Campaign Reform

I have an idea. I've had this idea for a while. It's just an idea. A place to start. Something to consider. There are no details, no steps to make this happen, no process in place, no answers on how to make this happen. Just an idea. 

But I can't stop thinking about this idea and how much it could have in impact on the political future of our country. 

When it comes to what the job of a politician is, things need to change. 

Campaign Financing Reform 

Having little to no money shouldn't stop people from wanting to run for office. Large outside sources of money should have no place in political campaigns. Our politicians should not be bought or bribed. The amount of money that is raised and spent on campaigns is too high. That money could be spent in so many other areas that are deeply in need. 

My suggestion is a one-time campaign grant that is provided to each individual running for office. I suppose that price could change based on which office, geographical location, etc. If you run for office, you are given this money to campaign. If you win or lose, you don't pay it back. And here's the catch - this is the only money you're allowed to spend on campaigning. 

No additional fundraising, no asking for donations, no accepting money from lobbyist organizations. No outside groups would be allowed to do any additional campaigning for you either. No PACs. Your campaign is run by your team alone and alone with this grant money. Any additional fundraising or money spent would mean immediate removal from the ballot. 

Campaign Timing Reform

You might ask how could we limit such things as how much money someone spends? Well I believe that the amount of campaigning that takes places has gotten absolutely absurd. We don't need presidential campaigns that happen for 2+ years. We do need any campaigns that happen longer than 6 months! Maybe not even longer than 3 months! Yes, really. 

Most people strictly vote by party. Those that are undecided should be making their decision off of the issues and how that politician would respond. Not months of smear campaign ads or nonsense rallies to "drum up support". I'm hesitant to say they should be restricted to only talking about the issues, but enough with the negative ads, the lies, the bashing of your opponent. It does absolutely no good to anyone. 

I think we set a time, a certain number of months before the election and it is only during those months, candidates are allowed to campaign. No events outside these dates, no ads, no yard signs, nothing that could be considered campaigning or gathering support. There could be a timeline. By this date, you file to run. On this date you receive your grant and start prepping your campaign. On this date, you campaign becomes active and you can go public. On this date, all campaigning ends. On this date, we vote. Any additional campaigning outside of the set times and dates would result in immediate removal from the ballot. 

Discussing the Issues

During this limited campaign time, candidates should make clear their stance on various issues. A website that clearly outlines their thoughts and positions. There should be (depending on the office) a set number of town halls, not for the candidate to rally supports, but to be available to ask questions from potential constituents. There should be at least one (more depending on office again) debate between candidates. This is the information voters want. Truthful answers, no spinning, no bullshit. 

Term Limits

Yes, there need to be term limits in place for every office. There is something to be said for experience, but there is also something to be said for new blood. That term limit could again depend on the office, but its long past time to put some term limits in place. 

Let's think for a moment how all this could change the political landscape. Politicians wouldn't be forced to spend months on the road campaigning and trying to raise money. They could be in their office, doing the work we elected them to do. With term limits, again, the pressure to campaign for re-election disappears. They can focus on the job they were elected to do. Serving the people. Endless buckets of money would no longer be spent on smear campaign ads. Politicians wouldn't be bought by lobbyists. They can focus on the job they were elected to do and actually do the job in the best interest of those people that elected them. How much of a difference could all of this make? 

Additionally, voting is the most important civic duty for Americans. Election Day should be a National Holiday. Everyone should automatically be registered to vote when they turn 18 and there should be no purging of voter registration due to "inactivity". Death, obviously, yes. There should be an adequate number of polling places depending on the area's population. There should be no restrictions in place to prevent people from voting. It is our most important right. Everyone should have the opportunity to vote. 

I could also rant about the need to end our two-party system and rigged gerrymandering...  but I feel like those could each have a post of their own.  

It's time for some sort of change in politics. These are just some of my ideas. 

An Open Invitation

As much as I'm sure I could be posting daily here on my political blog, I've avoided doing so. Sometimes because I find other social media posts, articles or blogs that accurately describe my same thoughts and feelings and many times in a much more eloquent way than I ever could. Sometimes because the thought of taking the time to write out all of my thoughts on recent actions would mean digging up a lot of anger and frustration that sometimes I just don't want to do deal with. And sometimes, things that have happened or have been said have left me completely speechless and I just don't have any words. 

