Background

Why We’re Doing This

We require that our representatives beg $43 in legal bribes (campaign contributions) for every $1 they make. This means that our representatives work for business and the very wealthy, instead of for us. This has become so toxic that many Americans have checked out of politics. Understandable, as we have no real power.

This situation is optional! We are not looking to prevent contributions by wealthy donors. Rather to simply balance this. But who wants to donate $100 to politicians, when we already feel like we are getting ripped off by them? You shouldn’t have to. The money needed to win an election to become our representative should be part of our federal budget. But if we let the government direct who gets this money, we have seen that that won’t work.

So here is a simple fix. Each voting age citizen has a $100 credit yearly. We can each direct this to our favorite candidate(s)’ election campaigns.

It’s Easy!

You go online, and it would welcome you with a message like "You have $85 left for 2020. What candidate(s) would you like it to go to?" You put in your ZIP Code and it gives a list of registered candidates in your area, from president to city council candidates.

You say how much you want to go to any specific candidate. It goes directly from the U.S. Treasury to the candidates’ campaign fund. This way, you get a meaningful vote back. And it needs to be completely transparent.

It’s that simple!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have our representatives working for us again?

And It Costs Each of Us Nothing!

We are not asking you for money to make this happen. Being a grassroots movement, this is not needed. If you want this to happen, please consider doing these two things:

1. Sign the petition. With enough signatures we will get the government and media’s attention.
2. Please share this on social media. This is the only way that people will hear about this.

It’s time for the citizens to take our government back. And it’s easy!

To be able to receive these dollars, the candidate needs to agree that all money they receive, and how they spend it, will be completely transparent, and shown online.

Citizens can only designate it to go directly to political candidates, so the candidates do not become beholden to anyone else. Not to their political party, PACs, or any other group. Except the citizens they represent. So, it is important that it cannot go to organizations or PACs. Only directly to the candidate.

Logistics

This process could be administered through nonpartisan government or nongovernmental groups who show themselves capable of doing so. The contribution designated by each citizen would go directly from the U.S. Treasury to the candidate’s campaign fund.

This all requires complete transparency.

Making This Happen

Passing Congress

Our representatives really do go into politics to try to do good. But the only way they can get and keep their job is by begging big money for massive bribes. Eventually, they lose themselves and have to spend most of their time finding and paying back these bribes.

The possibility of a $20 billion pool of campaign contributions that they can get by simply doing their job should be appealing across both sides of the aisle. It will also make clear, by any politician’s or corporation’s opposition, if any are so corrupted and beyond hope that they oppose giving this power back to the citizens.

The Media

Media stand to be major winners from this, as the money will be spent on political advertising. These are also good people, also currently caught in an impossible situation. They can’t afford to upset their advertisers. The One-Minute Fix will make it easier for them to speak the truth as well.

The key hurdle is simply getting this discussion on the national radar. Getting enough signatures on the petition can do this.

Those in power will likely try to write the bill to block our ability to give to candidates who they do not control. This means we must require that the bill be kept simple and clean. Any citizen can give to any candidate who registers and agrees to complete financial transparency, and anyone who wants to run can qualify. No minimum vote or other requirements that currently keep new voices or ideas from being heard.

Elections should be paid for by government money. But YOU should decide who gets the money.

Cost of the One-Minute Fix

Currently, about $4 billion yearly is spent on presidential and congressional campaigns. Most comes from large donors, with over 70% coming from donations over $200.

With about 200 million Americans of voting age, at $100 each, this would create a potential pool of $20 billion a year from small donations to balance out the $4 billion from large donors. This way, our representatives can actually appeal (and make themselves appealing) to us, the citizens, for the money they need to get elected. Instead of having to pay off what amounts to bribes from the wealthy. With our money.

The $20 billion a year would come from the federal budget. It is a small price for sanely running the $4 ½ trillion dollar a year business which is our federal government. It would save far more than this, by freeing representatives from the requirement of taking massive campaign contributions (i.e., bribes) from industry. Which they then have to pay back many times over. With our money.

Cost of Not Doing This

Although candidates take $43 in campaign contributions "bribes" for each dollar they are paid, they are forced to support legislation that pays back far more than this. Some studies have found companies can get as much as a 22,000 percent return on their lobbying dollars.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that candidates spend about 60% of their time calling rich donors to raise money. This could better be spent doing their job representing us.

The U.S. Federal Budget for FY 2019 is $4.407 trillion. The breakdown includes $2.739 trillion in mandatory spending (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid), $1.305 trillion in discretionary spending (Defense, Education, Energy, etc.), and $363 billion in interest payment on national debt.

Medicare and discretionary spending are dramatically impacted by campaign contributions. Balancing the influence of large donors could easily supply far more than the $20 billion cost of this project.