The coverage of the life and career of Sen. Edward Kennedy have given me reason to ponder some of the changes that we should not only hope for but push for at a grassroots level (I don't think too many of the following were what the Obama Campaign had in mind whilst running on that slogan). Among them:
- Term limits. It all starts here; Sen. Kennedy served 47 years in the Senate, longer than I have been alive. We need to eliminate career politicians and get back to people serving for the right reasons.
- Drastic reduction in the compensation and benefits of elected officials. Once again, we want people who choose to serve for the right reasons, not so that they can enrich and empower themselves at the public trough.
- Campaign reform and the repeal of McCain - Feingold. This legislation is unconstitutional and Bush's failure to veto it is, in my opinion, one of the major stains on his legacy. Right now the rules are rigged to favor the two-party system and the encumbents, who are typically much better funded than their challengers (the average, based on numbers I have seen, seems to be 300% - 400% better).
- Eliminate the gerrymandering of Congressional districts. Lines should be drawn in a manner that make sense geographically while at the same time providing for equal representation of all members of the population. I have seen some crazy districts in, specifically, the Chicago area (what a shock!!) and Nevada; I'm sure that the redrawing of districts to protect - or even damage - the encumbent is probably a problem to some extent almost everywhere.
These reforms would help to ensure the fairness of elections; empower independents and third-party candidates; force candidates to gain support of a broader constituency; and help to elect more responsible representation by people who want to serve and help better their country.
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