But America as we know it is changing. Things are happening that I honestly thought I'd never see in my lifetime. I do believe that America is a great country but this is not the America that I believe in. This is not the America I want to live in. I want better. We deserve better. 

But this post isn't about any one event or incident in particular. After recent events in Charlottesville, I've seen this Facebook post being shared a lot. 

And I get it. People are angry. But I refuse to share something like this on my page. I refuse to take this route. I think unfriending someone because they have different beliefs from you will only cause a larger gap in our already divided nation. 

Now, let me say right here, I am not okay with what that picture represents. I, personally, don't understand how some people have those views, have that much hatred for other people. But. That doesn't mean I don't want to try and understand. It doesn't mean I won't listen to what you have to say. 

I am a big believer in listening to all sides of the story. I want to try and understand why you have your beliefs. And I hope in turn, you'll want to try and understand my beliefs. Nothing good can come from us continuing to separate ourselves from those who believe in something so different from us. In order to try and find some middle ground, you have to be able to understand each side. 

I'll admit, I don't have many Republican friends on Facebook. Or maybe I don't have many vocal Republican friends on Facebook. And I know Facebook's algorithm doesn't help with this. But I want to hear your thoughts. I want to listen to you. I want to hear from you! My Independent friends, please join our conversation as well! You also have a different viewpoint I'd love to hear more of. 

So here's my open invitation. Join my conversation. Share your beliefs. Tell me your thoughts on recent events. I want to know. I hope that you'll take the time to listen to me as well but I can respect if you don't want to. I promise to keep any conversations from me civil. I don't want to fight, I just want to try and understand. 

So ask to be my friend if we're not already. Comment your thoughts on my posts. Write something on my wall. Message me. Follow me on Twitter (@lizzaruba) and reply with your thoughts. Maybe we can just spend some time asking each other questions. It doesn't matter. I want dialog. And yes, I will state here that I know I post a lot of political posts on Facebook and I'm sure it could get annoying to see them pop up in your newsfeed so often. What I would ask here is that you just adjust your settings so you see less of my posts or don't "follow" me, but stay connected as friends.  

Again, I'm not looking for fights. I'm not looking for arguments. I'm looking for conversation. For dialog. For trying to understand each other's beliefs. If we can't start to do this, we can't start to move forward. I hope you'll consider my invitation to conversation. 

Is this Making America Great Again?

There's been a lot happening within this new administration. Looking back at Trump's campaign, he promised to "Make America Great Again". But a lot of the recent events and actions don't - in my mind - seem to be doing this. Can anyone help me understand?

How does cutting back Dodd-Frank regulations, allowing investors to cheat and steal money from their clients, make America great again? 

How does insulting America's closest allies make America great again?

How does putting highly unqualified people in top positions, while not properly vetting them, make America great again?

How does removing environmental regulations and projections, allowing companies to essentially poison people and destroy the earth, make America great again? 

How is removing white supremacist groups from terror watch program make America great again?

How does removing the separation of church and state - when America was founded on religious freedom - make America great again?

How does allowing mentally ill individuals access to guns make America great again? 

How does cutting Social Security and Medicare make America great again? 

How does allowing the pharmaceutical industry to make more money by ripping off sick Americans make America great again?

How does having a president who doesn't use the intelligence available to him before making decisions and actions make America great again?

How does having a president who only seems to care about himself, his businesses and his billionaire friends make America great again?

Looking for answers here... 

Things I don't understand

Things I don't understand recently... 

Why was it okay for Trump and many others to question the legitimacy of Obama's presidency, but it's not okay to question Trump's presidency? 

Why is it okay for Trump to be using an unsecured phone and his administration to be using private emails when it wasn't okay for Clinton? 

Why is it okay to spend millions and billions of dollars when it comes to building walls or war, but not okay to spend a fraction of that to help our fellow Americans?

