you to consider the reforms proposed by the Fundamental Reform Network as part of your re-election strategy
to tap the energy of this progressive base. ...............
Dear Senator/Representative…….,
I am a signatory of the goals of the Fundamental Reform Network, a national effort calling for 1) the total elimination of large campaign contributions and other rational, comprehensive campaign reforms, 2) these campaign funds to be replaced by a series of proposals for the public financing of elections and a "national elections website" as one of the key campaign tools for anyone seeking office from dog catcher to the presidency. This will free all incumbents and candidates from the burdensome task of spending a your time on fundraising and enable you to deal with the issues of your own constituents and the vast problems confronting us as a nation. That’s the first pole of our proposals.
The second pole is making income tax rates approximately those that existed in the 1940-50son only on the highest 5% of incomes. This would increase revenues by as much as $2 trillion to fund badly needed programs while balancing the federal budget. We believe that these goals can be achieved by one or several pieces of legislation which would be bundled as one legislative effort, as opposed to the more difficult Constitutional Amendment or dozens of individual reforms.
Our comprehensive plan contains a large number of ideas which few, if any, other organizations are proposing. Taken as a whole, we believe make our goals possible. Knowing that understanding our plan require significant time and effort, we request that -- after you read through our letter -- you assign a staff member to become thoroughly familiar with it and to give you recommendations on your responce. Bottom line, we are requesting that you help us formulate the actual language of proposed legislation, to become a sponsor, and to push for fast track consideration with a roll call vote allowing no amendments.
Yes, we know that we are asking a whole lot. So is the crisis our country faces largely brought about by the two problems we strive to change. Meaningful remedy demands that the ability of big money interests to control the process be, not just limited, but totally eliminated.
Our introduction of the Network appears below with an outline of the program including many hyperlinks you can follow for more details. We hope that you will at least scan it and then turn it over to your staff for further research.
I am asking for your personal response as to what your impression is and what steps you plan to take.
Sincerely,
Note: This draft letter is designed for Democratic representatives and candidates. Some parts would best be revised for conservatives and Republicans.The Fundamental Reform Network is working to create 1) the widest possible independent coalition of individuals and organizations who unite 2) to totally eliminate big money’s ability to buy our governments – on all levels; 3) and to increase taxes on the top 5% of incomes to levels equal to those in the 1940-50s. This will increase available funding by as much as $2 trillion to fund badly needed government programs and put the Federal Budget in the black. If these issues are bundled in
a single legislative package and buttressed by the widest public support, it will completely change the way our government works – allowing all other reform efforts to be considered on merit rather than money thrown at you, our representatives. That’s the kind of government we elected you to give us.
We believe that we have a unique and comprehensive plan to accomplish all these goals through a single piece of legislation rather than the more complicated constitutional amendment process. We believe that our program covers elements that most organizations have so far missed.
The heart of the problem is the
ultra-conservative obstructionist strategy which describes how they got us where we are today. Only by completely eliminating the ways that all levels of government are bought by big money interests will produce the fundamental change today’s problems require. This change necessitates the
widest national coalition of diverse people and organizations who are drawn to join their individual interests with
a new kind of Network. Your support of our goals is in your interest and will bring to bear the backing of our growing Network and of a huge base of all by the most right wing individuals. We will produce the votes behind these reforms, especially among those youthful and minority voters who swept Obama into office.
The core issues uniting the Network coalition must be simple, memorable and nearly universal in appeal. Our goals are strictly limited to changing the process and the way the process if funded, not to the many specific issues such as environmental or social issues. However, these core issues support the efforts on all other reform focuses. We will use the current furor that has
incensed people from the right to the left created by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowing untold corporate funds to buy elections. Most groups we have seen so far are focusing the issue too narrowly in a way that will barely make a dent in the problem. We have a comprehensive plan to entirely eliminate this power by simple legislation rather than a more difficult Constitutional Amendment.
The first major plank include 1)
major electoral reforms including a
free national website for the conduct of all elections, and 2) the
elimination of big money’s influence over our government 3) through a
redefinition of free speech [key section showing how it can be done by legislation]. All of the above are designed to totally eradicate, not just “limit” the ability of money to buy our government.
The second major plank is the Strongly Progressive Income Tax.
False beliefs that big government, taxes and regulation depress the economy still often cause a negative knee jerk reaction. We need to change these perceptions by
changing beliefs and showing that historically the
progressive tax resulted prosperity and economic growth focused in the middle class, not limited to the very rich as now.
Returning to the tax rates of the 1940-50s would put upwards of $2 trillion into the federal treasury each year
with modest decreases for those under $200,000 and substantial increases on those earning more than $1.5 million. This would put our national budget in the black, begin to reduce the national debt and fund the programs we need including universal health care.
The free speech/electoral reforms on the one hand and the progressive income tax on the other frame the core issues. We believe they should be bundled in one piece of legislation easily seen as being in every one's best interest and around which everyone can unite. While it is possible that these two issues need to be handled separately, we feel that the resistance needed to overcome each of them separately is the same as that for both – one effort solves both ends of our challenges. The clear majority of voters who desire serious campaign reform would likely approve providing necessary funding of governmental programs as well. The two taken together provide the synergy to motivate voters who otherwise would likely not vote or swing to the right wing if the Democrats fail to produce results.
In the face of the current gridlock, the
pundits are already saying that the winners of this fall’s elections will be the people who convince the voting public that they represent real change. Most agree that the Democrats will be seen as the problem by that point leading to an
extremely right wing Republican resurgence. The problem is both parties are “bought.” To prevent a radical turn to the right, we need is to raise the core issues through the Network to the national level so it can affect this fall's elections. Our votes and our candidates depend on their agreement to sponsor our legislation. That’s our goal.
The problem is not so much in the party or the candidate, but in the way our government conducts its business. We cannot allow ourselves to be bound by such “political realism.” That’s exactly what we have to change. Our hope is that if we can frame the issues in a way that people can see it and say, “Yes, that's exactly the kind of change necessary as a first step to all the other reforms we seek,” we can motivate them to act and to vote.
That's our basic ideas in a relatively few words given the magnitude of what we are proposing -- changing the way our world works. We are asking you to become directly in this process in cooperation with the Network and its signatory individuals and organizations.
For further reference
click here to view our Annotated Table of Contents to facilitate finding subjects of interest.
We hope you agree that they synergistic ideas embodies in the Fundamental Reform Network are exactly what is a necessary starting point to change the way our government works so that you can focus on what we elected you to do – govern our nation and solve our problems.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
Contact us: Annotated Table of Contents:
