Excerpt on Legal Corruption
from "The September Speech"
"Our government’s first priority has got to be stopping the flow of money to our leaders. If that isn't fixed, very little will get done, as you’ve seen time and time again.
“So, my plan is this. The very first thing we must do -- and if you’re ready I’ll do this with you -- is to ensure that the people in our Congress and Senate are looking out for your interests. Like I said, people have talked about it for years, but no one has done anything about it. I’ve been told, partly correctly, that I have no plan. But now I do. A very detailed plan. Here’s how we’ll do it.”
At this point, he stepped up the pace and spoke more loudly. He didn’t yell or bellow. But he spoke to the people in a voice that sounded more confident than when he’d started. “One. Government officials must be held to high standards. You'd have a hard time finding lower standards anywhere. They should be able to pass a simple test that includes Civics and History, Mathematics and Accounting, and some basic Logic. Unless they have an understanding of History and Civics, they cannot possibly be able to make good decisions on either foreign or domestic policy. History repeats itself because the people in power don’t understand what was done and didn’t work before.
“They need to know Mathematics and basic Accounting. They cannot, of course, prepare a good budget unless they can understand what all the numbers mean.
“And Logic. Of course. We can’t test them on common sense, but at least we can find out if they are able to do basic, logical reasoning.”
He paused briefly after each point, but the crowd remained silent.
“It’s time we set our standards higher for our leaders. They are the CEOs of this country. And there is more. Like many jobs require, and a lot of those are for low-ranking civil service work, our leaders must take occasional drug tests to be sure they really are thinking about the American people’s best interests and aren’t here to make money and revel in it.
“Furthermore, they must take an oath, something like the Hippocratic oath that doctors take, that says they will put the people of America first. They will not accept donations or presents. Basically, they will work only for the people and not for themselves.
“Finally, it will be illegal for lobbyists, companies, rich donors, or any other entity to give anything, and I mean anything, to members of the House and to Senators. And, of course, the President. Or to anyone related to them. Donations to campaigns will be limited and the money pooled among all the candidates. A company will be unable to put money into my candidacy, for instance, but into a general campaign fund. In that way, no person will be beholden to any company or organization and will vote in the people’s best interests not in the best interests of the companies or organizations.
“Okay. That’s first.”
He stopped to let his first idea sink in. What he saw frightened him. Several thousand faces looked back at him without a sound. He hunched his shoulders and raised his palms. “Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”
Members of the audience that day said they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. No one had ever done anything about the money in Washington. No one had pointed the finger and actually come up with a plan to rid Washington of corruption. Oh, candidates liked to say, “We’re going to take on the big money in DC,” but no one had ever done anything. No one had ever promised to change the system to this extent. And to add the drug tests and the knowledge tests was completely unexpected. They were dumbstruck.
“It can’t be done without your help,” he continued. “You have to demand this. You have to demand that your congressional representatives and Senators vote with me. If they aren’t willing to do these few simple things – and they are very simple - don’t vote for them. They are obviously part of the problem. I don’t care what party they are. This can only be done if you demand it.” He stopped only a brief moment to look more closely at the faces. He thought this was an obvious answer to a multitude of problems. The Republicans and Democrats were polarized because of big money. This had to be done. But the crowd didn’t seem to be reacting. “My question is, are you ready?”
“So, my plan is this. The very first thing we must do -- and if you’re ready I’ll do this with you -- is to ensure that the people in our Congress and Senate are looking out for your interests. Like I said, people have talked about it for years, but no one has done anything about it. I’ve been told, partly correctly, that I have no plan. But now I do. A very detailed plan. Here’s how we’ll do it.”
At this point, he stepped up the pace and spoke more loudly. He didn’t yell or bellow. But he spoke to the people in a voice that sounded more confident than when he’d started. “One. Government officials must be held to high standards. You'd have a hard time finding lower standards anywhere. They should be able to pass a simple test that includes Civics and History, Mathematics and Accounting, and some basic Logic. Unless they have an understanding of History and Civics, they cannot possibly be able to make good decisions on either foreign or domestic policy. History repeats itself because the people in power don’t understand what was done and didn’t work before.
“They need to know Mathematics and basic Accounting. They cannot, of course, prepare a good budget unless they can understand what all the numbers mean.
“And Logic. Of course. We can’t test them on common sense, but at least we can find out if they are able to do basic, logical reasoning.”
He paused briefly after each point, but the crowd remained silent.
“It’s time we set our standards higher for our leaders. They are the CEOs of this country. And there is more. Like many jobs require, and a lot of those are for low-ranking civil service work, our leaders must take occasional drug tests to be sure they really are thinking about the American people’s best interests and aren’t here to make money and revel in it.
“Furthermore, they must take an oath, something like the Hippocratic oath that doctors take, that says they will put the people of America first. They will not accept donations or presents. Basically, they will work only for the people and not for themselves.
“Finally, it will be illegal for lobbyists, companies, rich donors, or any other entity to give anything, and I mean anything, to members of the House and to Senators. And, of course, the President. Or to anyone related to them. Donations to campaigns will be limited and the money pooled among all the candidates. A company will be unable to put money into my candidacy, for instance, but into a general campaign fund. In that way, no person will be beholden to any company or organization and will vote in the people’s best interests not in the best interests of the companies or organizations.
“Okay. That’s first.”
He stopped to let his first idea sink in. What he saw frightened him. Several thousand faces looked back at him without a sound. He hunched his shoulders and raised his palms. “Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”
Members of the audience that day said they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. No one had ever done anything about the money in Washington. No one had pointed the finger and actually come up with a plan to rid Washington of corruption. Oh, candidates liked to say, “We’re going to take on the big money in DC,” but no one had ever done anything. No one had ever promised to change the system to this extent. And to add the drug tests and the knowledge tests was completely unexpected. They were dumbstruck.
“It can’t be done without your help,” he continued. “You have to demand this. You have to demand that your congressional representatives and Senators vote with me. If they aren’t willing to do these few simple things – and they are very simple - don’t vote for them. They are obviously part of the problem. I don’t care what party they are. This can only be done if you demand it.” He stopped only a brief moment to look more closely at the faces. He thought this was an obvious answer to a multitude of problems. The Republicans and Democrats were polarized because of big money. This had to be done. But the crowd didn’t seem to be reacting. “My question is, are you ready?”