Why is it okay that President Trump is already on track to sign more executive orders than President Obama, but whenever President Obama signed an executive order, he was "over-reaching"? 

Why is it okay to put an immigration ban in place when America was founded on the idea of welcoming immigrates from all over the world? Why is this okay when some claim that we are a Christian nation yet directly disobey the teachings of Jesus when he says to love our neighbor and welcome the refugee? 

Why is it okay for us to claim to be a Christian nation when in fact America was founded on freedom of religion? 

Why is it okay to hurt millions of average Americans so that big corporations and the top 1% can make even more money, none of which trickles down? 

Why is it okay to deny millions of Americans healthcare coverage? Why are the insurance company's profits more important than life? 

Why is it okay to strip rights away from people just because you don't agree with them?

Why is it okay to continue to destroy our planet for the sake of profit? 

Why is it okay that we've stopped caring about each other? 

Why is it okay to hate?

A Quote

I listened as they called my President a Muslim. 
I listened as they called him and his family a pack of monkeys.
I listened as they said he wasn't born here.

I watched as they blocked every single path to progress that they could. 
I saw the pictures of him as Hitler. 
I watched them shut down the government and hurt the entire nation twice.
I watched them turn their backs on every opportunity to open worthwhile dialog. 
I watched them say that they would not even listen to any choice for Supreme Court no matter who the nominee was.
I listened as they openly said that they will oppose him at every turn. 

I watched as they did just that. 
I listened. 
I watched. 
I paid attention. 

Now, I'm being called on to be tolerant. 
To move forward. 
To denounce protesters. 
To "Get over it." 
To accept this... 

I will not. 

I will do my part to make sure this great American mistake becomes the embarrassing footnote of our history that it deserves to be I will do this as quickly as possible every chance I get. 

I will do my part to limit the damage that this man can do to my country. 
I will watch his every move and point out every single mistake and misdeed in a loud and proud voice.

I will let you know in a loud voice every time this man backs away from a promise he made to them. Them. The people who voted for him. The ones who sold their souls and prayed for him to win.
I will do this so that they never forget. And they will hear me. They will see it in my eyes when I look at them. They will hear it in my voice when I talk to them. They will know that I know who they are. They will know that I know what they are. 

Do not call for my tolerance. 
I've tolerated all I can. 
Now it's their turn to tolerate ridicule. 

Be aware, make no mistake about it, every single thing that goes wrong in our country from this day forward is now Trump's fault just as much as they thought it was Obama's. I find it unreasonable for them to expect from me what they were entirely unwilling to give.

--Author unknown

My Beliefs

I've avoided blogging throughout this past Presidential campaign. Partly because I couldn't believe what was happening and partly because I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this. But it has. America has "elected" President Trump. 

Since November, there has been much fear, sadness, grief, hate, division, doubt, etc. And I'm afraid it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. But one thing I've seen a lot of recently is generalizations from both sides about the views of the other side. And instead of responding to every meme or getting in pointless arguments, I decided to write a post about MY beliefs. And they are just that - my beliefs, my thoughts, my feelings. I will not claim to speak for anyone but myself. So, here we go. 

I am a Christian. I am a democrat. I am a liberal. I am a feminist. 

I believe in equal rights for all, justice for all and respect for all. 

I am not being a sore loser or a crybaby because my candidate lost. I accept that fact. President Trump has been sworn into office. He is my president. But his past rhetoric, lies, campaign promises and even current actions are extremely dangerous and I will not be silent and let these things happen. 

I will not sit back quietly while he strips away the rights and equality we have fought so hard for. I will not sit back quietly while he spews hate on Twitter. I will not sit back quietly while he normalizes sexual assault. I will not sit back quietly while he makes it harder for already struggling Americans to survive another day. I will not sit back quietly while he befriends a war criminal. I will not sit back quietly as he flat out lies to the public. I will not sit back as he promises to take away healthcare from millions of Americans who's lives depend on that care. I will not sit back while he makes decisions that directly benefit himself and his billionaire buddies, all while hurting the average American. I will not sit back quietly. 

I proudly marched in the Women's March. I believe that there is a serious threat under the new administration and Republican-controlled Congress to women, people of color, minorities and refugees. This is not based on the fact that my candidate did not win. This is based on the rhetoric and promises I've heard from the Trump administration and Republicans. 

For me, the Women's March was about inclusiveness. It was not about pushing my beliefs on others, but making my beliefs known and opening the door to conversation. It was about demanding respect and equality, not just for women, but for people of color, for our LGTBQ brothers and sisters, for all minorities, for refugees. It was a chance for me to stand up and say "We will not let hate win. We will not let fear win." It was about making sure that our basic rights are protected. I believe that the rows of signs left behind in front of the White House and other structures serve as a type of memorial and reminder to why we marched and what we're fighting for. 

I believe that marches and protests are one of the most American things we can do. That is how America started. It is our right as free Americans. There will always be marches and protests that we don't agree with but these are happening to start those conversations, to take a look an issue we would otherwise not know about, to fight for change. Marches are not about whining because we didn't get our way. Marches are about fighting for what we believe in, demanding change and making a difference. And they have historically done that. 

I'm going to take a moment here and say that I am not a person of color. I am not in the LGTBQ community - other than an ally. I am not a minority (unless you count women). I am not a refugee. And because I am not these things, I cannot speak for these people. And this post is about my beliefs, thoughts and feelings. But I will also say that I do believe that these people face an incredible amount of hate, discrimination, injustice and lack of respect or understanding. I know in my heart that this is wrong and I will fight for respect, understanding, justice and love that these people deserve. 

But I am a woman, so I'm going to talk about my beliefs on that. I believe that women are still not paid as much as their male co-workers. I believe that women are still discriminated against in the workplace, especially as mothers. I believe that both mothers and fathers deserve that time off with a new baby or adopted child. I believe that every women has a right to choose when it comes to keeping a baby or not. My personal beliefs or opinions on abortion don't matter unless I am in that situation of having to decide. I believe that all women should have access to affordable and safe healthcare, especially when it comes to reproduction. I believe that cutting funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood will ultimately cause more harm - increase in unsafe abortions, increase in unplanned pregnancies, increase in the need for government assistance, increase STDs, increase deaths. I believe that women are unfairly taxed for items that women depend on every month. I believe that a woman should get to decide what to do with her body and not lose healthcare service because of her choices. I most definitely believe that no man has any right to tell a women what she can and cannot do with her body. 

I believe that women and children are often in more danger of gun violence due to domestic violence. I believe that someone who has been charged with domestic assault, should not own a gun. I believe that background checks on gun sales should be mandatory. I believe conceal weapon permits should require background checks and sufficient training. I believe this should be a federal law so guns don't cross state lines unsafely. 

I believe in climate change. I believe in science. I believe the earth is getting warmer. And I believe that if we don't make some major changes, we will destroy earth. I believe that there are better resources than gas and coal. I believe in renewable energy. I believe we need to invest in renewable energy. 

I believe in federal support and mandates for education. Where you live should not determine the quality of education you receive. I believe that No Child Left Behind needs to go. I believe we should measure growth and not proficiency. I believe we should allow more play-based learning and recess. I believe in affordable higher education. While the idea of free college does sound amazing, I only believe it needs to be affordable. Graduates shouldn't be saddled with mountains of debt. And when they are, there should be options to make affordable payments rather than hurting their credit. 

I believe in equal rights for all. And I believe that if you don't think everyone has equal rights, then you're probably in a privileged class that has never had to worry about it. 

I believe in the right to march and protest. I believe in the right to demonstrate for your cause. I personally don't believe in riots or damaging property but I will also say that I've never been in such a position that I've felt I needed to resort to that in order for people hear me and see me. I do believe there is a difference in riots that damage property because they want to damage property and protests that cause damage because because that group of people feel so silenced. 

I believe that police brutality happens. I support police and the incredible hard work that they do 100%, but when brutality happens, those officers need to be held accountable. I believe that we could have more and better training for our police. I believe that what they do every day is a very difficult job and I respect them and thank them for keeping us safe. 

I believe that money needs to be out of politics. I believe corporations are not people. I believe that lobbying should be illegal. I believe that we the people should have a voice in what laws are made and not big corporations who will see an increase in profits and often hurt the average American. Seriously, laws should not be made so that big corporations can increase their profit - none of which will trickle down to the hard working Americans. 

I believe that if local, state or federal government tries to dismantle independent ethics or anti-corruption agencies, they absolutely have something to hide and something to fear. These agencies are essential to America. And for any representative or senator that speaks out in favor or votes for the dismantling of these agencies should immediately be removed from his/her position. 

I believe in restoring the Voting Rights Act. I believe that the many actions around the nation to "help prevent voter fraud" were put in place to make voting harder for minorities and poor individuals. I believe that if Republicans believe voter fraud is such a issue issue - even though facts prove that it isn't - then they need to enact a better way of making sure voter fraud doesn't happen without making it harder for people to vote. The right to vote is one of the most treasured rights and should be allowed for every citizen. 

I believe that Trump is not qualified to be the President of the United States. I believe he is insecure and does not have the temperament needed for the President's office. I believe that he will not help the average American. I believe we have a right to see his tax returns and full transparency into this businesses and potential conflicts. I am also terrified of the administration and their "alternative facts" and how easily and quickly they lie to the American public. I believe that journalists have to be stronger than ever to fight and find the truth and make it known. But even then, I fear Trump supporters will turn a blind eye even if the facts are right in front of them. 

I'm just going to add here that I believe in facts. (honestly, this isn't something I should need to put here...) I believe in hard concrete facts. Not alternative facts. I believe you can't disagree with facts - because they are facts. I believe in backing up facts with hard data. 

I believe the Affordable Healthcare Act should not be repealed. Period. Yes, there are flaws. Let's fix them instead of living millions of people uninsured. Healthcare should be a universal right. I believe you shouldn't have to set up a GoFundMe page if you get cancer. 

I believe President Obama was a great president. I consider myself blessed to have lived through and voted for his presidency. I will not say he was perfect; he made mistakes and I wish he would have done some things different. But that will be the case with anyone. We are only human. I believe that history will remember President Obama for the great man that he truly was. 

I believe that while many systems and programs we have in place by the government may have flaws, they are necessary for many Americans. Programs and systems should be improved upon before removing with no backup plan. Programs and systems should benefit all Americans and not just the 1%. I believe that America is a great country, but there are still plenty of things we need to improve on. 

I believe we need a prison system reform. I believe we need more assistance to fight homelessness and find affordable housing. I believe in unions. I believe that we spend too much money in the defense department. I believe in the First Amendment and the freedom of press. I believe corporations should be forced to pay their fair share of taxes. I believe in keeping federal land public. I believe that there is a need for the government to be involved in a variety of ways, and that this can be done without the government completely controlling us. I believe in a lot of things and I could probably keep going. 

But instead, I'm just going to leave this last part here: 

I believe that Jesus calls us to love one another. To love our neighbor. I believe in this simple truth and this is my basis for my beliefs in politics. 



***Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expect in any of these areas. I make mistakes. I am wrong sometimes. I'm open to civil conversations on finding a middle ground. I want to listen and learn. 

Recent Events

I wasn't going to say anything concerning the recent events. I was going to bite my tongue. Let it go. But I just can't do that anymore. I have to get it out. Even if no one reads this blog, at least I'll get these thoughts out of my mind. And since I can't sleep, here I am.

There has been so much hate, so much violence, so much wrong with our world lately. I'm afraid I don't even know where to start. I was having a conversation with my mom the other day, wondering about the state of this world. Wondering what is the point of it all? Is it worth it? Is this the type of world I want to raise my son in? 

No. I don't want to raise my son in a world where there are more mass shootings than there are days in the year. There is absolutely no reason this needs to continue to happen. None. Laws can be changed without infringing on your rights. 

Let's start with assault weapons. What is the point of owning an assault weapon? There is none. What is the point of having 4000 rounds of ammunition on stockpile at home? There is none. What is the point of having 300 guns? There is none. These are not necessities. These are dangers that we can avoid. 

I've read about comparing gun rights to the right to drive a car. You have to take a course, pass tests, be responsible, continue to renew your license, etc. Why can't we do this with guns? Because guns are a constitutional right? So was the right to own a person. We don't do that any more. No one wants to take away all the damn guns. We only want to take away the extreme weapons that have no value in our communities. We only want to keep guns out of criminals' or dangerous individuals' hands. If you are a responsible gun owner, you have nothing to fear. Except maybe some more training but how has that ever hurt anyone? 

There are so many double standards out there... terrorist versus mentally ill; Christian versus Muslim; guns versus adoptions. So let's talk about them. 

Terrorist versus mentally ill. It's a racial thing, right? If it's a white guy - he must be mentally ill. A loner. If it's anyone else, he's a terrorist, a thug. I think they're all the same - dangerous individuals who should not have had access to the weapons they did. I'm not saying that there isn't mental illness involved in some or all of these individuals, because that is a very likely thing. But here's the next double standard - we start talking about improving our mental health system and say that will make a difference. And it might. But are those politicians claiming we need to revamp mental health going to be okay with a so call "handout"? I'm guessing not as they're currently trying to repeal health care for so many Americans. 

Christian versus Muslim. If one Muslim goes on a shooting rampage, we need to start tracking all Muslims or get them out of our nation. If one Christian goes on a shooting rampage, well, we already determined he's just mentally ill. You cannot judge an entire religion based on the actions of a few individuals. A few radicals. And if you do want to do that, you need to judge all religions equally. There is so much hate against any religion that isn't Christianity in America. And this needs to stop. America was NOT founded on Christianity. It was founded on FREEDOM of RELIGION. Meaning you decide what YOUR religion is. You don't force it on others and others don't force their religion on you. It's part of what makes America great - our diversity. There is separation of church and state for a reason. We need to keep it that way. I am a proud Christian and you will never hear me say otherwise. But I know not everyone is Christian. And that is okay. I'm happy to share my faith with you if you want, but I will not force it on anyone. 

To take that one step further, there's been a lot of talk about thoughts and prayers during these horrible events. No one is saying you can't send your thoughts and prayers to the families and communities that are experiencing these tragedies. By all means, send thoughts and prayers. Send thoughts and prayers of healing and comfort. But do more. Send thoughts and prayers about change to make this country a better place. Turn your thoughts and prayers into action. No one is denying your faith or your ability to practice that. But we need action. We need change. We need to realize that we don't have to live like this. And that can only come from action. 

Guns versus abortions. Oh this is a fun one. So many are outraged at all the babies that are killed each year. Ironically, they don't seem as concerned for people that are also murdered in shootings each year. I'm not going to give you my stance on abortion because frankly, I'm not even sure what it is. But what I do know is that no woman makes that choice easily. I can't imagine the struggle that is. What I do know is that that choice should be made only by that woman. No one else. No one else could possibly know how difficult that choice is. And if you start to tell me that she can give it up for adoption and that that baby isn't even given a chance at life, let's talk about the children that are currently in the foster systems, waiting to be adopted. Let's talk about the children that so poor that they don't eat when they're not in school. If you want to care about life, let's start with the lives of the children we currently have in this country. There are plenty here to help first. If we can solve those issues, maybe then we can have a serious conversation about abortion. 

One Congresswoman recently introduced a bill trying to regulate guns like certain politicians want to regulate abortions - 72 hour waiting period, gruesome videos, doctor's note, etc. Not that it will ever pass, but it brings up such a great point! Why do we regulate women's bodies so much but not guns? I believe it was Senator Paul who recently said he was against closing a loophole for suspected terrorists to be able to buy guns because it would infringe against their rights. It's okay if we don't let them fly, but go ahead and buy some guns. Makes sense. Oh and by the way, let's go ahead and track all those individuals of Muslim faith because there might be a small percentage of terrorists but hey, they can still have guns. 

There are too many double standards. Too much hate. Too much violence. 

I don't have all the answers. I'm not an expert. But I refuse to believe that there is nothing we can do to help prevent these tragedies. Will criminals still find a way to get guns? Maybe. But with more laws in place, more registries, more background checks, we might be able to make it harder and prevent some.